Chapter 2

Ian glared at me intently, his eyes blazing with anger.

Katie picked up the necklace smugly, glanced at it, and said with a look of disdain on her face, "But now that I'm looking at it properly, it's such a hideous design after all. It's worse than the one you bought for me, Ian. How could you give such a cheap thing to someone else as a gift?"

Then, she dropped the necklace into the trash can, which was filled with greasy food scraps.

I felt my blood freeze instantly.

Ian saw my horrified look and said coldly, "Stop spacing out. We are celebrating my marriage tonight, and nobody is allowed to leave sober. Nobody is allowed to leave early either. Let's drink till we're completely wasted!"

I stood up shakily, my face pale. "I'm good. You guys go ahead. I have somewhere else to be."

Ian's complexion turned as black as thunder when he heard what I said. However, I ignored him and walked out without another backward glance before he could go berserk on me.

I went back to my car. There were no text messages or apologies from Ian at all. Instead, I saw all the other stories that he posted on his Instagram account.

There were videos of him kissing Katie deeply while the other teammates cheered them on. The look in Ian's eyes was something I was all too familiar with. It was the crazed look he'd give me every time we slept together in bed.

I used to be the only one who got to see him like this. But now, it belonged to Katie.

Everyone felt sorry for the five years Ian was separated from Katie, but nobody knew anything about me, who'd silently supported him from the shadows for the same five years, even bearing his pain for him.

But if this was what Ian wanted, then I would just let him have it all.

I chuckled self-deprecatingly and reacted with a heart to that Instagram story.

Then, I returned to the apartment I shared with him and spent an hour wiping every trace of me from the place.

I had asked him time and time again to make our relationship public. In the nights when we lay entangled in each other's limbs, I would keep pressing him about the issue, but Ian always managed to placate me with some excuse or other.

At first, I thought that he was holding back because of our dreams.

However, when Katie reappeared in his life, he immediately introduced her to the rest of the team and even had them playfully call her "Mrs. Bradford". Then he registered their marriage together before celebrating with the rest of the team.

It suddenly dawned on me.

It wasn't that he couldn't make our relationship public. He just didn't love me. He wasn't willing to risk his reputation for my sake.

I went into my email inbox and found the email that I'd archived for a long time. It was an invitation from the Claston Hawks to join their ice hockey team.

I was the top Left Wing player in the league. I had a great shot at eventually playing Center with a ludicrous salary, but I turned down the Claston Hawks' invitation for three consecutive years because I wanted to remain by Ian's side and support him.

To help Ian push toward the final goal during the playoffs, I once shielded him from an opponent's charge despite my broken ribs, so he could take his shot without obstacles in the way.

I lost ten pounds recovering from that injury.

At that time, Ian kept looking at me with heartache and pity in his eyes. He turned down all interviews to stay by my side at the hospital and even personally fed me every day.

Although our relationship was underground then as well, he gave me so much special treatment that I thought it would last forever.

But now, his special treatment only belonged to Katie moving forward.

I replied to the Claston Hawks' manager's email, indicating my acceptance of their contract.

Half an hour later, I formally submitted a trade request to the management of the Yorkson Bears. Not long after submitting the request, I received a phone call from Ian.

When we fought in the past, I was always the one to break the silence and apologize first. But this time, I remained silent.

In the end, Ian couldn't hold back anymore and chided me with disgust and impatience.

"What's the meaning of you liking my story, then submitting the trade request, Claude Manning? Do you think it's fun to play hard to get like this?

"Katie can only live for one more month. Can't you be patient for just one more month? Aren't you worried that I'd really break up with you?"

I used to be afraid he would break up with me. It made me always act obediently and submissively toward him.

But I was tired of it all now.

"Then let's just break up, Ian Bradford."