Chapter 3
When I saw Devin's eyes, I felt a little guilty for no reason.
I tried to act cool and pointed at the watch. "I can't believe you still have it. I thought you'd ditched it long ago."
He said, "Of course, I kept it. It reminds me not to get played by women again, especially by ones like you, who are always smooth-talking and never telling the truth."
His comeback left me totally speechless.
Seeing me remain silent, Devin sneered. "I thought you'd been living it up. Guess your husband didn't treat you that well."
Husband? Come on.
"I don't have a husband. I'm single," I said.
He raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you come back? After all this time, why show up again? Don't you know a proper ex should stay silent and never reappear?"
He was getting more and more worked up.
He blamed me, calling me an irresponsible woman.
"What if I said I just can't get you out of my head?" I asked, trying to see how he'd react.
He sneered. "Meredith, who do you think you are? You walked out on me like it was nothing, and now, after all this time, you really think I'd still want you, huh?"
I really didn't have any hope.
After all, no one would wait years for someone who broke their heart.
I kept my head down and said nothing.
Devin sighed. "Meredith, after all these years, you're still the same. Whenever things get tough, you just go quiet and play the victim.
"I would have felt sorry for you five years ago, but now, I feel nothing."
I didn't blame him for being so hard on me.
Whatever my reasons for leaving, I still owed him.
Maybe I was dragging my feet with the plan because Lacey kept calling to push me to speed things up.
Lacey mentioned that Devin would be throwing a birthday party for Audrey a few days later, and told me to step up my game when the time came.
When the party started, Devin was nowhere to be found.
Instead, the first person I saw was Audrey.
I handed her a present I'd grabbed at the last minute.
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. It was very different from the calm, sweet version I saw at home.
Right now, she looked really aggressive.
Audrey said in a mocking tone, "Ms. Mann, you really are beautiful. No wonder Devin fell for you."
Well, I didn't expect Devin's girl to be such a sharp one.
However, I was never exactly a saint myself.
I smiled sweetly. "Ms. Rogers, you flattered me. Beauty is the least of my many merits."
I looked her up and down, matching her mocking tone. "Honestly, I never thought Devin's taste would stay the same. No matter how many times he switches, he always goes for the same kind."
Audrey's face darkened.
As we looked at each other, smirking but clearly not friendly, Devin showed up.
I had no idea if he had overheard our conversation.
He stared at me intently. "Of course, I'm nothing like those people who keep falling for different men."
People around us started to notice something was off, and they kept whispering in low voices.
Audrey stopped the joke to avoid causing any problems.
She shook the gift box in her hand. "Let's see what Ms. Mann decided to gift me."
I watched her unwrap the gift with a big smile, and couldn't help but smirk.
She'd be really surprised.
The moment Audrey opened the box, her smile froze.
Inside were every photo of Devin and me from our dating days.
I saw Audrey's face turn pale.
Just as she was about to slam the lid shut, someone, nosy as ever, grabbed the box and insisted on taking a good look.
And just like that, all the evidence of Devin and me being together was laid bare in front of everyone.
"Whoa, Audrey looks so much like Meredith."
"So, is Audrey just Meredith's substitute?"
"Wait, could this really be the classic one-true-love and substitute situation?"
"Man, that's insane. Now that the one-true-love has returned, then the substitute—"
The crowd was buzzing with gossip, and Audrey was so furious that she nearly passed out.
Devin tried to help her, but I got there first.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Be smart and step away from Devin. I know what you're up to."
I wasn't just trying to scare her.
Over the past few days, my investigation revealed that Audrey had previously been someone's mistress.
Her whole plan was to cozy up to these power players and get them to hook her up with resources.
She wasn't content being a minor influencer; her ultimate goal was to break into the entertainment industry.
Lately, thanks to Devin's connections, a bunch of directors had already started sending offers her way.
Devin stayed quiet the whole time, acting like it didn't concern him at all.
However, after the party, he dragged me into a room. "You really haven't forgotten me, have you?"