Chapter 2

Loretta said, "I'm worried about him. I'm going to go check on him."

"If he's sick, then he should see a doctor!" I retorted. "What are you going to do? You're not a medical student!"

However, all she gave me was a disappointed look. "Cassian, how could you be so lacking in empathy? Someone's sick. Are you seriously going to be this petty?"

Just then, I heard Ivan's deliberately weak voice through the phone.

"I'm okay, Lori. Don't worry about me. I'll take care of myself. I don't want your boyfriend to get mad at you because of me."

My temple throbbed with anger.

Loretta pushed me aside and hurried downstairs. "My cab is waiting. I'm not coming home tonight."

I watched her disappear through the door. For the first time, I thought this relationship wouldn't last.

…

I spent the entire night sitting alone at home.

During that time, Loretta didn't send me a single message.

Then, at 2:00 am, I received a friend request.

After I accepted it, the person immediately sent me a photo.

It was a picture of Loretta asleep, leaning against the headboard.

I didn't need to ask who had taken it.

"Sorry, Mr. Harper. Lori was so exhausted from taking care of me that she accidentally fell asleep beside me."

I gripped my phone so tightly that my entire body seemed to ache.

When I opened his social media profile, eight out of every ten posts were about Loretta.

"March 5: It's my first day at the lab. I met the most beautiful lady. I really love the way she smiles."

That was the day Loretta told me she had a lab meeting and stood me up on our anniversary.

"April 9: I messed up my experiment again, but Lori was there to cheer me up. She even bought me drinks, hehe."

That was the day Loretta had been distracted throughout our date. She had asked me to pay for a drink and have it delivered to her university, claiming it was for her roommate.

"May 26: Lori complained to me that her boyfriend is way too controlling. He's always telling her what to do and restricting her freedom."

That was the day Loretta got her period and begged me for ice cream. She already ate nearly an entire tub earlier, so I tried to stop her from eating things that might make her cramps worse.

Apparently, that had turned me into a controlling narcissist.

"June 19: Lori got her scholarship and gave me a new gaming console, hehe…"

The console had not been cheap. I could still recall that the day Loretta received her scholarship, she had only treated me to a plate of spaghetti.

The contrast was almost laughable.

Back then, I had been happy for her and even transferred her five grand as a little reward. Looking back, I realized I was the real clown.

"July 2: Lori knitted me a scarf. She said she wants to see me wearing it when winter comes. Hehe, I can't wait for winter now."

In all the years we had been together, Loretta had never made anything for me.

On the other hand, I had made countless little journals for her.

I always assumed she was simply introverted and did not know how to express her affection.

As it turned out, it wasn't that she didn't know how. She simply didn't want to.

I closed my eyes, feeling as if my soul were drifting away from my body.

The message notification chime pulled me back to reality.

He had sent me another message.

"Tomorrow, I'll show you who Lori really cares about."

My expression darkened. I stared at the screen for a while before deciding not to respond.

Instead, I took screenshots of all his posts about Loretta.

Let's see what kind of stunt he planned to pull tomorrow.

…

When I showed up at work the next morning with heavy eye bags, my assistant, Harry Adams, jumped in fright.

"Cassian, did you not get any sleep?"

I forced a smile. "I'm fine."

Loretta finally sent me a message, but she was asking to borrow money.

"Cas, could you send me 3,000 dollars? I really need it right now."