Chapter 1

Clarence's POV

The night wind seeped into my collar and made me shiver.

I raised my hand to wipe my face. I didn't shed a tear.

My eyes were bone-dry. The wind was simply too strong.

I stood by the roadside outside the residential complex, pulled out my phone, and tried to book a ride.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked up and saw Eira Grayson approaching me with a bag of things from the convenience store. She was friends with my girlfriend, Serena Weston, and her childhood friend, Blake White, and she also lived in the same complex.

"Are you here to see Rena?" she inquired.

"Yeah," I responded. "The door is locked from the inside, so I can't get in."

Eira frowned, puzzled. "Blake's here, isn't he? He just sent a voice message in the group chat saying he's cooking at Serena's place. He invited us over for a couple of drinks," she rambled on, oblivious to how pale my face had become.

"Does he come here often?" I asked.

"Oh, you bet. He knows his way around Rena's place better than anyone. We always joke that he's the man of the house," she said, giggling.

Right after saying that, she realized her mistake and awkwardly fell silent. "I didn't mean it like that…"

I forced a smile and wanted to tell her it was fine, but it felt as though something was lodged in my throat.

Her phone chimed just then. It was a notification from the group chat.

I caught a glimpse of the group name on her screen. "Serena's Harem."

Blake had just sent a voice message, followed by a string of chaotic memes from the rest of the chat.

I even caught a few replies on the screen like "I'll be there in a minute" and "Save me a rib!"

Eira hurriedly locked her phone and sheepishly asked, "Do you want to head up together? He's probably just tied up in the kitchen and didn't hear you at the door. Besides, we're all friends."

We were all friends. I was Serena's boyfriend. Yet, in her circle, I was nothing more than an outsider who didn't belong.

I shook my head. "No. I'm good."

Then, I turned and walked toward the roadside.

After taking a few steps, I couldn't help but look down at my phone. The screen was still stuck on the last message Serena had sent me.

"Give me a few minutes. I'll be back to open the door for you right away!"

Ten minutes had passed, and she still hadn't made it home.