Chapter 2
After all, I'd been dating Nelson for three years. Not that he was ever mean to me or anything, but even when we went out together, he was always so distant and cold.
We never went public with our relationship.
Ethan suddenly fell silent and looked away.
"Because... because I once saw him working on a bracelet," he said.
I paused, surprised.
Ethan continued, "Every day after work, he'd go to that jewellery shop and sit there for hours under the warm lamp. I saw you wearing it once after that."
My memories felt kind of hazy, like they were drifting away.
Did that really happen? The bracelet? I couldn't really remember.
Nelson had given me plenty of gifts, but every time, it was always for a reason, always drawing a clear line between us.
I ordered him a cake yesterday, and he returned the favor with a pair of earrings.
The day before yesterday, I picked him up when he was drunk in the middle of a downpour, and he gave me a necklace set.
But most of the time, he'd just tell his assistant to grab something and leave it quietly on my nightstand.
The gifts weren't cheap, but they weren't special either.
Only when he was about to fly to Jeudtol to see Erica Cain would he actually scroll through his phone and carefully pick something out himself, even though he was swamped with work.
When I didn't say anything, Ethan looked a little jealous.
"He's just pretending. I treat you way better than he ever does, and he hardly even comes to see you anymore!" Ethan said.
"Yeah," I replied absently.
As we walked along, he suddenly spotted a claw machine.
His eyes lit up. "Amber, which one do you want?"
I really wanted to just tell him the truth. He was just so nice to me, and lying to him was never my intention.
But watching him, totally focused on grabbing a toy for me, something weird flickered in my chest.
I muttered, "Just don't regret it later."
He didn't hear me. Instead, he dug out a plush bunny from the pile and shoved it into my arms.
"Don't worry. I have skills. I'm not gonna regret dropping a few tokens on this," he said with a confident grin.
A month later, I went on a business trip to Esmela and snagged a small project, scoring some extra cash.
Come to think of it, I only got that chance because Ethan promoted me.
When I got back, it was snowing in Furvine too. Ethan was waiting for me downstairs, hands tucked in his pockets for warmth.
I gave him a scarf I'd knitted myself. He lit up with happiness.
"There's a dinner party coming up. I need a date," he said.
I replied, "Sure."
I didn't think much of it and just tagged along behind Ethan.
I tasted a delicious dessert and, without thinking, offered him a bite. "Want to try..."
Before I could finish, Nelson walked in through the door.
We locked eyes.
Ethan was clearly surprised to see Nelson show up, but he quickly slipped his hand into mine, making it obvious.
"Thanks, Amber," he said with a playful smirk.
I just looked down and let him hold my hand.
It was not like Nelson would care anyway.
But Nelson just stood there for a long time. His gaze was burning, which caused my cheeks to grow warm under his stare.
Someone asked, "Mr. Morton, there are seats inside. Why are you standing by the door?"
Ethan stepped in front of me, wearing a smug grin that made you want to punch him.
"Amber, let me put your coat on. Don't let some sleazy guy take advantage of you," he said.
He was obviously trying to rile Nelson up.
Just then, a lively female voice rang out from the doorway. "Nelson! Wait for me!"
A gorgeous, stylish girl dashed in on her high heels.
"What's wrong? Getting all shy now that you said you wanted to marry me?" she teased.
Everyone froze for a second, then started to make a fuss.
"Whoa, you two are really rushing things now that you're back? No wonder Mr. Morton's been hustling non-stop these past few years," someone joked.
"Obviously! She's the girl he's been pining for! Just think of all those plane tickets he's bought over the years to see her," someone else piped up.
Nelson's gaze stayed cool and distant. His face gave nothing away.
Erica's cheeks flushed as she casually linked her arm with his.
I couldn't believe she was back in town. It was quite a surprise.
I was just here for the drama, munching on the gossip.
Then, Ethan shot me a look, then glanced at Erica, clearly puzzled.
"Who's this?" he asked.
My heart skipped a beat.
Someone leaned over and whispered, "Dude, that's Mr. Morton's longtime crush. He's been secretly into her forever."
"She just got back, so it's totally normal you wouldn't know, Mr. Randall..."
"Sorry, I have a girlfriend," Nelson said.
No one expected Nelson to speak up.
He corrected them so calmly, like he was just talking about the weather.
The whole room went silent, and everyone's eyes turned to his wrist.
There was a cute pink hair tie on it.
I stared for a while, honestly having no clue what he meant by that.
Back then, I'd whined and asked him to wear it, but he just rubbed his forehead and said, "Are you still a kid?"
Besides, we broke up a long time ago.
Erica's smile faltered, and she quickly slipped her arm away from his.
She'd never met me, but she knew Nelson had a girlfriend before.
"Sorry, you never mentioned your girl to me. I just figured you two were ancient history," she said.
In the silence, Nelson walked right past me, cool as ever, as if nothing fazed him.
He locked eyes with Ethan, then broke into a sudden smile.
But he was talking to everyone in the room. "Since this is a dinner party, let's all go inside and take a seat."
He was the youngest and hottest tech star in the room, and no matter what people chatted about, the spotlight always found its way back to Nelson.