Chapter 2

Lydia's eyes reddened. She bit her lip and murmured, "If you mind my presence, I'll just leave."

She then turned to grab her bag.

Thomas reacted almost instantaneously, grabbing her to stop her. "Why are you leaving?"

He then turned to look at me, his voice colored with impatience. "You should know where to draw the line, Riley Yeldham."

I almost started laughing as I looked at him.

It was my birthday, but I had to wait for him for so long. And what did I get in the end? Nothing except for the fact that he had accompanied someone else to watch a romantic movie.

I hadn't even said anything, and yet he was already defending Lydia as if I had terribly wronged her.

Lydia's eyes began to water. "I don't want you two to argue because of me."

Thomas softened his tone and replied, "This has nothing to do with you."

He was still holding onto her when he said those words.

My heart felt as if it was being twisted as I stared at his hand. I lowered my head and swept my gaze across the apartment.

Lydia was the one who recommended the throw blanket on the couch to me. The half-empty can of soda in the fridge was hers. The coat on the balcony also belonged to her. She had left it behind when she last dropped by. The stomach medication and earphones in the drawer of the coffee table were also hers.

Thomas and I were the ones who were living in that apartment, but Lydia's traces were everywhere and even more than mine.

I suddenly recalled an incident in the past.

I wanted to put my aromatherapy diffuser in the living room, but Thomas rejected my idea, saying that the smell was too strong.

But when Lydia brought a bottle of fragrance over one day, he said that the smell was pleasant enough to keep.

I didn't take it to heart at the time. Only then did I realize that the problem had never been the different scents. It was just that the items belonged to different people.

I looked up at Thomas and asked, "So, in your eyes, I'm causing a fuss. Am I right?"

Thomas' expression darkened. "I can't do anything if you insist on thinking that way."

He always reacted the same way. It was as if I was the one who was being immature whenever I got upset, as if I was the one who was causing trouble whenever I said something.

Lydia sniffled and muttered, "Forget it. I just won't come over anymore."

She then turned and left the apartment.

Thomas didn't hesitate for even a second before he chased after her.

The front door clicked shut, and the apartment fell dead silent.

I stood rooted to the spot and didn't move for a long time.

A corner of the cake had collapsed. The candle had gone out. The dishes were thoroughly cold now. The bottle of red wine was still sitting quietly on the dining table, totally untouched.

I slowly sat down. My eyes reddened as I stared at the candle wax on the tabletop.

Truth be told, Thomas accompanying Lydia to the movie theater wasn't the first time that I had lost to her. I lost every single time whenever he had to choose between us because he would always choose her.

I couldn't even get a single word of apology out of him, even though I had sat and waited for him for so long and prepared a feast.

I sat for a long time before I finally grabbed my phone and called my boss, Emily Langley.

The company had an overseas project, and they had already asked me twice if I was interested in joining.

I never agreed because I couldn't bear to let go of this relationship—couldn't bear to let go of Thomas. However, at that moment, I was struck with a realization that it was pointless for me to stay.

After the call connected, I said, "Hello, Ms. Langley. I want to join the overseas project."

Emily was stunned before she asked, "Are you sure?"

I looked around the apartment, taking in the items that didn't belong to me. I hummed in response and said, "Yes, I'm sure."

…

Thomas didn't come home that night.

The next day, I started the handover process. During lunch break, I sent Thomas a message, wanting to explain the situation to him. But it failed to deliver.

I was stunned for a few seconds before I realized what was going on.

Thomas had blocked my number.

I got the same results when I tried to send a message to Lydia. Finally, I opened our group chat and noticed that I had been removed from it.

An absurd sensation spread through my chest.