Law Firm Love Triangle: I'm the Fool

I was out for two hours, and my phone didn't even ring once. There wasn't a single call or message, as if my absence made no difference at all.

After downing a long black in one go, I went back to the law firm.

My colleague, Kimberly Glover, winked and asked, "Why are you the first one back? Where are the others?"

Everyone at this firm knew that Chelsea Moran and Owen Steele were the "twin stars" of Pembrook College's law program.

They worked seamlessly together, were equally matched in professional competence, and were widely regarded as the perfect golden couple.

More than one person looked at me with pity.

Even for this date squeezed in during make-up workdays, someone advised me, "Ramon Chaney, don't you know three is a crowd? When are you going to step aside?"

I just laughed it off and said, "We're going to watch a movie today. There'll be plenty of seats in the cinema, so it's not going to be crowded."

But we had barely set foot in the cinema when Owen casually mentioned he felt like shopping instead. And just like that, the three movie tickets Chelsea had been holding went straight into the trash.

Even to this day, I still remembered the sting of the ticket stubs scraping across the back of my hand.

As soon as we reached the mall, we ran into our colleagues. Owen dragged them off, insisting on playing games.

Without a word of objection, Chelsea booked a luxury private room.

The one day off I had finally earned after three months of overtime was ruined, just like that. And through it all, not a single person asked me what I thought.

Before every date, I stressed over and over that there was to be no changing plans halfway through or launching into a case discussion in the middle of the meal.

Owen would pat me on the shoulder, while Chelsea would stick her tongue out at me.

"Yes, sir!"

But in the end, it always went the same way. Owen would suddenly feel like having barbecue, crave a cup of coffee, or insist on playing a murder mystery game, and all the plans I'd painstakingly made and the tickets I'd bought in advance would end up in the trash.

Owen would then apologize. "Sorry. The cases I've been handling lately have been really tough, so I've been under a lot of pressure."

At that point, Chelsea would naturally ask him about the case. The two of them would start talking back and forth, just like they did at the law firm.

Throughout the whole process, I couldn't get a single word in. All I could do was listen in silence. To pass the time, I'd either count the clouds in the sky or the bubbles in the glass.

In the end, I would accompany Chelsea as she saw Owen home.

After we got home, whenever I wanted to say something to her, Chelsea would rub the bridge of her nose and act coy with me.

"Ramon, I'm tired. Let's talk tomorrow."

I could only choke back the words that had already risen to my throat.

Chelsea and I had been together for years, and my parents had long wanted to meet her. But she was always busy.

For my sake, my parents were willing to take two connecting flights just to come and meet her.

Chelsea took time off and booked a place, but at the last minute, she disappeared. Her phone went straight to voicemail, and my messages went unanswered.

The next day, she told me she had been grazed by a car. But it wasn't until just now that I found out there was no accident or car crash. Instead, she had simply gone to meet Owen's parents.

My heart swelled with pain.

I forced a smile and nodded. "You're right. Three is a crowd. I won't tag along anymore."

I was indeed just a burden to Chelsea.

Back in college, whenever I failed a course, I went to her for help. And whenever I flunked an exam, I turned to her to get through it.

Back then, she would always smile helplessly and say, "Ramon, you're so silly that I'm probably the only one who can take care of you."

But now, she'd say, "You're an adult now—stop being so childish and pulling these disappearing acts. It's embarrassing."

She went back into the office. The door swung back and forth behind her.

Owen smirked teasingly and brushed it off as if nothing had happened.

"Don't mind her. Chelsea's been swamped with cases lately, so she's all stressed out."

I slowly pulled my hand away, my voice soft. "She's right. I've managed to talk myself round."