Chapter 2

It was almost laughable when I thought about it.

Claire and I had been together for six years, yet we had never gotten married.

At first, she said marriage would get in the way of her career and that her work had to come first.

To help her build that career, I quit my stable, high-paying job without hesitation and followed her to New York City to start a company.

I drank myself sick at business dinners and fought my way through one negotiation after another until I finally helped her take the CEO’s chair.

But once her career became stable, she wanted to “test” my sincerity. She said she would only agree to marry me after I passed the fifty-two premarital tests designed by Ryan.

So Ryan used the word “test” as an excuse to torment me.

He made me collect 9,999 handwritten blessings from strangers. He deliberately dumped ice water over my head when I walked into the office. He slipped laxatives into my water so that during a partnership meeting, I was running to the bathroom in front of everyone and humiliating myself.

That was not all.

Whenever Claire and I went on dates, he would find all kinds of excuses to pull her away. Every time, he said it was another test for me.

For Claire, I endured all of it.

Until yesterday.

I had just finished a design proposal when Ryan told me to give it to him. He said it was the final test.

That proposal had taken an entire year of my work. When he saw that I was reluctant, he started saying that my hesitation proved I did not love Claire.

So I gave in.

And Claire finally agreed to marry me.

I was so excited that I did not sleep all night. I got up early and went to City Hall.

The marriage certificate had been right there, almost in my hands.

Then Ryan jumped out and got the certificate with Claire instead.

All I did was ask a couple of questions, and Claire took his side. She called me filthy-minded and said that was why I saw everything as dirty.

But if she truly had no feelings for Ryan, why did she never help any of the other single parents at Whitmore Group?

Why was Ryan the only one she cared about so much?

Only now did I understand.

Claire’s heart had shifted a long time ago.

All those so-called tests had only been excuses because she did not want to marry me.

My stomach felt hollow, and only then did I remember I had not eaten all day.

To get the certificate early, I had skipped breakfast and came here to wait in line. In the end, I had only paved the way for someone else.

It really was not worth it.

I found a restaurant and ate. Just as I finished, I saw Claire had posted a photo of her marriage certificate with Ryan on Instagram.

My coworkers were all in the comments, sending congratulations. Of course, they did not forget to mock me.

[Nathan Reed may be the CEO’s boyfriend, but Ms. Whitmore still got married to Mr. Chase, didn’t she?]

[What does that dried-up old man have on a young, handsome assistant like Mr. Chase?]

I knew Claire had posted it to provoke me.

But this time, I only gave a cold laugh and liked the post.

Soon, my parents saw the post too and called me.

“Son, what’s going on with Claire’s Instagram? Why did she get married to someone else?”

My parents had always worried about my marriage. All they wanted was to see me and Claire settle down.

But Claire had delayed it again and again.

She felt sorry for Ryan and all his struggles, but she had never once thought about mine.

I was just about to answer when Claire sent me a message.

[Nathan, I made sure not to hide this Instagram post from your parents. They must be panicking right now, aren’t they?]

[If you apologize to Ryan, I can explain to them that it was all a misunderstanding. Otherwise, you can deal with the consequences yourself.]

Before this, Claire had always respected my choices. She never forced me to do anything.

Once, when I went to dinner at her family’s house, I told them I was allergic to eggs, but her mother insisted on making me eat them anyway.

Claire was so furious that she flipped the entire table over.

Now, to force me to apologize to Ryan, she was willing to post on Instagram just to upset my parents.

The woman who once loved me so fiercely was gone.