Chapter 1

Nina's POV

Sean Gomez and Wendy Lane completely disappeared around the corner. Neither of them looked back for me from the beginning till the end.

I simply stood there for a moment. Then, I turned and walked the other way.

When I got home, my roommate poked her head out. "Didn't you say you were having dinner with Sean? You're back already?"

"Yeah," I said as I took off my shoes and sank onto the couch.

Sean was so busy with work that I could count our actual dates in a year with both hands.

For once, he had gotten off early, so I had skipped my team dinner. I had thought it would be enough to hold hands and walk by the river. But then Wendy called and asked to join us, and everything changed.

Before we left, I half-joked and said, "No work talk tonight. Whoever brings it up pays."

They had both smiled and agreed. Sean even ruffled my hair. "Alright, alright. We'll do whatever you say."

But as soon as the food arrived, one of them mentioned work. Soon, they were debating about earnout agreements and leveraged buyouts. I was left out, poking at the ravioli on my plate.

I didn't even notice when they paid the bill.

My phone buzzed, and a text from my manager came in: [Have you finished the report due tomorrow?]

The text pulled me back. I was about to reply when another text from Sean appeared: [Wendy has to go back to the office for something urgent. I'll take her there and come home later.]

I turned off the screen and started pondering. He had not even asked how I was getting home.

Sean did not return until eleven that night. I stayed on the couch instead of taking his coat and hanging it up as usual. As he passed by, he stopped and bent down to kiss my forehead. "What's wrong? Are you upset?"

Whenever he came home late, he would do this and say it was his apology. My mind told me to push him away, but a warm ache spread through my heart.

It had taken me four years to go from secretly loving Sean to standing beside him.

The day we started dating, someone in our college group chat started a bet on how many months we would last. The gap between us was that wide, after all.

Sean had always been at the top of his class. Even in high school, my teachers had shaken their heads and said I was not cut out for school. Whenever my parents were called in or I was made to stand as punishment, Wendy copied her notes for me and stayed beside me while I was scolded.

I knew I was not especially smart. I had always needed patience and reassurance from my boyfriend and my best friend. I had been determined to stay angry, but as soon as Sean came close, the hurt inside me began to fade.

We sat together in the living room, sharing a rare quiet moment.

After a long silence, Sean spoke.

"Nina."

"Yes?"

"Can you think things through more carefully next time?"

I went still and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

His eyes were closed. He sounded as calm as though he were discussing the weather. "You know Wendy can't eat spicy food, but you still ordered all those dishes to share tonight. She rarely eats with us. Even if you don't think about me, you should have been more considerate of her. She has always treated you well."

I could not move. It felt like a void had been created within my heart, and the cold seeped in. Be considerate of her? Then why had neither of them reminded me to ask what she could eat before I confirmed the order? Had I really been thoughtless, or had they simply never taken me seriously at all?

"Look at you. I say one thing, and you're already pouting," Sean said as he opened his eyes with a helpless expression. He looked at me as though I were a child who would never grow up.

I lowered my head. A tear dropped on the back of my hand and left a dark spot. I said, "Alright. It won't happen again."

He sighed and patted my head. "Go to bed. I still have something I need to review."

After Sean went into the study, my mother called. She asked, "You said you'd bring your boyfriend home for dinner at the end of the month. Have you picked a date?"

I bit my lip to keep myself from making a sound.

"Nina? Can you hear me?" Her voice came.

It took me a while to calm myself. "Mom, he's not coming."