Chapter 3

Richard was thrilled that I had decided to accept the assignment, but he couldn't help but ask, out of concern, "Is your girlfriend okay with this arrangement?"

I shook my head. "I'm going to break up with her."

Dustin Sanders had done me a favor by helping me come to my senses. Starting today, I had to prepare for the handover at work and handle everything related to moving abroad.

After a long, grueling day at work, it was already pitch-black when I stepped out of the office. After a moment's thought, I decided to just grab dinner before heading home.

When I arrived home, I found Charlotte with a gift box in one hand and her phone pressed to her ear in the other.

"Yeah, it's not every day that a big shot like you graces our city with your presence. Of course, I'm pulling out all the stops for you. Don't worry, Mr. Sanders.

"I'll definitely knock your socks off. Go ahead and order without me. I'll be on my way now."

Oh, right. It was Dustin's birthday.

A doting smile played on her lips. It was a soft, tender expression she had never shown me.

Charlotte had always been aloof with me. Even when she smiled, it was faint.

I had expressed my discontent, but she'd simply told me calmly that she wasn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve. Looking back on it now, she had no trouble wearing her emotions; she just chose not to wear them for me.

After hanging up, she still had a smile on her face. Yet, the moment she saw me, it faded.

Charlotte walked past me indifferently with the gift box and shut the door behind her. I could tell she was still furious about how apathetic I had been the day before and had decided to punish me with the silent treatment.

Little did she know that, much earlier that day, her cold shoulder wouldn't rattle me anymore. I dug out the foreign language books I had laid aside for far too long.

Even though I was fluent in multiple foreign languages, I hadn't used them in ages, so I needed a refresher. When I took a break from studying, I casually scrolled through my social feed.

Sure enough, I came across Dustin's latest post. "Thank God for bringing you into my life."

The comment section was filled with well-wishes from Charlotte's tight-knit group of friends. Her best friends had always shipped her with Dustin and disliked me. Even though none of them had said it out loud, they never missed a chance to petty-slight me whenever they could.

I had complained to Charlotte about it before, but she had merely said, "That's all the more reason for you to step up and win them over."

I refreshed the app and noticed that Charlotte had also left a comment on his post, though it was nothing more than a single smiling emoji.

Suddenly, I got a notification that someone had tagged me. It was one of Charlotte's best friends. "I'm giving you a heads-up so you don't get into another argument with Lottie. The rest of us are here too, so it's just a normal get-together."

I was thoroughly amused by this whole situation. I replied with a simple "K", tossed my phone aside, washed up, and went straight to bed.

…

I was jolted awake in the middle of the night when the lights suddenly flickered on. I peeled my eyes open, and the first thing I saw was Charlotte staring straight at me.

"Wow, you really weren't concerned about me, huh? I was out all night, and you didn't even bother sending me a single message! My friends' phones were blowing up with calls from their boyfriends and husbands, urging them to come home, while I just waited there like a fool!"

I had been sleeping soundly when she woke me up, so I wasn't exactly pleased about it. I huffed, "You're a grown woman. Why would I worry about you just because you're out with your friends? I trust you.

"In any case, it's late. You should get some rest too."

Previously, whenever she hung out with Dustin, I would always make a huge scene. Even when I reluctantly agreed, I would inevitably bombard her with messages and calls throughout the night.

Charlotte had snapped at me, "This is a gathering for people in our circle. What does it have to do with you? I'm begging you. Please give me some personal space, Liam!"