Chapter 2

Love, once tainted, could never return to what it once was.

…

Nadine still hadn't come home by nightfall. Meanwhile, Dylan had been flooding his social media feed with videos, giving me a clear view of what they were up to.

Today was his first official day on the job, and Nadine was out celebrating with him at a fancy restaurant, with some expensive-looking dessert—the whole nine yards.

And in that moment, the line between love and indifference had never been clearer.

It would have been a lie to say it didn't hurt. But I wasn't going to get angry at her like I used to. I was too tired for that now.

Instead, I walked into my bedroom and started packing my things. Technically, it was the master bedroom—our shared room.

But honestly, Nadine had barely been around since we moved in together. Some months, I could even count the number of nights she spent here on one hand.

She always said that work kept her busy. But I knew exactly where she was—out having fun with Dylan.

I wasn't stupid. I could feel her growing colder with each passing day.

Once, I even went to her hospital to see what she was really up to for myself. And there she was, in her office with Dylan. Their heads were pressed close together as they watched a movie on her laptop.

At one point, he leaned in and kissed her.

She blushed in response. Flustered, she said, "You can't do that. I have a boyfriend."

But Dylan just laughed and said, "That's what makes it fun. It's only exciting if there's someone to betray, yes?"

She hesitated for a second, then kissed him back. That was the beginning of the end.

From that moment on, she fell deeper and deeper into the thrill of infidelity. Each time, she pushed the limit a little further.

…

By the time I finished packing, it was already past midnight. Still, there was no sign of Nadine.

I let out a long breath, slipped the ring off my finger, and placed it on the vanity.

We'd been together for seven years. I was there through the worst of it—when Nadine lost both her parents, leaving her a mountain of debt to deal with in their place.

She had hit rock bottom back then and didn't want to keep living. I was the one who stayed by her side through all of it. I held her up and guided her through everything.

I took on extra work to help pay off her debts. And over time, somewhere in the middle of all that pain, we fell in love.

She confessed to me first, saying that she wanted to be with me for the rest of her life.

And after that, I did everything I could to make her happy. I bought her the best skincare products and all of the clothes she liked. Meanwhile, I wouldn't even let myself splurge on a bottle of water.

Over time, I found myself giving her everything including my heart.

Eventually, she became a respected doctor, making more in a year than most people do in five. And the first thing she did to me after was cheat.

The next morning, she posted a photo of the sunrise to her feed. The caption read, "The sunrise today is beautiful."

Right beneath it was Dylan's post. Unsurprisingly, it was also a sunrise photo. Only, his had Nadine's silhouette in the frame.

His caption read, "As beautiful as it is, it still can't compare to you."

I scoffed. They really were happy, weren't they?

I decisively grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door. But when my hand touched the doorknob, I froze.

In the end, I hesitated. I found myself going to Nadine's hospital. I just needed to see her one last time, as a way to bid farewell.

I stopped by a cafe and picked up some breakfast on the way. This was to be the last meal that I would ever bring her.

I used to do it almost every day. However, she had told me to stop bringing food to her office back then.

I didn't understand why at the time. Now, I knew it was because she didn't want me to find out about Dylan.

Halfway down the hallway, I overheard a conversation that stopped me cold.

"Did you hear? Dr. Sullivan and Dylan slept together at a hotel last night."

"I'm not even surprised. Everyone already thinks they're a couple, even if they haven't made it official."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Come on, you haven't noticed? With the way they act around each other? They share the same coffee and even split an apple. Dylan doesn't even call her 'Dr. Sullivan' like everyone else does. He calls her 'Nadine.'"