Chapter 3

I crashed on the couch all night.

When I woke up, Alex handed me a peeled egg.

"You drank so much last night. Why don't you call in sick and just rest at home today?" he said.

Whenever we fought, he'd always try to cheer me up with his clumsy, awkward concern.

I'd been moved by it more times than I could count.

But today, I saw him arranging sandwiches and a rose on another tray.

Alex noticed where I was looking, frowned, and explained.

"Jessica's picky about food. She specifically asked for my homemade sandwiches yesterday," he said.

He paused. "She said she really misses the days when the three of us were together in college."

I forced a smile.

Honestly, Jessica probably wasn't missing me at all.

Back in college, Jessica was the only one who knew about my relationship with Alex.

She knew Alex didn't want to go public, so she always covered for us.

Whenever I brought Alex water at his basketball games, she'd insist on passing it to him herself.

When I wanted a limited-edition plushie from a coffee chain's promo, she took my place and went with Alex as the couple.

Any time I felt she had crossed a line, Alex would sweep that reproachful look over me.

"Jessica's only helping us out because you're her bestie," he'd say.

"She's not like you. She's got a boyfriend, she's super popular, so you don't need to sweat the small stuff," he'd add.

So I just kept acting like I didn't see how tight they were.

But the day before we took our graduation photos, it turned out Jessica never had a boyfriend at all.

She broke down in tears, admitting she liked Alex too, but she never wanted to compete with me for him.

"If I really wanted to take him, Alex would never have chosen someone like you in the first place," she said.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Jessica came out, rubbing her eyes.

She was wearing Alex's shirt, and it barely covered the tops of her legs.

Alex walked over with the tray, his voice raspy.

"Why are you out here dressed like that?" he asked.

Jessica whined, saying she was still tipsy and asked him to carry her.

Alex didn't say a word, but his cheeks turned red, totally exposing his feelings.

I said I was heading to work.

No one turned around, and nobody replied.

I repeated, "Alex, let's break up."

Still, silence.

I looked away, barely managing a bitter smile.

When I got to work, the colleague who sits next to me pulled me aside, acting all mysterious.

"Did you hear? Mr. Rivers just dropped the news last night, and he brought in a brand new director," she whispered.

I looked up, totally stunned.

Back when I first graduated, I was working nonstop, even spending my own money to travel for work.

When the director spot opened up, everyone voted for me to be the candidate.

But Alex handed the job to some old-timer at the company instead.

He said, "You're still young, and if I promote you this fast, people will start asking what's going on between us.

"Just hang on a little longer."

So I ended up waiting six more years.

The old guy finally decided to move back home, and the spot opened up again.

This time, everyone, including Alex, just assumed I'd be the new director.

Alex even had a custom medal made for me, pulling me close as he showed it off.

"For Ms. Summers, in recognition of her years of dedication to the company," he said.

I heard my own voice, distant and shaky, ask, "Who's the new director?"

My coworker was practically bouncing with excitement. "Her name's Jessica Frost. Word is, she's Mr. Rivers' first love.

"Isn't this favoritism or what?"

I couldn't say a word. I just bit down hard on my lip, fighting back the tears.

A cold voice cut in, "Who gave you permission to gossip during work hours?

"You two just lost your monthly bonuses."

Alex announced the punishment with a blank face, then turned to me.

"You're coming with me to help the new director tidy up her office," he said.

I wanted to confront him, but the words caught in my throat, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Alex tugged my hand and dragged me into the room.

Alex smirked at me, but I couldn't even manage a smile.

When he finally let go, I staggered back, cold sweat breaking out all over me.

I asked, "Why?"

He looked me up and down and then dropped a single line on me.

"Jessica only asked me for one thing after she heard we'd gotten back together. She wanted me to help her find a job.

"As a way of making it up to her for breaking your promise, giving her the director's position is the least you can do."

Just like that, with a single offhand remark, he erased six years of my hard work.

My eyes were red, and my smile tasted like pure bitterness.

"If I'd asked you not to break your promise, would you have let me keep my chance at a promotion?" I asked.