Chapter 3

When they noticed, they immediately started shoving iced juice into my hand.

Martin gave me a cold look. After hearing what I said, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. Then he waved a waiter over and quietly said something to him.

By the time I got back from the bathroom, my juice had been swapped for milk.

My eyes stung out of nowhere, that warm feeling catching me off guard. I looked away and breathed lightly, careful not to give anything away.

Martin drank way too much at the party, and of course, when it was over, everyone expected me to take him home.

After they said their goodbyes, everyone left in a rush. I sighed, accepting it.

This was the last time I'd ever cover for him.

However, it wasn't until I reached his place that I realized he'd changed the door code.

I gave his cheek a little pat to wake him up.

He rubbed his forehead and gave a goofy grin. "Oh, my girlfriend changed it. She's just this childish girl with crazy possessiveness. I'll introduce you to her someday."

I stayed quiet, my eyes catching the mess of boxes piled by his door.

Martin was a neat freak; there was almost no way he would let such a pile of trash accumulate by his door.

It was easy to see that this pile had just been tossed out.

I looked closer and realized they were my things, the stuff I'd left at his place.

The couple's slippers and pajamas I'd picked out so carefully were all packed up and dumped right by the door.

I still remembered when Martin bought this place. He joyfully grabbed my hand and led me to the door.

He looked like a kid, all giddy. "Here, let's set a code. From now on, make yourself at home."

Back then, we were both buried in work. The apartment was close to our offices, and he had deliberately kept a room for me.

He even stuck a sticker on the door that read, [Rosalyn's Private Room.]

I used to feel secretly pleased that he treated me a bit differently.

Yet now, looking back, it was just a tiny, casual sweet gesture from him, and I had been so happy over it.

I blinked, realizing the truth. I had never really been special to him.

I forced myself to stay calm, not letting a single emotion slip. "Go on in. I'm not going in."

Martin, however, slumped against the wall. He started whining, "My head is spinning. Can you stay tonight? I want some of that honey water you make."

Seeing me staring at the boxes, he rubbed his nose awkwardly. "I had your stuff tossed out. My girlfriend gets jealous easily, and I didn't want her to freak out.

"You're not mad, right?"

Only those who were spoiled act so fearlessly. To him, I was still the girl he could calm with just a couple of sweet words.

Did you know that, Martin? The girl who admired you had feelings, too.

She could be upset, and she could get hurt.

I met his gaze, keeping my voice steady. "I'm not mad."

The girl who'd get mad at you no longer existed.

After saying that, I turned and left the place that had made me feel so humiliated.

Martin suddenly seemed uneasy, almost panicked. He reached out and grabbed my hand. "Rosalyn, are you really not mad? You—"

I pulled my hand free and took a step back. "Get some rest."

I stepped into the elevator without looking back. Just as the doors were closing, he reached out to stop them, a trace of unease flickering in his eyes.

Seeing me staring at him, he licked his lips, hesitated, then finally said, "Rosalyn, you haven't said goodnight to me yet."

I used to feel pleased that Martin, childish as ever, was all mine.

Yet now, I just looked at him with a sneer. "Are you done?"

Apparently, he found it boring as well. He grumbled and left.

*****

The following day, I handed in my resignation, even though my contract had technically ended.

Since Martin was a partner, nobody thought I'd actually quit.

The manager looked like he wanted to say something, but held back. "Does Mr. Duncan know about this?"

This company had been started because of me, yet I had neither the drive nor the courage to make it work.

All the other artists who signed later became big stars, while I was still a complete nobody.

The manager even sighed about it once. "Rosalyn, looks like the whole fame thing isn't working out for you. Maybe you're meant to be the one running things."

I smiled. "He doesn't need to know."

Once the company grew, Martin stepped back completely. His stake dropped to 20%, meaning he wasn't really in charge anymore.

The manager sighed. "Alright, you two know each other better than I do. Guess I overreacted. What about your shares? Are you giving them up?"

"Yeah," I said.

I thought making up my mind would be hard, and I tossed and turned all night, but now that it happened, it felt like a huge weight lifted.

I was never cut out to be an actress. Now that I had the chance, it was only natural to leverage my resources and move behind the scenes.

For the past couple of weeks, I'd been busy going on blind dates while actively networking within the industry.

After Martin started dating, he disappeared from the social circle entirely.

Whenever people asked what he was up to, he would dodge the question.

He finally spilled the beans when he couldn't keep it under wraps any longer. "Yeah, I have a girlfriend now. She's super timid, so go easy on her, alright?"

It wasn't really my business, but some curious friends tagged me in the group chat.

[What's going on? I always thought you and Rosalyn were a thing.]

[Wait, seriously? Is the couple I shipped fake?]

As more people joined in teasing him, Martin found himself cornered. He tagged me. [Let's clear this up. My girlfriend is already mad.]