Chapter 3

"Ivan needs to get an endoscopy, but he doesn't have enough money to pay for it," Loretta explained.

So naturally, she had to play the good guy and foot the bill?

Just then, Ivan sent me another message.

"See? Lori would go this far for me. All I have to do is act a little helpless, and she completely loses her mind.

"As for you, you only got with her first because you're older than me. Take that away, and you're just some washed-up old man."

I looked down at my phone, utterly exhausted.

"I'm saving for a down payment," I responded to Loretta.

Ever since the New Year, Loretta and I had been saving for a house together. We'd have enough to get married by the time she finished graduate school.

I had been cutting back on my own spending all this time. I didn't actually have to live so frugally given my financial state, but I'd still been setting aside part of my income to cover her expenses.

I paid for her tuition and her living expenses too.

There was a long silence from the other end before Loretta finally replied.

"You have plenty of savings. Do you really have to be such a miser when someone's going through a hard time? Besides, I never said I wasn't going to pay you back. Why are you acting like some heartless loan shark?"

Those words actually made me laugh.

"Fine. Since I'm a heartless loan shark, then don't ask me for another penny."

I blocked both of them immediately.

After work, I went to a restaurant alone and treated myself to a meal.

It had been a long time since I'd allowed myself to splurge.

But even after that bout of reckless spending, a wave of sadness washed over me.

When I got home, Loretta, who had been gone for an entire day and night, had laid out a feast on the table for me.

She wrapped her arms around me, saying, "Don't be mad. I've crossed a line today. I'm sorry."

I stepped away from her. She continued looking at me with those innocent eyes, but for the first time, I felt nothing.

Now, all I could think was that she wanted something from me.

"What is it?" I asked bluntly.

The way she was suddenly trying to please me was suspicious.

Sure enough, hesitation flickered across her face.

"I… I got a call from my dad today."

I already had a pretty good idea where this was going.

Loretta lowered her head, fidgeting as she avoided my eyes. "Dad said David is getting married and wants to buy a new car. He asked me to contribute some money."

"Then give him some."

David Summers was Loretta's younger brother. If it had been in the past, I would've told her that her father was taking advantage of her.

Now, I didn't care anymore.

She froze, clearly not expecting such a cold response from me.

Her eyes reddened. "Where am I supposed to get the money? I didn't even ask my family for a single cent while I went to graduate school!"

I stared at her and asked, "What did you do about the 3,000 dollars today?"

Loretta averted her gaze.

"I put it on my credit card… Cas, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing while my junior was sick."

A wave of exasperation washed over me. I suddenly realized why I felt so sad while eating alone at the restaurant.

I was mourning a relationship that was already dying.

My mind told me that this woman was no longer worth my efforts, but my heart was still clinging desperately to the last dying embers of what we had.

I took off my jacket and said softly, "If you're willing to max out your credit card to help the junior you care so much about, then I suppose you can use it to pay for your own tuition and living expenses from now on."

She looked at me in shock, but I continued.

"Loretta, let's break up."

Her eyes immediately reddened.

"Are you still angry at me?" she asked. "How many times do I have to tell you? I only see Ivan as a little brother!"

I shook my head. "I'm too tired to keep arguing about this."

But she wouldn't stop. "Cassian Harper! I've done nothing wrong. How can you just take your anger out on me like this?"

I sighed and retorted, "If both Ivan and I got sick last night, who would you have chosen to stay and take care of?"