Chapter 3

Through it all, Jean and I fell passionately in love.

I leveraged my family's connections to connect her with top-tier clients, and her position rose steadily.

I watched her take center stage at the company's annual gala for her formal appointment by the board of directors. Bathed in the spotlight, she wore a black evening gown, radiating confidence and dazzling brilliance.

Pride swelled within me. The rose I had tenderly nurtured with my own hands had finally bloomed.

To preserve her pride, I never revealed the truth about my family background or the real reason she got promoted.

But as her income rose, I felt smaller and smaller in her eyes. Had I not yielded and compromised repeatedly, our relationship might have long since ended.

I dragged myself home, exhausted, and opened the door to hear laughter. Jean was leaning against Callum's shoulder, playing with the cat he held.

When she saw me, she looked uneasy. She rose and straightened her clothes. "Is your wound healed?"

I turned and headed upstairs, pretending not to hear her. I had only come back to gather my things.

But Jean hurried after me and clutched my wrist. "Are you angry?"

She knew I'd be angry, but she still went on testing my limits.

I wrenched my hand free. Caught off guard, she hit the metal railing of the stairs and gasped sharply in pain.

Normally, I would have gently held her hand, checking for injuries, and searched through the drawers for a first-aid kit. But now, my heart felt completely still. I went upstairs without so much as a second glance.

Jean looked at me, both shocked and hurt.

Callum ran over. "Jean, are you okay? How could he—"

"Shut up!" she snapped, then seemed to realize she'd been too harsh. "You should go back first."

Callum glared at me with resentment, then grabbed the cat and slammed the door, leaving reluctantly.

After that, Jean followed me into the bedroom and wrapped her arms around my waist from behind, murmuring, "Please, don't be mad, okay?"

"I'm not mad. There's still salmon in the fridge. You can give it to the cat later."

I could feel her going rigid. She stayed quiet, her silence unbroken for a long time as her hands trembled slightly. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I could feel her tears soaking my clothes.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice choked with emotion. "Seth, why have you been acting differently than usual these past two days?"

Despite everything, I held my tongue, unable to bring myself to end things with her. "Let's each take some time to cool off for now."

All of a sudden, Jean's voice rose sharply, full of anger, as she glared at me. "What do you mean by that? Have I spoiled you too much these past two days? And you're still crossing the line?

"I'm giving you one last chance, Seth. Apologize right now, or we're done!"

Whenever she got angry, she'd block my number and all my social media accounts, giving me no chance to explain. I'd spend sleepless nights tossing and turning, trying every platform to see if I could reach her.

Sometimes, I'd send her money on Venmo. Other times, I'd make a new account just to add her again, swallowing my pride and begging her to forgive me.

But this time, I just looked her in the eye, calm and unshaken. "Fine."

Jean froze, her gaze vacant, as if she were looking at a stranger. After all, I'd always stooped to beg her to stay whenever she mentioned breaking up before.

Her lips parted slightly, and after a long pause, she whispered, "Seth, I mean that we'll break up if you don't apologize."

I looked at her with a detached expression. "Yes. Let's break up."