Chapter 2

I followed Tyrus and Claire over to the store and gave him one final warning.

"Tyrus, this isn't some prop in your little proxy game."

After inspecting it, the jeweler also looked troubled.

"Grinding it off will thin the pendant.

"Once it's altered, there's no way to restore it completely."

Tyrus only glanced at me briefly, then said, "Do it."

Half an hour later, my name had been completely ground away.

On the back of the pendant, a new engraving appeared.

[Tyrus & Claire, Day One]

Claire put the necklace back on and returned to the table I had reserved with Tyrus.

The revised card sat between the two of them.

Tyrus also handed the hotel key to her.

When he saw that I was still standing in place, he revealed a satisfied expression.

"Apologize now, and I'll still have the manager cancel the hotel.

"I can even give you your spot as my girlfriend back early."

I did not answer.

I took back the photo album from Roland, which had still not been given out yet.

Before I left, I saw Claire lean into Tyrus' arms and take a photo with the customized card.

They were celebrating their first day together with the dinner, the hotel room, and the anniversary decorations I had set up.

Tyrus still thought all he had done was change a few words on a necklace.

He did not realize that he had also ground away the love I had held on to for five years.

Not long after the proxy period began, a mutual friend was getting married.

Tyrus and I had originally been invited to attend together.

We were also supposed to give a speech on stage as mutual friends.

I had written my speech in advance and discussed with Tyrus what we would wear that day.

But the day before the wedding, the bride, Willow Bayland, sent me a message.

[Lay-lay, Tyrus is bringing Claire as his plus-one this time.]

[If you come, you might end up stuck in a corner seat. But you have to be there.]

On the day of the wedding, the moment I walked into the hall, I spotted Tyrus at once.

Claire was wearing a dress in the same color as his tie, sitting right beside him.

They were seated right next to each other, so close that their chairs were practically touching. Their name cards sat side by side, as if they were a couple.

During the speech segment, Tyrus walked up to the stage.

He talked about his understanding of companionship, yet his gaze kept drifting toward Claire.

"Three years ago when I moved, Claire stayed up till dawn helping me pack. After that, I couldn't even find a cup in my own kitchen without asking her."

I stared blankly at the projector screen.

That day, he told me the movers had everything under control, and I did not need to show up, because I would only be in the way.

During his speech, he added, "Two years ago, when I had a severe stomachache while I was out of town, she drove four hours to the hospital to be with me.

"She stayed up all night with me. The next morning, she still remembered to bring breakfast for the whole project team."

That time, I called Tyrus more than a dozen times.

He only replied that the project was locked down and he could not stay in touch.

Our friends laughed as they joked, "How would Tyrus even function without Claire?"

Tyrus did not argue. Instead, he laughed along with them.

"Last year, when my mom had surgery, she stayed at the hospital for three days. Now whenever something comes up with my mom, she doesn't even call me first. She calls her."

I recalled that I had wanted to go to the hospital back then, too.

But he said his mother did not like seeing outsiders and told me not to come.

So I was the outsider all along.

Finally, he waved the speech draft in his hand.

"She sat with me to revise this speech seven times."

Claire smiled and raised her glass toward him.

In front of everyone, Tyrus took her hand.

Someone in the audience immediately started teasing them, "They're already acting like this, and she's still just a proxy?

"Some people just can't take a hint. They still don't know when to leave."

The hall erupted with laughter, as if my relationship were nothing more than a game for everyone's amusement.

Claire did not protest.

She took the opportunity to lean in close to Tyrus.

In every photo taken afterward, Claire stood right beside him.

She took my place on his arm, collected the wedding favors from friends, and joined the group chat for the next get-together as his girlfriend.

No one thought of her as a proxy anymore.

She had taken over my spot as his girlfriend, as if it had always been hers.

Back home, I left the friends' group chat.

I took the album out of the drawer and removed the photos page by page.

In the end, only a blank album remained.

It turned out that five years' worth of a relationship was much easier to walk away from than I expected.