Chapter 2

On my way home, I received a call from Mark.

He asked me to go to Ashford University School of Fine Arts to pick up a document on his behalf.

After he hung up, I sighed.

I had been trying to keep my distance, but Bianca was a professor at that exact school.

Upon arriving at the art school, I walked right into the swarm of students heading to class.

I happened to overhear some students talking.

“I barely managed to snag a spot in Professor Milas’ class. She’s crazy popular.”

“Right? The guys all show up for her, and at least half the girls come for Mr. Steadman, the teaching assistant. I have to admit; they make a great couple.”

I slowed down. A bitter feeling washed over me.

In the five years we had been together, I was never once introduced to Bianca’s friends or colleagues, even when we were head over heels with each other.

When I brought up posting a picture of us, she, the ever-meticulous art school professor, would give me that look and lecture me like I was some clueless teenager.

“Benedict, grow up.

“You’re not a teenager anymore. Quit it with this empty, flashy stuff. It’s beneath me. I’m a professor.”

I was stunned when I heard that.

Ever since then, I never brought it up again.

The girls beside me kept chattering about Bianca and Derek’s relationship.

“Seriously though, Professor Milas’ profile on the official site says she’s married, and I’m telling you, it’s totally Mr. Steadman. Otherwise, how come nobody has ever seen her husband?”

“Exactly. That stern, untouchable ice queen only ever smiles at him.”

As the two girls walked further away, my footsteps faltered until I stopped by the corridor.

All the pain I had been holding onto hit me all at once.

I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “It’s alright. I’ll be gone soon. In three days, none of this will matter anymore.”

After picking up the documents for Mark, I passed by a professor’s office and heard familiar playful laughter.

“Come on, have a bite. It’s delicious!”

Through the crack in the door, I saw Derek and Bianca sitting together eating breakfast.

Derek tried to make Bianca drink soy milk.

I had tried to make her drink soy milk before. She had stormed off and left me alone at home.

At that moment, she simply frowned.

When Derek nudged her, she let out a helpless, affectionate sigh and drank it.

Derek’s eyes lit up and asked eagerly, “How was it? It’s good, isn’t it?

She nodded and said, “It’s okay.”

I could not help but laugh bitterly at myself.

Five years together, and I never knew she had such a gentle and accommodating side.

In the office, she naturally used a tissue to wipe away crumbs from the corner of his mouth and asked softly, “Did you get some sleep last night?”

“I did. You know me. As long as you’re on the line with me, I sleep like a baby.”

He then thought of something else and added, “But I heard that you don’t pick up calls after 9 p.m., though. Would I be bothering you?”

Without hesitation, she said, “You’re the exception.”

Her brief reply made my heart clench in pain.

Hearing her say it out loud was momentarily brutal. But that moment almost immediately gave way to numbness.

I had learned to accept that our relationship was over. It hurt to move on, but I knew that time would heal.

I leaned against the wall for a long moment, regained my composure, and walked away.

When I returned home, I took out my suitcase and slowly packed my belongings into it.

In the end, the place I had lived for five years could not even fill a single suitcase.

That evening, Bianca called.

“Get ready to come downstairs. We’re going to my mother’s place for dinner tonight.”

I just gave a brief response.

I instinctively walked over to the passenger side when I saw Bianca’s car parked by the roadside.

When I opened the door, I found Derek already sitting there, eating chips.

“Oh, Ben.”

At the sight of the crumbs dropped onto the seat, my first reaction was to look at Bianca.

She disliked it when anyone ate in her car, including me.

But this time, her expression remained indifferent, as if she had long grown accustomed to it.

Only then did it dawn on me. Derek was her exception.

Derek quickly wiped his mouth and tidied the seat.

“Let me just sit in the back, I—”

I smiled calmly and said, “It’s fine. Stay put. It’s just a seat.”

When I opened the back door, I caught a flicker of confusion in Bianca’s eyes.

I just ignored it.

This was not unprecedented.

Every time, it had ended with Bianca impatiently scolding me, saying, “Benedict, it’s just a seat. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”

I watched the drizzling rain from the window and realized I felt none of the sadness or resentment I used to carry.

Even I was surprised by how calm I felt.

She was right.

It was just a seat.

It was just a person.

They were all the same to me.

I could just let them go.