Chapter 1

Cindy Labelle, Caleb Jarding, and I walked out of the property office. There were only two seats left on the shuttle.

Without a second thought, Cindy took Caleb's hand and led him onto the bus.

She said, "You can walk, Zachary. We'll go pick up the keys first. Cal's wearing dress shoes today, and they're rubbing his feet raw."

She was worried about whether his Isaric designer shoes would hurt his feet. However, she'd forgotten that I had an aggravating old back injury that made it painful for me to stand for long, from working around the clock to help her meet deadlines.

I no longer expected her to remember.

I turned and walked away while saying, "I'm not going."

Cindy didn't care.

She called after me, "Then you can go renew the lease with the realtor. Today's the last day."

There would be no renewal. The paperwork to terminate the lease had already arrived, and I'd signed it without hesitation.

When I got home, I happened to see Caleb's latest post on Instagram. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, grinning from ear to ear.

He wrote, "Finally, I've put down roots in this city."

I'd spent more than six months researching that apartment. On top of that, I'd stayed up countless nights drawing up the renovation plans.

Just last week, I'd excitedly called my mom and said, "Mom, you'll finally get to see our new home next month."

Her voice had trembled with emotion as she gushed, "Okay. Your dad and I will be waiting. All these years you've devoted to Cindy haven't been for nothing."

But now, someone else's name was on the deed.

I gave the post a like and left a comment. "I'm so jealous. Your company has amazing perks."

Then, I started packing.

My 300-square-foot rental was so small and bare that I couldn't even fill a suitcase. My clothes were all bought on sale, and my daily necessities were the cheapest brands I could find.

Every penny I saved went into the same account.

After five years of pinching pennies and saving up, I'd finally bought that spacious riverfront apartment. Yet, Cindy had given it to Caleb without a thought.

When she came home later, she looked immensely displeased.

She fumed, "What did you mean by that comment? Everyone at the company can see it, and so can your parents. What will they think?"

I almost laughed at her absurdity.

I countered, "When you took the money we'd saved for five years and bought Caleb an apartment while calling it a company perk, did you ever stop to consider what other people would think?"

She frowned and argued, "Cal is your best friend. He came to the company to help me. Was I not supposed to take care of him? Can't you be more considerate, like him?"

The anger I'd kept bottled up for five years suddenly surged forth.

Five years ago, Mom had cried as she tried to talk me out of it. "She has this crazy dream of starting a business, and you're going to throw your life away chasing it with her?"

Dad had locked my state ID in the safe and roared, "If you can't settle down and find some stability, forget about getting married!"

I ignored them both.

I quit the federal job I'd worked so hard to land. Then, I bought a one-way ticket, grabbed a suitcase, and traveled across the country to be with Cindy.

Back then, she was working herself to the bone, running from one project to the next. She'd even ended up hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer.

She always used to say the same thing. "As soon as the company takes off, the first thing I'll do is buy us a home. We'll bring the deed home. Then, your parents will finally have to approve of us."

Five years had passed. The company was thriving. We had money and bought the apartment.

But the person living in it wasn't going to be me.

"Like Caleb?" I repeated, my voice eerily calm.

Cindy raised her voice. "Shouldn't you? It's just an apartment. Besides, it makes things easier for the company financially…"

I looked at her incredulously as she compared me to him as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Suddenly, I was tired of all of it.

Cindy rambled, "The company is at a critical stage in its funding round. I come home, and I still have to listen to you complain about this—"

I cut her off, "Then don't listen."

She froze for a moment before grabbing her car keys. "I won't waste my time arguing with you. Spend some time alone and calm yourself down."

The door slammed behind her.

It was always like this. Ever since Caleb came along, she couldn't see my pain anymore. She always assumed I was making a scene and picking a fight over nothing.

Then, she'd walk away and leave me alone to deal with my emotions and everything else.

But this time, I wasn't going to lie to myself anymore. I opened my transportation app.

Five years ago, I'd bought a one-way ticket to come here. Now, I was buying another one-way ticket to leave.