Chapter 4

Gideon's POV

After I got home, I began going through all of my belongings. There were a ton of matching items, like clothes, scarves, tumblers, and toothbrushes.

Over the past seven years, Mallory had accompanied me to pick out every single one of them.

"That way, you won't ever have to worry about another man stealing me away from you."

There was so much stuff that it took me an entire day to sort through everything. By the time I finished, I'd filled a huge box.

With an impassive expression, I dumped it all into the trash can outside. I no longer cared if anyone stole her away now.

Suddenly, a book slipped out of the pile. It must have gotten mixed in by accident. I shook it, and a slightly yellowed letter fell out.

For some reason, my heart clenched tightly.

It was a love letter. Mallory's signature was at the bottom.

It was a love letter she'd written to Hank, every word filled with her earnest love.

"One day, I'll shine so brightly that you can no longer ignore me. I'll make you willingly become my man."

She'd never said any of this to me.

Mallory had known Hank longer than she'd known me. She'd fallen for him long before she'd ever fallen for me.

My head hurt so badly it felt like it was about to explode.

Every time Hank and his friends bullied me, Mallory stepped in front of me. At the time, I thought she was protecting me. Now, I knew she'd only wanted an excuse to stare at Hank.

When Hank threw my homework into the trash, she'd picked it up and returned it to me. For the longest time, I'd been so touched by that gesture.

But now, as I recalled how quickly she'd rushed over then, I wondered if she'd been running toward Hank instead of me.

I sat on the couch, clutching the love letter so tightly that my fingers hurt. I realized that I'd merely been a convenient substitute Mallory had settled for during all those years when she couldn't have Hank.

But now, their positions had been reversed. He needed her, and she could finally stand openly by his side.

As for me, I was the person she wanted nothing more than to keep her distance from, all in the name of avoiding unnecessary gossip and trouble.

Suddenly, a new message popped up in the group chat on my phone. A colleague had posted a photo from a gathering.

Mallory and Hank were sitting extremely close to each other.

"I'm losing my mind over these two. Nothing beats a real couple. From the way Ms. Spencer looks at Hank, I can practically see the sparks flying!"

"I heard they went to high school together, too. Not only are they childhood sweethearts, but they're also equally matched in their careers. They're perfect for each other."

"Remember a certain someone who saw Hank's watch this morning and threw his own ring away? What a joke. Men really do look pathetic when they're jealous."

"Give it a rest. The freeloader's just having a meltdown. Everyone knows Ms. Spencer has been avoiding him ever since he joined the company, but he keeps throwing himself at her anyway. Now that the real deal is here, let's see how much trouble he can keep trying to cause from now on."

I stared at the screen, a chill spreading through my entire body. I felt a desire to destroy something.

On the table sat a photo Mallory and I had taken when we'd first gotten together. I snapped a picture of it and sent it to the group chat.

The lively conversation died out at once, and that made me feel a little better.

Suddenly, my phone rang. Simon's panicked voice rang out, "Gideon! What did you do to piss Hank off? He's filed a report against you, accusing you of leaking the bidding proposal."