My boyfriend, Percy Gaskell, suddenly flaunts an engagement ring on the Internet. He also announces that he'll get married in two months.

Everyone thinks I'm the lucky bride who will get proposed soon, including myself. Anticipation fills my heart as I start making wedding preparations.

But unwittingly, I end up overhearing Percy and his friends' conversation at the doorway of a private room in a bar.

"I'm seriously impressed with the method you used to select your wife, Percy. You actually gave all 19 of them different scores! Those with lower scores get kicked out, whereas those with higher scores get to ascend to the next round! In the end, you choose the best wife out of all participants!

"Now, the only ones left are Maisie and your beloved mistress, Sabrina. Not only that, but you're also biased toward Sabrina, so you gave her a relatively high score. Maisie is definitely losing this time!

"What if Maisie finds out that she's not the one you're marrying in the end? Will she throw a hissy fit?"

Percy took a sip out of his wine glass lazily. In a flippant tone, he replied, "That will have to depend on who satisfies me the most. Let me observe them for three more days. If Maisie is still that disappointing, she shouldn't blame me for being ruthless."

His friends all burst into laughter. "You're far too soft-hearted, Percy! Maisie is inferior to Sabrina, be it her figure, age, or bedroom skills! I can't believe you're still giving her a chance!

"If I were you, I'd have kicked her out in the first round!"

Percy just smiles in amusement. "I only wish to give her a chance because I see how pathetically low her score is. If she can't even use the final chance given to her properly, she shouldn't blame me for not marrying her."

I can feel my blood turn to ice in my veins. My mind has completely gone blank. All I can hear is my heartbeat, which slowly becomes louder.

With a trembling hand, I dig out my phone and text that man's number, which lies at the bottom of my contact list.

"Are you up for a whirlwind marriage right now?"

I had never imagined that the man I trusted most would cheat on me behind my back. What made it even more absurd was that the woman he cheated with was brazen enough to show up at my door to provoke me.

Someone knocked on my door that day. When I opened it, a sweet-looking young woman stood outside. She looked barely 18 or 19.

The moment she met my eyes, open hostility flashed across her face.

"Hi, I'm Sabrina Stout. I'm here to return a shirt Percy Gaskell left at my place."

As Sabrina Stout spoke, she pulled a man's shirt out of her bag. "I already washed off the lipstick and red wine stains. And this is for you."

Then she took out a small bottle of lubricant and pressed it into my hand.

"I use this brand every time. Percy likes this scent the best. His appetite is huge. He needs it at least 15 times a month. If you don't use enough lubricant, it really hurts every time you sleep together."

Faced with such a blatant provocation, turmoil surged inside me, but I kept my face calm as I looked at Sabrina. I pushed the bottle of lubricant back toward her.

"I'll take the shirt. You should keep this for yourself."

Sabrina covered her mouth and let out a short laugh. "You're right. I do need it more than you. I've already gone through three or four bottles. As for you, you probably haven't slept with your boyfriend even once this month, have you?"

I ignored her mockery and turned toward the living room to pour her a glass of water.

"Thanks for coming all this way. It's blazing out there. You must be thirsty. Have some water."

I'd known about Percy Gaskell's ridiculous little elimination game for a long time, and I'd already decided to walk away from it.

I once thought that when I finally saw the other woman, I would grab her by her hair and tear her face apart.

But standing there, looking at Sabrina with her cheap knockoff bag, low-end makeup, and a fresh-faced look that said she was probably still in college, something in me loosened.

Only someone this young and unworldly would treasure a man like Percy.

There were plenty of men in the world. Letting her have one who couldn't stay faithful cost me nothing at all.

Sabrina clearly hadn't expected me to stay calm in the face of her provocation. The smile on her face froze.

Her gaze dropped to the glass of water in my hand. She lunged forward, snatched it away, and flung the water straight onto me.

"Who wants your water? Don't act all high and mighty with me. This house might not even be yours much longer!"

I stopped holding back. I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

"I'm giving him to you. I'm giving this whole 'Mrs. Gaskell' role to you, too. If you ever come back in front of me and act up again, it won't stop at a slap!"

