Chapter 1 Eloise's Double Standard

Eloise Harper was gone for thirty minutes.

During that time, Matthew Pierce called her five times.

She answered each of them and always waited for him to hang up first.

I struggled to digest what I had discovered. She had established rules and made sure our call would not last longer than two minutes.

As soon as the call exceeded two minutes, she would hang up without notice.

…

Last night, I called her to ask for the apartment's new door code.

After two failed attempts, the call had also exceeded two minutes. At that moment, Eloise had not hesitated to hang up on me.

I waited outside the apartment with the takeaway food I had bought for her. By the time she finally came home, reeking of alcohol, the food had gone completely cold.

I demanded her explanation. After all, she posted a picture of her and Matthew on social media, yet she did not bother to reply to my message.

Her frankness stunned me into speechlessness.

"Andrew, just because you're a social pariah doesn't mean I have to be like you and not spend time with my friends."

Matthew started the car, and Eloise slid into the passenger seat.

Their colleagues' gossip rang louder in my ears.

"There's no denying that Ms. Harper gives Mr. Pierce special treatment. She always waits in line to heat his meal before bringing it to him during lunchtime."

"She always ends the meeting ten minutes later when he's around."

"An independent woman who values efficiency turning into a caring woman for the man she loves? I'm totally shipping them!"

Despite Matthew's effort to sound apologetic, he could not hold back his grin.

It stung.

"Don't mind them, Andrew. They're clearly joking. Did I ever tell you they photoshopped us in a wedding photo?"

He found the picture in his favorites album and retold their antics as if it were all just harmless fun.

I slouched in the back seat, unable to find anything funny about it. "People might mistake the two of you as a couple."

Eloise immediately scolded in a low voice. "It's understandable if the outsiders don't know better, but you and Matthew were college roommates. It isn't nice to make fun of him like that."

He rushed to smooth things over. "Today's Valentine's Day, and everyone is in a festive mood. Andrew has the right to be happy too. I don't mind friendly banter."

Her lips pursed, seemingly unconvinced by his words. "He cared only about himself and showed up uninvited. He never thought he might trouble us."

The next second?

She was addressing me. "Andrew, I don't want our marriage to affect my promotion. Stop coming to my office again."

I stared at the lipstick she accidentally left on the center console and demanded an explanation.

"And why did you allow your colleagues to put the two of you in a wedding photo?"

She frowned. "Because there's nothing between us!"

I let out a bitter laugh and didn't continue the conversation.

She could shrug off a wedding photo of her and Matthew circulating around the office. Yet our marriage, which was never going to happen now, was a burden to her.

Matthew patted the back of her hand.

"Andrew has reserved a table at a private restaurant. I know the place, so I'll take you there."

Her expression visibly eased at his words. She looked up and met my gaze through the rearview mirror.

"You should've said that earlier. You're wasting Matthew's time having him drive around."

The date I planned for two turned into a meal for three.

I even let Matthew take my portion of the appetizer.

…

Halfway through the meal, Mom called to confirm the details of the wedding banquet.

When she asked me to pass the phone to Eloise, I did as told.

Eloise took the phone, and Mom asked her for the banquet date.

Eloise answered coldly, "Any day is fine, Cassandra. You don't need to dwell on the trivialities. By the way, we have things to do. Talk to you later."

She cut Mom off and handed the phone back to me. Then she casually voiced her request.

"Andrew, you've always been obsessed with working out the details, but I want the wedding as simple as possible."

Sorrow overwhelmed me.

…

Meanwhile, Mom profusely apologized in the series of messages she sent.

'I'm sorry, Andrew. I have no idea you're working. Please tell Eloise that I'll definitely call her at the promised time next time. The wedding can wait. We're in no rush to finalize the details, really.'

At that, I lost my appetite and invented an excuse to go to the restroom.

I leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette on the walkway.

Matthew's laughter echoed throughout the room as he shared office gossip.

Eloise paid attention to him and never interrupted once. She occasionally giggled at his antics.

I remembered sharing my plan to quit my job and start a business with her. She had cut me off after the very first sentence.

"Andrew, I can't care less about your trivial matters."

It turned out she did not mind wasting attention on trivial things. She simply did not think I was worth her time.

In the end, I replied to Mom's message. 'Mom, I'm calling off the wedding.'