Troy insisted on continuing the camping trip despite his injured hands. After a quick first-aid session, we headed off to meet Yuna and the others.During the drive, Troy kept glancing at me, asking if I was okay. Caleb's attack had shaken me more than I wanted to admit, my heart still racing from the encounter.I tried to lighten the mood and teased him. "Why are you so worried about me? Do you have a thing for me or something?"I noticed Troy's special attention toward me through our conversations and time together. However, he said nothing; he just blushed and avoided eye contact.The camping trip turned out to be wonderful.As everyone gathered to stargaze that evening, fireworks suddenly lit up the darkness, bursting into dazzling colors. As the final burst exploded, I saw my face outlined in sparkling colors.Before I could process it, Troy dropped to one knee and asked, "Harper, will you be my girlfriend?"I gasped in surprise, finally understanding that Troy had planned
I frowned at Caleb's persistent haunting of my life. After telling Yuna to go ahead, I confronted him. "What do you want now? I told you to stop bothering me.""Harper, I was wrong about everything. Please forgive me," Caleb pleaded, grabbing my hand desperately.I laughed bitterly. "What happened? Did Sheena dump you?"Caleb's face flushed with embarrassment. "Harper, believe me, I love you. Sheena manipulated me into hurting you. That wasn't really me. Please give me another chance. I promise I'll never do it again."His begging did not move me at all. I knew his words were just empty promises from someone who could not handle the consequences of his actions."I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in someone else's trash," I said, turning to leave. I did not want to keep the others waiting and worried.However, Caleb was not done. He suddenly dropped to his knees and grabbed my clothes.He cried, "Harper, what will it take for you to forgive me? Haven't I been punished enough? I'v
My conversations with Troy had become more frequent. One day, he asked if I wanted to go camping, emphasizing that many people would be there.When I asked Yuna's opinion, she volunteered to come along. With our plans set, we headed to the mall to pick up camping supplies.As we grabbed the last few items, Yuna nudged me and whispered, "Harper, isn't that Sheena?"Looking up, I spotted Sheena wrapped around a man who was definitely not Caleb. They were acting like love-struck teenagers.Just yesterday, I saw Caleb posting photos of himself with Sheena on social media, which meant they were still together.It did not add up, and I wondered if Sheena was secretly dating multiple guys behind Caleb's back. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and I immediately unblocked Caleb's number and called him.It did not take long for him to pick up. Before Caleb greeted me, I said, "Sheena's cheating on you. She's at East Mall right now."There was a moment of silence before Caleb respon
A magnetic, cold voice commanded, "She told you to let go. Didn't you hear her?""Who do you think you are? This is between me and my wife, so mind your own business!" Caleb snapped, clearly annoyed to see someone more impressive than him defending me.Troy turned to me with a questioning look, and I shook my head—Caleb was not my husband anymore. He immediately understood and gave me a reassuring nod before turning back toward Caleb.He stated firmly, "I don't care what's going on, but you will not harass my guests. Unless you want security to escort you out."As Troy moved to lead me away, I paused, determined to cut all ties with Caleb once and for all."Everything that happened to Sheena was self-inflicted. Don't believe me? Check the security cameras," I said, pointing to the surveillance camera above us."And one more thing—Caleb, we're divorced. You and your new girlfriend need to stop bothering me. Thank you."The finality in my voice made Caleb uncomfortable. Troy waite
"It's okay," I assured Yuna. Then, I took her hand and moved through the crowd to avoid awkward encounters.When the party officially began, the birthday boy appeared and gave a short speech. Once he was done, the servers wheeled out a massive ten-tier cake.Yuna mentioned that her friend's name was Troy Ashford. He was handsome and seemed approachable.Our eyes met across the room, and he raised his glass with a friendly smile.Yuna noticed my distraction and nudged me playfully. "Why are you zoning out?"Snapping back to reality, I quickly lifted my glass to join the toast. Just then, Sheena approached and accidentally—supposedly—spilled her drink on me."Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Harper! I didn't mean to; it was an accident! What should we do?" Sheena exclaimed with fake innocence, playing the helpless damsel.I knew it was deliberate, but I refused to make a scene at someone else's birthday party. Besides, that would only give Sheena what she wanted.Yuna asked worriedly, "
Sure enough, Caleb's act crumbled within minutes. "Harper, I know I'm in the wrong. Won't you come home with me?"He shoved the roses forward again, pleading, "I've been going crazy missing you these past few days. Look, I even got your favorite roses this morning."I glanced at the bouquet, noticing that the petals were already wilting. It was obvious that the flowers were not fresh from that morning. Not only did I dislike roses, but I was also allergic to their pollen.The scent hit my nose, and my body instantly reacted with discomfort.As I took two steps backward, I asked calmly, "Caleb, did you forget about my pollen allergy? These must be Sheena's favorites. Did she reject them? So, you're giving them to me instead?"Caleb's smile froze, his expression turning awkward, confirming my suspicions. His lies were making me sick. I tried closing the door, but Caleb threw down the roses and blocked it with his hand."Harper, why are you so fixated on Sheena? She hasn't done anyt