Chapter 4

Harry's face turned pale.

He had apologized later, claiming that the meeting that day was crucial and he couldn't leave with the boss present.

I forgave him, thinking work was always important.

Now I got it. What counted as "important" seemed to depend entirely on who it concerned.

"Josie, can we leave the past behind?" Harry asked, sounding desperate. "Let's focus on what we have now. I promise I won't let Roxanne ride in my car again, okay?"

"Don't bother," I said. "You don't have to change anything for me. We're done."

Harry's expression shifted from pleading to frustration. "Do you have to do this? Are you seriously leaving me over something so small?"

"This isn't small." I finally lost it, my voice ringing out across the café. "This is the last straw.

"Harry, you don't even know how much I've put up with over these three years. Every time you broke a promise, every time you brushed me off, every time you put me last, I told myself to understand you and support you, but—"

Tears fell, and I didn't bother wiping them.

I said, "I'm human, too. I'm tired. I need to feel like I matter. You always put yourself first. Your job, your car, your reputation, everything is more important than me.

"Now, even a new coworker gets special treatment I never had. How am I supposed to keep pretending everything's okay?"

Harry was stunned. He'd never seen me lose control like this. In his memory, I was always gentle, thoughtful, the girlfriend who would never cause trouble.

"Josie, calm down." He tried to stop me.

"I am calm," I said, taking a deep breath and wiping away my tears. "This is the calmest I've been in three years. Harry, let's break up. This is not a threat. I'm serious."

Harry looked at me for a while, then suddenly smiled. It was a smile laced with both mockery and sadness.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you," he said, standing up and looking down at me. "Josie, you'll regret this. Do you really think you can find someone better than me? Don't be naive.

"For a woman like you, having a guy willing to stick around for three years is lucky enough."

His words hit me like a punch. I realized that was how little I meant to him.

Chelsea shot up from her seat. "Harry, what kind of nonsense is that?"

"I'm stating the facts," Harry said coldly. "For three years, I paid for your meals, your rent, and showed you a world you'd never seen. Josie, you're nothing without me."

I looked at him and felt no pain at all, only the absurdity of it all.

I said, "Harry, don't be ridiculous. I paid half the rent. I handled most of the expenses at home.

"The world you showed me? Was it your finance magazines I couldn't understand, or those elite friends who looked down on me?"

I stood as well, locking eyes with him. "Do you think I'm nothing without you? Let's see about that."

Harry's expression shifted as if he had more to say, but in the end, he only snorted and turned to leave the café.

He walked quickly, his back straight, as if guarding his last shred of dignity.

I stared as he disappeared around the corner, feeling completely drained.

Chelsea helped me sit down and ordered me a cup of coffee.

My hands were shaking, and the cup clinked softly against the saucer.

"You did the right thing," Chelsea said, holding my hand. "He was never worth it."

I nodded, speechless. My heart felt hollow, like something had been ripped away.

Even though I knew that leaving was the right thing and that he wasn't worth it, three years together wasn't something I could easily let go of.

My phone buzzed out of nowhere. It was a message from a number I didn't recognize.

It said: [Hi, Ms. Dennis. This is Roxanne Brooks, Harry's coworker. I heard you guys are having problems because of me, and I'm sorry. Harry was only helping me out; there's really nothing going on between us.]

[You've been together for three years. Please don't break up over me. If necessary, I can explain everything clearly. I apologize for the trouble.]

I looked at the message. Each word seemed meticulously crafted to appear thoughtful.

Chelsea leaned over, glanced at my screen, and snorted. "What a hypocrite."

I stared at the message, and suddenly, my stomach churned.

"I want to meet her," I said.

"What?" Chelsea was surprised.

I said, "I want to see with my own eyes what kind of woman could make Harry throw out all his principles."

Chelsea frowned. "Josie, is this necessary? Don't make things harder for yourself."

"Yes, it is," I said, gripping my phone tightly. "I need to see her for myself, so I can finally let go."

I texted back: [Alright, meet me at three tomorrow afternoon, same café.]

The reply came almost instantly: [Okay, I'll be there on time. I'm really sorry for causing you trouble.]

I looked at her overly polite reply and felt a bad gut feeling rising.

Roxanne was probably even more of a handful than I thought.

Outside the window, Harry's car passed the street corner, and a long-haired girl sat in the passenger seat.

It was only a brief glimpse, but I saw clearly that the girl held a bag of chips, smiling as she handed one to Harry behind the wheel.

And Harry, who always banned food in his car, actually took a chip and ate it.

In that moment, my world completely collapsed.

Turned out his principles had always been meant to bind me, but for someone else, he could have no limits.