Chapter 2

Sadie's POV

Leaving the jewelry store, the tension between Travis and me had reached an extreme.

Evelyn glanced at him, then at me, and pointed at a steakhouse across the street.

"Let's go have a good meal. My treat!"

Before I could refuse, she grabbed my arm and dragged me across the street.

Inside, she pushed me into a booth and shot Travis a look. He got the message and slid into the seat beside me, looking awkward.

"Sadie, order whatever you like. Don't worry about the price," Evelyn said brightly. "I'm going to use the restroom. Be right back!"

The moment she left, the atmosphere turned icy.

Travis sighed, then broke the silence first. "Sadie, don't let this happen again."

I stared at him, puzzled. "What?"

He looked at me helplessly.

"You wanted to eat steak, didn't you? Haven't you noticed that Evelyn is always the one compromising for you? You can take your frustrations out on me if you want, but she isn't obligated to put up with your tantrums. She gets tired too. Later, sneak off to pay for the bill. Consider it an apology to Evelyn."

So, that was how he saw me.

When we were in college, Evelyn often couldn't afford groceries, and I'd split my meals with her even if it meant going hungry myself. When she said she was scared to live alone, I immediately invited her to stay with me and never charged her a cent for rent.

When someone's heart has already chosen a side, their eyes stop seeing clearly.

My throat tightened. I decided there was no point in staying for this meal.

At the exact moment I grabbed my purse and stood up, I collided with a server carrying a bowl of piping hot mushroom soup.

The soup splashed on my arm, leaving a bright red burn mark. I winced in pain.

Travis shot to his feet. "Why is it mushroom soup? Evelyn is allergic to mushrooms. Clean up this mess, quickly!"

Clutching my arm, I stared at him in disbelief. The sting of the burn was nothing compared to the sting of absurdity in my heart.

At that moment, Evelyn came back and chirped, "Everything good now? I guess all my hard work wasn't for nothing."

I couldn't be bothered anymore.

"You two enjoy dinner. I'm going to pay the bill. Consider this meal my treat."

Evelyn blinked in surprise. "Wasn't it supposed to be my treat?"

Travis' expression darkened. He scoffed, "Let her be. She's just making a scene out of paying for dinner. When she blows through what little money she has left, let's see what wedding venue she can afford."

I'd already taken several steps away, but his words stopped me in my tracks.

I turned to look at him and said seriously, "Travis White. I told you, if you wanted to marry me, you needed to buy that ring. But you didn't. So, there isn't going to be a wedding."

On the ride to my part-time job, my phone exploded with calls and messages.

Evelyn texted, "Sadie, a fight is a fight. Don't say things you don't mean. If Travis takes you seriously, you'll just end up crying to me later."

Travis texted, "What is wrong with you today? Take some time and think about your behavior."

Moments later, I received another message from Evelyn, saying, "Seeing him might annoy you, so we're not coming home tonight. Get some rest."

I almost turned my phone off. Then, a thought struck me.

I gave the driver a new address—Parkview Luxury Residences, one of the city's most exclusive luxury properties, where apartments sold for millions of dollars.

Not long after I arrived, a car pulled up outside the gates. A man and a woman stepped out.

Evelyn practically bounced with excitement and shouted back at Travis, who was strolling behind her, "Hurry up! Tonight, we can stay up all night gaming…"

Standing across the street, I felt ice-cold despite the June sunshine.

…

When I reached my job, my manager walked over holding the schedule.

I spoke before she could. "You don't need to schedule my shifts anymore."

She looked surprised. "I thought you were saving up for your wedding."

"Not anymore."

She smiled knowingly and said, "I knew you were exaggerating when you said you were broke."

She explained, "Remember the girl who used to work here and accidentally broke a customer's bracelet? The customer demanded ten thousand dollars in compensation. Your boyfriend came, emptied every pocket, and could barely scrape together a thousand dollars. Then, ten minutes later, someone arrived with the money."

My entire body turned stiff.

That day… Where had I been?

Then, I remembered.

Travis' mother had collapsed and needed surgery. I couldn't get hold of him, and spent ten hours alone at the hospital.

Evelyn had called me, crying and begging for help.

I had already spent every penny I had on the deposit for the surgery. In the end, I took an advance on three months of my pay and transferred it to her.

I remembered how guilty I'd felt. But Evelyn never blamed me.

She quit her part-time job soon afterward. Three days later, she started working at Alpine Group.

When I graduated from university, I received an offer from that same company. But Travis had refused to let me take it, telling me that Alpine Group's CEO was the father who had abandoned him and his mother years ago.

"Sadie," he'd said, "I don't want anything to do with that man for the rest of my life."

At the time, all I felt was sympathy. I promised him I'd never work there.

Yet, when Evelyn joined the company, he said indifferently, "I can't stop Evelyn from pursuing a better future. That would be selfish."

Later, I found out that Travis had reconnected with his father three years ago for Evelyn.

But what had I ever done wrong to deserve being tested by him for three years?