Sabrina clutched her swollen cheek and glared at me with pure hatred. "Don't get too smug. I won't let this go!"

As expected, she went straight to Percy to complain. When he stormed back home, I was packing my suitcase.

"Maisie Cullen, why'd you hit Sabrina? What did she do to you? If you've got the guts, hit me instead! Why pick on someone weaker than you?"

I took a deep breath, snapped the suitcase shut, turned around, and slapped him.

"You think I wouldn't hit you?"

Percy was stunned by the slap. He clutched his face and stared at me in disbelief.

Since the day we met, I had never lost my temper. Especially with Percy, I had always gone along with whatever he wanted. So when I hit him, he froze.

"Are you insane? You actually hit me?"

He snapped back to himself and glared at me, rage written all over his face.

I was already done. I crouched down and went back to packing my suitcase.

When Percy saw that I wasn't responding, he grew even madder. He grabbed me, hauled me up, and slammed me against the wall, pinning me there with his stare.

"Stop dodging the issue. Sabrina was kind enough to bring my stuff over, and what did you do? You hit her without even asking what happened. She's just a college student.

"How's she supposed to face her classmates after this? You're going to her campus right now and apologize to her in front of everyone. If you don't, I'll never talk to you again."

"Fine. Then don't talk to me. That's exactly what I want."

Percy tightened his grip on my collar, as if I were the one making a scene. He stared at me for a long time before finally letting go, disappointment plain on his face.

"Maisie, you've really let me down. Being obedient and sensible is one of the few good qualities you have. If you keep acting like this, you're going to regret it!"

I couldn't have cared less. "Yeah? I'd love to see how you plan to make me regret it."

The veins on his forehead stood out, his teeth grinding. He spat out one last threat before storming off and slamming the door.

The second the door shut, I slid down and sat on the floor, tears streaming down my face.

Seven years together had turned out to be nothing but a ridiculous farce. From start to finish, I had been the only one who ever caught feelings.

I even began to wonder whether all of Percy's past kindness had been nothing more than an act. The home we'd shared for seven years suddenly felt unfamiliar.

I packed up everything in the house that belonged to me, including the gifts Percy had bought and our shared photo albums. I stuffed it all into a large bag and threw it into the trash bin downstairs.

By the time I was done, it was already past midnight. Percy still hadn't come home. I didn't need to think to know where he was.

I went back to the small apartment I'd bought two years earlier. It was small, but it felt like home.

It was late. I set my luggage in the living room, took a hot shower, and got ready for bed. Just as I lay down, my phone rang.

It was Julian Ripley.

"Maisie, what did that message you sent me mean? Are you messing with me?"

He sounded urgent, but I could hear the excitement underneath it.

"I'm not messing with you. Percy cheated. I'm not marrying him. I just want to ask you one thing. You said you'd wait for me. Does that still count?"

Julian said without hesitation, "It counts. Of course, it counts. It has always counted. I'm overseas on a business trip right now. I'll be back in two months. Once I'm done, we'll get married right away, okay?"

We talked for a long time. I didn't hang up until I was so tired I could barely stay awake.

But the moment I ended the call, my phone chimed with a new message. An unknown number had sent me a photo.

It was Sabrina and Percy, pressed together. She had my necklace around her neck.

It was the one Mom had left me. It meant the world to me. Back when Percy and I were head over heels, I'd already thought of him as family, so I gave him the necklace as a token of our commitment.

I never imagined that the necklace I'd treated like a treasure would end up around another woman's neck.

I called Percy right away and demanded, "Bring my necklace back. That belonged to my mom."

He answered with self-righteous calm. "You gave it to me, so it's mine. I can do whatever I want with it. And I'm doing this for your own good. Sabrina got slapped by you, and she's still mad.

"If I hadn't gone to smooth things over with her for you, she would've called the cops already. You should be thanking me."

His tone was completely matter-of-fact.

As he spoke, Sabrina's soft, syrupy voice drifted through the phone. "So what flavor do you want today? Strawberry or orange?"

Percy got flustered and hung up.

