Chapter 2

He could leave his wife stranded in a riot overseas, but he made sure to bring his precious little freshman home early, and even let Cara move right into our place.

"Miranda, Cara's still young and doesn't have much experience in the real world. I was just worried about her being out there alone," Leon explained.

"Really? And what about me? Did you ever think about what I might have to deal with when you left me all alone in Eastland?" I fired back.

That question left him completely speechless.

"The apartment we rented was really safe. What could happen? Besides..." Leon paused. "You made it back in one piece, didn't you?"

In one piece, huh?

How ironic. After barely making it back alive, all he could say was that I was "in one piece."

Suddenly, I didn't even want to argue with him anymore.

As I turned to leave, Leon suddenly grabbed my arm. His grip was both apologetic and comforting. "It won't happen again. You've had a long trip. Let me get the hot water running. So, you can go soak and unwind."

I gave him a faint smile and shrugged him off. "No need to bother. Sorry for crashing your little party."

"Miranda." Leon's brows drew together in a deep frown. "Don't be childish."

As the tension in the room kept building, Cara spoke up, "Miranda, Leon, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have caused you any trouble. I'll move out right away. Please don't let me ruin things between you."

With tears in her eyes, she rushed off to the guest room to pack her things.

She looked like she'd just been dealt the biggest injustice ever.

Leon and I were locked in a tense standoff in the living room, neither of us willing to budge.

"She's just a young girl. Why are you getting worked up over her? What if something happens to her out there?" Leon argued.

I pulled a bitter, twisted smile. "If you're that worried, why don't you go and play the hero for her?"

When Cara came out with her suitcase, Leon jumped up and grabbed her bags for her. "I'll help her find a hotel. I'll be back soon."

With that, he slammed the door and walked out.

Once again, Leon left me behind for someone else.

I should've been mad, but honestly, I just felt weirdly calm.

All those years of his cold shoulder had pretty much killed whatever I used to feel for him.

Even watching him show his bias right in front of me didn't even faze me anymore.

I slumped onto the couch and fixed myself a glass of water, but my injured right arm just wouldn't cooperate.

The wound kept aching, and the quiet late night seemed to make the pain get worse.

Every stab of pain brought me right back to that day and how lost and terrified I had been.

Leon didn't come back until the dead of night.

The moment when he draped his jacket over me, I was startled awake by his touch.

Even though I was back home, the trauma from before still haunted me.

Even in my sleep, I couldn't let my guard down.

When he saw me startled awake, he simply sat down beside me. "Why aren't you sleeping in the bedroom?"

"Just didn't feel like moving," I muttered.

I brushed off the jacket Leon had put on me.

Because it smelled like Cara's perfume.

Just catching a whiff was enough to tell how cozy they'd gotten.

It was enough to make me gag.

Leon bent down to pick up the jacket, shooting me a look that was a little fed up. "Leaving you over there was on me, but you really shouldn't go blaming Cara or making a fuss about me and her."

"Okay," I replied, my voice flat.

He said, "Miranda, I get that you're upset, but don't blow this out of proportion. Cara and I are just in the same group. And since you're back, why didn't you let me know? You had me so worried."

Really? If he actually worried about me, he wouldn't have left me stranded in Eastland for days. He didn't even bother to call or text.

If this were the old me, maybe I'd let his gentle words smooth things over.

But the second I saw Cara in my house, it finally hit me that he really never gave a damn about me.

If he wanted to, he knew exactly how to look after someone and how to keep her safe.

From the very start, I was always the one running after Leon.

I had my heart set on him, convinced that whatever I did to win him over was totally worth it.

In this one-sided relationship, he was always up on his pedestal, and I was just the one scrambling to win his approval.

I did everything I could. I even used my family's influence and resources to help Leon study abroad, and stuck around overseas just to take care of him.

That made my parents so mad that my dad cut me off.

Later, when Leon proposed, I really believed my love and devotion had finally gotten through to him.

But even after we got married, he stayed as cold as before.

"I'm sorry that I left you there, but something came up and I had to fly back right away. Cara only came with me because of that," Leon explained.

"Oh, whatever," I replied, my voice flat.

"Miranda, what's with the attitude?" Leon demanded, irritation clear in his voice.

My shoulder throbbed as I rubbed it, too exhausted in both body and mind to argue with him anymore.

"Sorry, it's late. I'm just too tired," I muttered.

Maybe I was just too much of a pushover before, so he thought he could get away with anything.

He probably thought he could just throw out some weak explanation and I'd sweep it under the rug, like always.

But now, I didn't want to hear another word of Leon's excuses.

I ignored him, headed straight to my room, and locked the door, shutting him out completely.