Chapter 4

I hesitated for a moment, but I still picked up the call.

Before I could say anything, I heard Lucy’s cheerful voice on the other end. “Graham, I’ve got a contract here. Look it over for me and send it back as soon as you can. I need it urgently.”

Before I even replied, the document landed in my inbox.

I glanced at it and immediately recognized it as a project Zack had been handling. I couldn’t help but laugh. Lucy did this all the time. Whatever Zack couldn’t finish, she dumped on me. If it turned out well, the credit went to Zack. If it didn’t, then it was my incapacity.

I had resisted before. Whenever that happened, she’d comfort me afterward, calling it “training,” as if she were doing me a favor. This time, though, I didn’t swallow it just to avoid making her angry like I used to.

“I’m sorry,” I said calmly. “I can’t do it.”

Maybe she was too used to me taking everything silently. Hence, when I actually refused, she froze for a second and then grew impatient.

“It’s just reviewing a contract. It won’t take that long. What exactly can’t you do?”

Then, I heard Zack’s soft, obedient voice in the background. “It’s fine, Lucy. I’ll do it. You gave Graham time off anyway.”

That only irritated her more. “I’ve given him such a long break. What’s wrong with asking him to handle one small task? No wonder he keeps getting worse. Honestly, if it weren’t him, I would’ve fired them long ago.”

Clearly, she still didn’t know that I had resigned.

Back then, if there were even the slightest issue with Zack’s work, she’d know immediately, even while traveling for business.

“You handle it, Zack. Thank you. I’ll let accounting know later to give you a raise.”

Then, she deliberately raised her voice, speaking directly to me with a slow, lecturing tone, “Graham, what’s happened to you? You’re getting less and less ambitious. If you stay this selfish, not only will no colleagues want to work with you, but even if you leave, you won’t get anywhere.”

Normally, once I sensed her comparing me to Zack, I would cave in and take the work. However, this time, I hung up.

The plane lifted off steadily. Below me stretched a vast, open new world.

As soon as I got off the plane, I spotted my friend, Hugh Nicholson, waiting in the arrivals hall. The moment he saw me, he rushed over, grabbed my luggage, and started fussing over me.

A little embarrassed, I laughed. “We’re friends. You don’t have to treat me like a guest.”

He grinned. “It’s because we’re good friends that I want to take proper care of you.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, my mind drifted back to years ago, when Lucy told me to quit my high-paying job and start a business with her. All she sent was an address, so I dragged my luggage through winding streets, sweating under the sun.

When I finally reached the shabby apartment she’d rented, she opened the door in her pajamas and was in the middle of playing an online game. She didn’t say anything, but from her expression, I could tell she wasn’t thrilled I’d arrived at the wrong time.

After her match finally ended, I joked, asking why she didn’t come pick me up. Wasn’t she worried I’d get lost or something could happen?

She snorted. “If you get lost, can’t you ask someone for directions? You’re a grown man. What’s going to happen to you? Besides, we’re basically an old married couple. You can get here on your own. Why would I pick you up?”

Looking back now, being good friends was just an excuse. The truth was simple—she never valued me.

That afternoon, Hugh took me to the apartment he’d rented for me ahead of time. After I settled in, he gathered a few other friends and treated me to a fancy dinner at a hotel.

Later, when I got back, slightly tipsy, I checked my phone and saw a new post from Zack’s Instagram feed. It was a close-up selfie of him and Lucy, their faces pressed together. They were standing by the ocean, his arm wrapped around her waist. They looked like a perfect couple.

The caption read, “On the road, with my love.”

The comments were full of congratulations, people envying that true love finally won. I snorted and was about to scroll past. However, my finger slipped, and I accidentally liked it.

I was just about to remove it when the post suddenly disappeared. Immediately afterward, Lucy called me, to which I declined. She then sent a string of messages.

[Zack’s just young and playful. Young people like posting pictures. I’ve talked to him about it. But you shouldn’t be such a stalker. It makes everyone uncomfortable. Oh, by the way, I saw something nice while we were traveling. I plan to give it to you as a gift. Guess what it is?]

She added a playful emoji, then a picture of a beautifully wrapped gift box. I knew exactly what she was doing. She was hoping I wouldn’t brood over the photo.

I let out a dry laugh, ignored her, and closed the chat.

Two minutes later, a video from Zack came in. In the clip, shattered pieces covered the floor. He looked pitiful as he apologized to Lucy, saying he accidentally broke the gift she was planning to give someone.

The gift box beside them made it obvious that it was the one she said she’d bought for me.

“It’s okay. Gifts don’t matter. If it’s broken, I’ll just buy another. Are you hurt?”

She rushed to him anxiously, checking him all over for injuries. When I got hurt, she had never reacted like that.

Then, I received a message from him.

[Graham, you should be smart about this and step aside. Lucy loves me. These days, we’ve basically turned fake into real.]

I smiled and replied, [Screenshot taken.]

As soon as the message was sent, the system notified me that he had deleted the messages. So, their relationship wasn’t as solid as he claimed.

I ignored his frantic backtracking, washed up a bit, and was just about to rest when two sharp taps came from my door.