Chapter 3

Seth's messages trickled in over the next three hours.

Sometimes he asked who I was meeting.

Other times, he told me to stop fooling myself. No matter what excuse I came up with, he wasn't going to change his mind about promoting me.

"Where would you even go without me? Stop going after Regina. When the next promotion comes around, I'll give you a chance."

When he sent that message, I was having dinner with the head of an overseas company. He had flown halfway around the world to meet me.

After dinner, I booked my flight for next week.

The office gossip group was buzzing all night too, filled with photos of Seth and Regina on their "date".

When Seth went to the movies with me, he had always insisted on sitting in the first or last row. He said we had to be careful.

"Regina is timid. She needs someone to stay close to her."

Seth had probably seen everyone in the group chat cheering them on as a couple, so he sent me that half-hearted explanation.

I still didn't reply.

Instead, I showed up at his door the next morning.

"Why are you here this early?" The moment he opened the door, a flicker of panic crossed Seth's face.

I looked past him and immediately spotted a pair of high heels on the floor.

"Seth, I love the lipstick shade you picked. It looks so good on me!" Regina's voice came from the bedroom.

She had stayed at Seth's place again last night.

On the dining table was coffee Seth had made, steaming in a matching set of mugs.

The disposable tissue box on the wall had already been replaced with a delicate hand towel. Its shape was Regina's favorite flower.

In the bedroom, Regina was putting on the lipstick Seth had picked for her. She was also wearing the perfume he had custom-ordered long ago.

Everything looked like the perfect morning for a couple in love.

I was the unwelcome guest who had shattered their peaceful morning.

"Regina had a bit of a fever last night. The rain was too heavy, so I let her stay over." Seth's expression shifted several times before he reached for my hand.

"She'll be leaving soon. It's the weekend, so why don't we—"

"No need." I walked into Seth's house and picked up a package from the entryway.

It was a birthday gift I had ordered for Seth long ago.

"We're over, Seth. So, I'm taking back the gift I bought for you."

Seth froze, then looked at me. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yvette?" Regina suddenly appeared behind Seth, holding her cup of coffee. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you two were together."

She gave Seth a wounded look and stepped forward.

"No wonder you didn't come to my birthday party last time, Yvette. You must hate me." She pouted. "But I really only see Mr. Larson as an older brother. Please, just let me explain."

Before she even touched me, she suddenly let go, spilling the entire cup of coffee all over me.

"Gina!" Seth shouted.

Almost instantly, he shoved me aside and grabbed Regina's hand. "Don't move! I'll get the burn cream."

In three years of dating him, I had never known he kept anything like that at home.

After all, when I burned myself on his kettle, all he gave me was a thin and flimsy disposable glove.

"I'm a guy. Why would I have anything like that at home?" he said. "Just run your hand under some water. You'll be fine."

He never left anything in his home that might suggest he had a girlfriend.

However, the moment Regina came along, every one of those rules vanished.

I looked down at the stains on my clothes. I gave a bitter laugh, then turned to walk away.

"Yvette!" This time, Seth finally came after me. "Can you stop getting upset with me over every little thing? I only see Regina as a little sister.

"You're my girlfriend, so I have to—"

The elevator doors closed before he could finish.

I didn't even look back at him.

I was leaving next week.

I had thought we could end things peacefully.

In the end, Seth shattered that illusion too.