Any trace of sleepiness was gone. My fingers tightened around my phone.

I sent Percy a message.

"If you don't return my necklace tomorrow, I'll call the cops."

Late that night, the unfamiliar number sent another photo.

Sabrina sat on the bed in nothing but lace lingerie, lazily toying with my necklace. Percy was asleep next to her.

"So this is your mom's necklace? It doesn't look like much. If I threw it away, would you crawl around like a dog to pick it back up?

"See that? This is what happens when you mess with me. Take it as a lesson. Next time, keep your hands to yourself.

"You're still up this late. Waiting for your boyfriend? Don't bother. He's not coming back. You should get some sleep too. Staying up late gives you wrinkles."

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely type.

"I'm warning you. If you don't return my necklace tomorrow, I'm calling the cops."

Sabrina sent back a tongue-out emoji and didn't reply again.

…

The next day, I went to Percy's villa to get my necklace back. I hadn't even made it to the living room when I heard Sabrina's voice, sweet and clingy.

"Percy, haven't I been doing well lately? Why did you only give me a 99?"

Percy ran a hand over her hair indulgently. "That one point is so you don't get too full of yourself. You're young, pretty, and full of energy. What part of you isn't better than Maisie?

"Look at her score. 27. She doesn't stand a chance against you."

Sabrina giggled, then popped another grape into Percy's mouth. "So that means I'm gonna end up your bride, right? If Maisie finds out, do you think she'll lose it? I mean, you two were together for seven years."

Percy answered lightly, almost amused. "Who told her to keep such a tight leash on me? She brought this on herself!"

Their smug laughter drifted through the living room. My whole body started to shake.

The man I'd loved for seven years turned out to be nothing but a complete piece of trash.

I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I stormed into the living room.

"I told you to return my necklace today."

Percy looked at my outstretched hand and gave a scornful laugh. "Maisie, how long are you going to keep this up? Is this because I didn't chase after you when you left?"

My face stayed cold. I didn't feel anything except rage. "I don't need you to chase me. Give the necklace back. It belonged to my mom. I really regret being blind enough to ever like you!"

He smiled and shook his head. "Fine. I'll give it back. I'll just buy Sabrina a better one later. Don't get jealous!"

Percy gestured for Sabrina to take off the necklace. She put on a show of reluctance and held it out to me with both hands.

Just as I reached for it, she yanked hard. The cord snapped, scattering pearls and diamonds across the floor in every direction.

"Oops, I'm so sorry. Maybe the necklace was just too old. The cord broke the moment it was touched. You'd better pick up every single one. This is your mom's necklace, after all."

In that moment, humiliation and rage swallowed me whole. I watched Mom's keepsake get destroyed by that bitch, my nails digging deep into my palm.

In the end, I forced myself to calm down. With Sabrina watching me like I was a joke, I bent over and picked up the pearls and diamonds one by one.

Some rolled under the couch, so I had to lie flat on the floor to reach them. It wasn't until evening that I finally found every last one.

Percy and Sabrina watched the entire time, like they were enjoying a show, while I crawled around on the floor all afternoon.

That night, I sat on my bed, clutching the broken necklace, tears streaming down my face.

Dad called.

The second I picked up, he lit into me. "This is all because I spoiled you growing up and let you develop such a rotten temper! Someone was kind enough to bring clothes to your door, and you hit her?

"Let me make this clear. If Percy dumps you over this, just wait and see how I deal with you!"

Percy was rich. Dad thought that if I married him, a fortune would follow, so he was delighted. He practically wanted us to get married tomorrow.

Over the years, Percy sent Dad pricey gifts now and then. That only fueled Dad's dreams of striking it rich.

In Dad's eyes, I was nothing more than a commodity that could fetch a good price. He never once cared whether I was happy.

"I've already broken up with him."

Dad went quiet for half a beat, then shouted, "What? Do you know how hard it was for me to finally land a rich son-in-law? You think you can just break up whenever you want? I'm warning you—"

I hung up before he could finish.

Then I turned my phone off. I didn't want to deal with anyone anymore.