Chapter 2

John froze, his frown deepening.

He wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Selena's phone ringing.

It was her boss, informing Selena that her proposal had issues and needed major revisions.

"The presentation is tomorrow! How can I possibly do an entire team's work by myself?"

Her only reply was the busy tone of a hung-up call.

Selena's face went pale, and she bit her lip hard.

John pulled out his car keys, grabbed her hand, and led her toward the car park.

Selena subconsciously glanced back at me, then quickly pulled her hand away.

"Don't worry about me. You're out on a date with Minnie. You two go have fun. Consider it my loss this time. I'll definitely get my revenge next time."

John ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"I'm not doing this for you. I just don't want to win unfairly. You spent over half a month on your proposal, you can't just give up. Minnie would understand."

They both looked at me, waiting for me to give my consent.

After all, in the last five years, I'd let countless dates fall through and watched them walk away together time and again.

My shattered heart still throbbed with lingering pain.

I curled my lips and stated calmly, "If I say no, will you stay?"

My only answer was their silence.

With that, the last bit of unrealistic expectations I had disappeared.

"Just kidding. Be careful on the road."

Minnie opened the passenger seat door with familiarity and slid in.

The space was just right for her. When I sat in that seat, I always had to squeeze myself in.

John reached over to buckle her seatbelt, but she stopped him with a hand.

I pretended not to see and waved them goodbye, suppressing the bitterness in my heart.

After John left, I lost all interest in staying out.

I pulled out my phone to grab a ride, only to find there were 78 people ahead of me in line.

During the two-hour wait, a sudden thunderstorm broke out.

The crowd swarmed to the bus stop to shelter from the rain, anxiously waiting for it to clear.

"I wish the rain would last longer, just a little longer. That way, I'd get to stay with you a little longer."

I glanced at the speaker. It was a girl who was with a boy. They were, presumably, a young couple.

They were probably still in school, their youthful faces beaming with happiness.

The girl and boy huddled under the same oversized jacket, just like John and I once did.

Back then, he'd always laugh at me for being silly, knowing it would rain but never bringing an umbrella.

I'd pout and complain that he wasn't romantic at all. I ordered him to cherish every second he spent with me.

I thought that sharing rainy moments together would keep us closer

But the reality was, the rain would always stop, and people would always part ways.

After I got into my ride, I sneezed.

I was drenched from the rain, and the air conditioning in the car was blasting, making me shiver uncontrollably.

The driver handed me a towel, but his greasy eyes kept darting around in the rearview mirror.

For this date, I'd specially styled my hair and bought a new short skirt.

But now, everything was soaking wet and clinging to my body, making me feel terribly uncomfortable.

Alarm bells rang in my head, and I immediately dialed my emergency contact.

I called three times in a row, but John didn't pick up.

When I called Selena, however, she picked up almost immediately.

Her tone was gentle, and she spoke with a smile.

"Minnie, what's wrong?"

Just as I was about to speak, I heard John's voice from her end.

"Selena, you wouldn't let me answer my phone just now, but now you're the one slacking off. The milk tea I ordered for you is here. It's low-calorie, so drink up."

Selena playfully chided him for a bit, then whispered to me, complaining, "Your boyfriend is such a nag. He loves to control everything I do. It's so annoying. Only you can put up with him. Okay, I gotta get back to work."

I clutched my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white from the tension.

By sheer accident, I'd somehow dialed the customer service hotline for the ride-hailing app.

As soon as the driver received the platform's warning message, he immediately straightened up.

But I didn't dare stay any longer, so I hastily got out of the car.

I walked home, and my high heels chafed my heels raw.

Blood dripped onto the floor, but I couldn't care less. My vision went black, and I collapsed onto the couch.