Chapter 1

"Whoa, Noel! Delilah just took a bite of that ice cream, and you don't even mind? You sure dote on her!"

I had just returned from the restroom and reached the door of the private room where Delilah and her friends were gathered. I heard everyone inside cheering and making a racket.

My whole body went rigid, and through the half-ajar door, I watched my girlfriend, Delilah Stallard, take the half-eaten ice cream back from the lips of her childhood sweetheart, Noel Weston.

"We've known each other forever. We even shared a room as kids. What's wrong with sharing some ice cream?" Delilah asked nonchalantly.

Noel merely smiled, gazing at Delilah fondly. Their friends talked over one another, flashing the two of them knowing smiles.

It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over my head, drenching me from head to toe.

Just then, Belle Jones, Delilah's best friend, spotted me and hurriedly shot the others a look.

That was when everyone finally noticed me. There was no doubt that, in that short amount of time, I had heard every word they'd said.

"Maybe you two should be a little more mindful of boundaries. Delilah has a boyfriend now. You should at least consider your partner's feelings," Belle said with a smile.

"Elio wouldn't get upset over this. We've been together for seven years. If we don't even have that much trust between us, we would've broken up ages ago!" Delilah nudged my arm, smiling. "Right, Elio?"

Delilah often spouted things like that. I usually laughed and agreed with her.

Of course I trusted her. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together, after all. Suspicion would only hurt our relationship.

However, this time, I didn't say a word, nor did I intend to answer her.

Noel chimed in with a guilty expression. "Don't be mad, Elio. I was the one who said I wanted to have a taste of Delilah's ice cream. I've always seen her as my younger sister, so I didn't think anything of it.

"Initially, she didn't want to share, but I insisted, so she had no choice but to give me a bite. If you want to fault someone, fault me."

Still, I remained silent.

Maybe they'd finally sensed that something was off. The tension in the room thickened, and everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

Delilah was the first to lose her temper. Her expression darkened as she snapped, "What the hell's wrong with you, Elip? We're all here having a good time, so what's with the attitude? Noel just returned to the country today.

"I asked you to prepare a gift for him, and you didn't. Yet now, you're giving everyone attitude? Don't forget—Noel even brought you a gift!"

After hearing that, I couldn't help but scoff. "Are you referring to those worthless rocks?"

Anyone with half a brain could tell those were just ordinary rocks on the beach. Noel, however, had wrapped them in a gift box and hyped them up as if they were priceless treasures.

Delilah was the only one gullible enough to believe it, and she'd carefully tucked them away in her bag.

The gifts I'd given her, on the other hand, had never received that kind of treatment. She'd always tossed them into some forgotten corner.

"Why, you—"

Delilah was about to fume, but Noel cut her off. "It's okay, Delilah. It doesn't matter if Elio didn't get me anything. I don't really mind missing out on a gift or two."

On the surface, he sounded like he was playing the peacemaker. But in reality, he was fanning the flames.

Delilah fumed, "Don't tick up for him. He's the one at fault here. Who shows up to someone's welcome party empty-handed?

"Everyone was having a great time until he started sulking and killing the mood. I don't care, Elio—you're buying Noel a gift today!"