Chapter 3

When the group of thugs surrounded me, I still hoped they would leave soon enough after taking whatever they wanted.

But the moment one of them reached toward the pocket over my chest, real panic set in.

"Get away from me!"

My phone wasn't worth much. What mattered was the confidential bid proposal stored on it—the one I needed for tomorrow's board meeting. If it got leaked, my career would be over.

"Wow, look at him protecting it." The blond-haired guy leading the group narrowed his eyes. "Get his hands off it."

The first wave of pain hit my ribs. Someone kicked me hard, and my whole body jolted. A metallic taste filled my mouth. I curled up in pain but still refused to let go.

"Damn it! You asked for this."

The blows kept coming. My arms grew numb as I shielded my head, nausea churning in my stomach.

Faintly, through my phone, I heard the sound of a game ending in victory.

"Hell yeah! Willow, I got a pentakill!" Jayden laughed. "Remember your promise?"

Willow's voice came through, unusually shy. "Okay… Jayden, you can carry me all day long."

"So this is why you're protecting this piece of junk?" the blond-haired guy sneered. "What, are you some girl's pathetic lapdog?"

Then they burst out laughing. What came next was meant to humiliate me. I felt warm liquid splash across my face, and within seconds, I reeked like a filthy public restroom.

I lay there, unable to move, my fingers digging into the cracks in the pavement until my skin split.

Eventually, their footsteps faded, along with their mocking voices. "A lapdog always ends up with nothing…"

Right then, an old sanitation worker named Ben Westfield pulled up in a beat-up utility cart and hurried over. "Young man, are you okay? Those little bastards…"

I coughed and spat out blood.

I finally realized that, to Willow, helping Jayden win a game mattered more than answering my call when I was in trouble. Probably more than what was happening to me. And definitely more than the phone in my pocket—the one containing the bid proposal that could determine my future.

I finally understood. For three years, I had revolved around her like a fool, always putting her first. But now, at last… I was awake.

"Young man, do you want to call your family?"

I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.

The screen was cracked beyond repair, and the phone wouldn't even turn on. But even if it had worked, what difference would it have made? Any call to her would only have ended the same way—with her rejecting it.

Back then, Willow had set herself as my emergency contact and set up a shortcut so I could call her with a single tap. Her expression was more serious than I'd ever seen when she gave her reasons. "Caius, if you're ever in danger, call me immediately. I don't care where I am or what I'm doing. I'll drop everything, call the police, and send them your location."

I laughed and playfully poked her. "What if I'm just bored and want to call you?"

Willow had leaned against me, her expression softer than usual.

"Even if you call by accident—even if it turns out to be nothing—I'd still rather answer. I can't take the chance that something might happen to you."

At that time, I pulled her into my arms, grinning like an idiot.

I thought I would never meet anyone who cared about me more than she did. But now, I wiped the blood from my face and felt as if my heart were being scraped raw.

I pulled a few bills from my wallet and handed them to Ben.

"Thank you, but I'll be okay. I live just up ahead."

Seeing that I insisted, Ben could only warn me repeatedly to be careful as he watched me stagger toward home.

When I pushed open the door, Willow was standing in the entryway, putting on her shoes. For once, she looked genuinely anxious.

But the second she saw me, her face hardened.

"Where the hell have you been? Why weren't you answering your phone? Are you seriously staying out this late and refusing to come home over one stupid strawberry?"

I caught the brief flicker of concern in her eyes. Under different circumstances, it might have touched me. Instead, it only felt painfully ironic.

Maybe she still cared about me in her own way. But when it came down to it, Jayden would always come first.

Ben hadn't gone far after making sure I got inside safely. The moment he heard her, his expression hardened with anger.

"Watch how you talk to him! He passed out from low blood sugar, got attacked and robbed, and he's hurt pretty badly! Are you seriously that blind?"

Willow's expression darkened at being confronted by a stranger.

Without a word, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me inside, slamming the door behind us.

I was already dizzy, and when she yanked me forward, I stumbled and hit the wall.

"Willow, what the hell is wrong with you?" My voice trembled as I stared at her. "You're the one who ignored my calls. You left me out there alone, and now you're acting like I'm the problem?"

She said nothing.

Her expression darkened as she dragged me into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

A blast of freezing water hit me, sending a violent shudder through my entire body.

"I'm not supposed to be angry?" Willow stared at me. "Do you smell yourself? You came home like this without even washing up. Do you have any idea how filthy and disgusting you are right now?"

My blood ran cold at her words.

I tipped my head back and stared at her calm, detached expression. Something inside me finally snapped.

"I called you three times before I passed out! Three times! But you were too busy playing games with Jayden. If you'd just answered, I could've—"

"Enough!" She cut me off, frowning. "You're a grown man. If you got beaten up that badly, that's on you for being too weak."

I froze.

In an instant, all the anger I'd been holding onto seemed ridiculous and pointless.

I stared at her, barely recognizing the woman who had once been so familiar to me. For the first time, she looked like a stranger.

When we were younger, Willow had once looked at me through red-rimmed eyes and made me a promise.

"We're the most important people in each other's lives. If I ever do something that hurts you, don't keep it bottled up. Tell me. I want us to stay this way."

But somewhere along the way, marriage had changed her. She'd become so calm and detached that it bordered on cruelty.

She could pick apart my pain with cold, rational words, never seeming to notice—or care—how deeply they cut.

In the dead silence, her phone suddenly rang from the bathroom counter.

The ringtone was loud, aggressive rock—completely out of character for Willow.

But it was Jayden's favorite song. He'd casually mentioned liking it once, and she had changed her ringtone immediately. She'd never changed it back.

Willow let go of me.

Ignoring the water dripping from her hands, she grabbed her phone. The moment she answered, her voice softened. "What is it?"

Jayden's voice came through the speaker, light and teasing. "Willow, I'm in a bad mood. Come have a drink with me."