"The day before yesterday, I heard you talking to Chloe on the phone while you were in the bathroom. You said you'd passed the exam and were celebrating at The Golden Terrace tonight, so I—"

"Who told you to come? Do you have any idea how awkward you made things for me?" Erin snapped.

I'd thought it would be a surprise for her if I showed up.

I'd figured she didn't tell me because she wanted to celebrate with me in private later.

All those things I'd thought were just a joke.

Watching her sway on her feet, barely able to walk straight, I instinctively reached out to steady her. Yet she shoved my hand away hard, her eyes full of irritation.

"Don't touch me! Don't let anyone know we're together! If they find out, we're done!"

I didn't understand. Why? Why had she suddenly turned into a completely different person?

"Erin, what's wrong with you? Did I do something to upset you?"

Maybe it was the alcohol, but there was something almost crazed about her.

"You didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one who messed up! I was an idiot for falling for a loser like you! Back then, I got blinded by your so-called thoughtfulness and those little favors you kept doing for me!

"Look at you! All you do is drag yourself to that crappy job every day! Does it even offer you a future or any status?

"Do you have any idea how little you make in a month? Do you know how many people want to set me up with guys? They're all either rich or have respectable jobs. Every single one of them is better than you!

"If you hadn't been willing to spend money on me, give in to me on everything, and handle all the housework so I could focus on studying, I would've dumped you a long time ago!"

When she finished, she collapsed onto the couch and fell asleep.

I, on the other hand, stayed awake the whole night, my heart aching too much for me to rest at all.

No matter how much it hurt, I still had my pride. After everything she'd said, staying any longer would've meant I had no dignity left.

I packed my bags in the middle of the night, planning to leave with my broken heart.

I was the one who'd misjudged her. That much I could admit.

Unexpectedly, after Erin woke up the following morning, she called out to me as sweetly as ever. "Honey, my head hurts so much. Can you make me some hangover remedy?"

It was like she'd blacked out. She didn't remember a single thing from last night.

I wanted to be honest and talk things through. If she didn't care about me anymore, there was no reason for us to keep going like this.

"Erin, do you still love me?" I asked, testing the waters.

"Honey, what are you talking about? You're the one I care about the most. Of course I love you!"

Then, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

That completely threw me. If the gift I'd bought for her hadn't still been sitting there, I would've thought I'd dreamed the whole thing.

Just then, Erin's phone chimed.

She was washing her face in the bathroom, so I picked up her phone.

Her passcode was her favorite artist's birthday. I'd always known it, but this was the first time I'd actually unlocked her phone.

"Babe, let's have lunch together. We're already together now, and I still haven't introduced you to my childhood friend. Meet me at 11 o'clock at Hilltop Diner. I'll be waiting."

The moment I read that message, it felt like I'd been struck by lightning. I just stood there, frozen.

Only when I heard the tap in the bathroom turn off did I panic and quickly tap "mark as unread". Then, I put the phone back where it had been.

A moment later, I heard Erin's voice coming from the bedroom. "Honey, my mom just called and told me to go home for a bit. I won't be back tonight."

She put on flawless makeup and slipped into an expensive dress and a pair of black stilettos that clicked against the floor as she made her way out the door.

I thought about it for a long time and chose to follow her instead of breaking up with her right away.

After five whole years together, even if this was the end, I needed to know exactly how it ended.

I disguised myself in advance and waited in a booth tucked into the corner at Hilltop Diner.

Of all people, I never thought she'd be cheating with him.

From a distance, I snapped a photo of the two of them walking arm in arm, then watched them sit down in Room Six, a semi-private room that only VIP members could use.

"Excuse me," I asked a server, "is Room Seven taken? Can I move to a private room over there?"

The server went to check and came back a moment later. "Room Seven's empty, but you'll need to deposit 100 thousand dollars to become a member before you can use it."

I pulled out my bank card and spent all the savings I'd scraped together over the past year.

"Gavin, did you miss me?"

The semi-private rooms were separated by dividers, so I could hear every word from the next room.

"Of course I did. Especially the way you are in bed—" The man let out a filthy laugh.

Erin cut him off in a shy tone. "Stop it! You're so bad!"

She was calling him bad, but her voice was sickeningly sweet.

In the five years we'd been together, she'd never spoken to me in that tone.

The way they flirted with each other afterward made my stomach churn. I couldn't wrap my head around how the woman I'd treated like a treasure could lower herself so much in front of another man.

A wave of emotions hit me—disgust, anger, shame, and a sharp, lingering sadness.

Gavin Trent and I were coworkers, but we couldn't stand each other. Even basic courtesy felt impossible between us.

We used to be in the same department once. He was an arrogant show-off who loved throwing his weight around and bullying people at work. On top of that, he secretly harassed the new intern.

One night when I was working overtime, I happened to walk in on them. The new intern was on the verge of tears. She was furious but too scared to say anything.

I couldn't take it, so I got into a shouting match with him. We almost ended up throwing punches in the office.

