Chapter 1

I did my best to speak with a steady voice. “There are security cameras in the living room. You’ll know whether I did it after taking a look.”

Susan and her friends laughed.

“You really know how to act, you manipulative witch. If we find that you’re the one who did it, you’re going to start crying and saying that you only did it because you care about Samson too much!

“Forget it. I’m generous, so I’ll say I did it.

“Samson, we should spend less time together in the future, or your girlfriend is going to be paranoid.”

Then, they headed to the door.

Panicked, Samson chased after them without even changing into his shoes.

With trembling hands, I retrieved the security footage and found the moment Susan took my ring.

When Samson came back, I showed him the screenshot, but he smacked my phone away. “Enough, Mindy. Susan is no longer arguing about this with you. Could you refrain from being so difficult next time?

“I’ve been friends with her for more than twenty years. You don’t have to use your tricks on her.”

I looked at my shattered screen and felt my heart breaking as well.

Slowly, I squatted down and picked up my phone.

“Samson, let’s break up.”

Samson sneered. “Susan was right. She said that if you didn’t manage to paint her as some thief, you’d threaten me with a breakup.”

When I looked at Samson, I found that he had become quite a stranger to me. “I’m serious, Samson.”

He pushed his finger against the center of his brow. “Mindy, if you continue arguing, you’ll be taking it too far. I’m tired. You should go to sleep soon as well. I’ll pretend that this never happened.”

Then, he went into the bedroom alone.

I stood in the center of the living room without moving.

In the past, whenever I was treated unfairly, I would toss and turn at night while crying.

Samson would patiently stay by my side and quietly wipe away my tears.

He would listen to me as I told him about how everything went down and teach me how to handle the situation next time.

He would even buy gifts and desserts to make me happy.

Yet our five-year relationship could not win against Susan’s slanderous remark.

After taking a deep breath, I sent a message to my mother. [Being away from home is too tiring. I want to come back.]

Despite it being midnight, my mother replied to me instantly. [Come back, then. We have everything at home.]

She did not ask me what had happened.

I groped my way through the dark to the bedroom and started packing up.

Samson was already deep asleep, though he was still holding his phone.

Suddenly, his screen lit up.

Susan had sent a message to him.

Susan: Well? Have you calmed her down? Has Miss Manipulator forced you to delete my contact?

On the first day we became a couple, Samson registered my fingerprint on his phone, but this was the first time I checked his phone.

When I scrolled up, I found that while I was calming down in the living room, he was complaining to Susan about me.

Samson: When I just got to know Mindy in university, she always said that her coursemates bullied her.

Susan: I also liked pretending to be weak and delicate during my manipulative days. It could stir up the protective instincts in men.

Samson: I let her befriend all of you so that she can have more friends. She’s always being betrayed by her friends, after all. But I wasn’t expecting this to happen.

Susan: She’s thinking of us as her enemies and is playing tricks to sow discord between us so she doesn’t have to share you.

Samson only replied five minutes later.

Samson: Is Mindy that sort of person?

Susan’s reply came half an hour later.

Susan: You’ve fallen for her tricks. I won’t say anything else, or I’m going to end up being the bad guy.

Samson: I trust you.

When I put the phone back, my hands were trembling.

Since Samson believed in her, I would just leave.