Chapter 1
When I was folding my boyfriend Eric Quinn's clothes, he suddenly spoke up.
He said, "Sometimes, you can really be a bit of a doormat."
My hands paused, and just as I was about to argue back, he continued.
He said, "Of course, you do love me enough, and you're responsible and take good care of me. But sometimes, you just can't compare to Jessica.
"Anyone could do what you do, but Jessica is on a whole different level."
I suddenly remembered that a month ago, his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Hughes, had invited him to a concert.
I turned it down for him.
And he had been holding that against me ever since.
I threw the clothes aside and walked away.
Coincidentally, my boss had invited me to join her at an overseas branch.
I had turned her down for him.
I really did leave and make room for Jessica.
But he started crying and begging me to come back.
*****
I tossed the clothes aside, and Eric stayed put, just watching as I walked to the door.
"Did I say something out of line?" he asked.
"There's another show tonight, isn't there?" he added.
I gripped the doorknob. "Is this whole attitude just because of that? Go if you want, whatever."
He'd never seen me talk back before, and he laughed in disbelief, anger flashing in his eyes.
"You think I don't have the guts to go?" he shot back.
"Whatever," I replied.
"Melissa," he called after me.
He stopped me. "What do you mean by that? Tell me, was anything I said wrong? Would you really be happy if I went just because you pushed me?" he demanded.
"I said, do whatever you want," I replied.
I closed the door behind me.
Just a few steps away, I heard the sound of glass shattering from inside.
*****
Sitting at the café, I stirred my coffee, scrolling through my contacts for Chloe Lynn's number.
I'd been saving every penny, all this time, just to put together a place for us to call home.
The most expensive drink I'd ever bought was from a budget chain.
Honestly, the expensive coffee wasn't as good as I'd imagined.
But I was happy anyway.
When Chloe picked up, I blurted out, "Ms. Lynn, about that offer to go to the overseas branch, does it still stand?"
Chloe was taken aback for a second.
Then she chuckled.
"If you want the spot, it's yours," she replied.
"I'm in," I blurted out.
"What about you and Eric?" she asked.
"We broke up," I replied.
Instead of comforting me, Chloe actually burst out laughing.
"Good for you. You finally came to your senses," she said.
We'd been together for six years, and everyone around me kept hinting that my future mattered more than just being with Eric.
After his startup failed, I still had a bright future ahead of me. Everyone said I shouldn't waste my time struggling alongside him.
But back then, I just couldn't bring myself to leave him when he was at his lowest.
And now, his ex, who ditched him for some rich guy overseas because he was broke and came crawling back once Eric was successful. She was still enjoying the good life without missing a beat.
My phone buzzed.
It was a post by Jessica on Instagram.
The shot showed her and Eric leaning close together, the camera catching them right as they appeared on the big screen.
Their hands came together to form a heart, on display for the whole crowd at the concert.
No one would ever doubt they were a couple.
The caption read: [After all the drama, the right one was here all along.]
Eric liked the post.
I took a screenshot and sent it to my bestie.
[I seriously can't with this cringe couple.]
But my bestie just hit me back with a question mark.
She even sent me a screenshot. There was no post about Jessica.
I sent it to a couple more friends, just to double-check.
None of them could see the post at all.
Turns out Jessica set it so only Eric and I could see it.
Turns out, Jessica set it so only I could see it.
I snorted, deleted her, and blocked her.
Once I got the contract from Chloe, most of my anger melted away.
With just a week left before I headed overseas, there was no way I was going to spend it playing housemaid for Eric.
But when I got home to pack, I found the place was already a complete disaster.
Jessica was standing there, holding a plate of burnt chicken wings with a mischievous smile.
"Eric, you don't mind me wrecking the place, do you?" she teased.
Eric, who was usually a total neat freak, didn't even bat an eye.
"Don't worry, Melissa will take care of it," he said.
"It's all my fault. I just can't do housework," Jessica said, putting on a helpless act.
"Come on, you shouldn't have to do stuff like that anyway," Eric replied, not even caring.
I walked right past them and headed straight to the bedroom to pack.
Eric froze for a second.
Jessica set down the burnt wings and hurried after me, her voice sweet and nervous. "Melissa, I—"
I shoved her aside.
She went down hard, as if something had slammed into her, crashing straight to the floor.
"Jessica," Eric shouted.
Eric hurried to steady her, frowning at me. "Melissa, Jessica's here because of me. If you want to be mad, be mad at me."
I clenched my fists.
Not bothering with either of them, I just tossed all the junk onto the floor.
Some paperwork slipped out and landed right by Jessica's feet.
She picked it up and gave it a quick look.
Her eyes welled up with tears in an instant.
She tossed the paper aside and spun around to leave.
"Jessica," Eric shouted.
Eric grabbed her arm, but Jessica was already sobbing, trying to pull away.
"Let me go. You guys are already engaged," she sobbed.
I glanced down, my heart sinking.
It was our engagement contract.