Even though the incident was resolved, the intern was still pushed out by Gavin and a few others until she finally quit, and I got called in by management and was soon transferred to another position.

"Gavin, are you really into this woman? She's nothing special. There are tons of women chasing you who are way prettier than her."

"What do you know? I've got big plans for this one. You just sit back and enjoy the show."

After Erin left, Gavin and his childhood friends had started talking even more obscenely.

I really couldn't listen anymore, so I paid the bill and walked out.

That night, I called Erin several times, but she never picked up. A sense of unease lingered in my chest.

We'd been together for five years. Even though I was furious, I still hoped we could end things amicably. I didn't actually want anything bad to happen to her.

It wasn't until Erin came home looking completely normal after work the next day that I finally let out a breath.

I was just about to bring up breaking up when she spoke first.

"Honey, I want to go have some fun before I officially start work. Once I start, I won't have time anymore. You're busy with your job, so I already promised Lacey I'd go to Harvale with her. Is that okay?"

Harvale?

If I remembered right, Gavin was scheduled to go on a business trip to Harvale too.

She was already sleeping with another man and still wanted to keep me as a backup. She even asked me for money so she could go on a trip with him.

"But I want to go with you," I said. "Work isn't that busy these days. I can take some time off and go with you."

I picked up my phone, trying to be considerate as I started checking flights to Harvale.

The moment Erin saw that, she panicked and snatched the phone out of my hand.

"No way!"

Maybe she realized how sharp she sounded, because her tone softened right away.

"How could I let you skip work because of me? I already made plans with Lacey. Just focus on your job. I only need you to cover the trip for me, okay?"

Erin smiled and rubbed her thumb against her index finger in a little gesture to indicate she needed money.

Seeing her grin like that, I almost laughed out of sheer anger.

"Money's been tight for me lately..."

"Oh, come on, honey. You've still got 100 thousand in your bank account. Just transfer it to me for now. Once I start working and making money, I'll pay you back. Don't be such a cheapskate!"

How had I never seen how shameless Erin really was? I couldn't keep up the act anymore. There was no point in pretending, so I decided to be blunt.

"I don't have any money," I said flatly. "Why don't you go hit up your side piece, Gavin?"

Erin shot to her feet like she'd been shocked, staring at me with wide eyes. "How... How do you know about that?"

That same day, I packed my bags and moved into a hotel near the office.

The next morning, I went to work like usual, forcing myself to pretend nothing had happened. But that night, every time I closed my eyes, all I could see were the sweet moments we'd shared over the years.

I really was pathetic. She'd cheated on me, yet I still couldn't let her go.

Just as I was tossing and turning, a message from Erin popped up on my phone.

I opened it, and my blood pressure shot through the roof. It felt like a fire had been lit in my chest, hot enough to make me explode.

Those disgusting bastards!

In the video, Erin and Gavin were making love, completely wrapped up in each other. Erin was wearing a uniform, flushed and lost in the moment.

Gavin's voice came through loud and clear. "Say it. Who's better, me or Jason?"

"Ah... Gavin... Gavin, you're the best..." she moaned.

Gavin burst into loud laughter. His cackling poured out of my phone's speaker.

My stomach lurched. I stumbled into the bathroom and clung to the toilet, throwing up until I felt like my whole body had turned inside out.

It was utterly disgusting!

When I finally stopped retching, I picked up my phone again and saved the video.

The next day, when I saw Gavin at work, I didn't even look at him. Gavin, on the other hand, stuck an arm out to block my path and leaned in close, lowering his voice. "You've got good taste, Jason. Erin feels amazing."

He started laughing, loud and cocky.

I kept telling myself to stay calm, but my fists were clenched so tightly that they trembled.

"Yeah? You really do have unique taste. You like picking up what other people have already thrown away. I wish you and that bitch stay together forever!"

Gavin's face went dark. "Jason, you just wait!"

He was still yelling behind me, but I didn't slow down.

The team leader from the group next to ours, Monica Price, walked over and gave me an exasperated look.

"Jason, why'd you go and provoke Mr. Trent? You know he's got people backing him. You're new to the company. You can't just blow up like that. Be careful, or he'll cause problems for you."

"Who's backing him?" I asked.

I'd always heard Gavin had connections. That was why he strutted around the company like he owned the place. I'd just never cared enough to ask.

"You really don't know? His father's a senior official in the City Planning Department. How do you think our company got some of those projects? Especially that Eastown development project they're trying to bring investors in for.

"Haven't you noticed how Mr. Porter keeps finding excuses to praise Gavin at every meeting? Some people are just born with a silver spoon. He has no real skills and doesn't even hold a decent degree, yet he still gets promoted and keeps getting raises."

Monica shook her head and went back to her desk to work on her reports.

My thoughts had already drifted off.

No wonder Erin had been practically groveling in front of Gavin. It turned out his father was a senior official in the City Planning Department.

The job Erin had just passed the civil service exam for was in that exact same department.