Chapter 2

Three days went by, and Charles still hadn't heard a single word about me.

He started to feel something was off. Whenever we fought, no matter who was at fault, I was always the first to give in, because I hated the silent treatment. But this time, I had vanished without a trace.

He went to the study room I usually hung out in, but I was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until Friday afternoon that he finally spotted me in the café on the first floor of the library.

I was busy typing up my thesis on my laptop, and Andrew was sitting right next to me, holding an iced Americano. He leaned in, pointing at a line of data on the screen as we discussed it. We were so close that our arms nearly touched.

Charles's temper flared instantly. He strode over, pulled Andrew's chair back, and glared at me. "You blocked me for three days just so you could hang out with some other guy, laughing and having a good time?"

I stopped typing, closed my laptop, and looked at him calmly. "We're already over. Who I talk to has nothing to do with you."

"Break up? Did I ever agree to that?" Charles snapped, struggling to keep his anger in check, but the stares from everyone around made him feel humiliated.

"It was just a minute that night. Was it really worth blowing things up like this? I've already given you an out by coming here. Don't be ungrateful."

Watching him act so entitled, I suddenly realized how foolish I used to be.

"Charles, this isn't about a minute," I said, standing up and locking eyes with him. "It's about respect. You made me rush downstairs on your countdown, left me alone in the rain, and then showed off your so-called 'rules' online.

"You're not looking for a girlfriend. You just want a plaything to feed your ego and let you control it.

"If you think being late by even a second is unacceptable, then we might as well never see each other again."

I packed up my backpack and got ready to leave.

Charles suddenly reached out to grab my wrist, but Andrew intercepted him, stopping Charles with a firm hand.

Andrew didn't get angry. Instead, he spoke in a gentle and innocent tone, "Charles, this is the library. Everyone's here to study. If you want to vent, maybe you should take it outside.

"Zoe has already made it quite clear just now. If you keep pushing, you're only making things harder for her."

"Who the hell do you think you are? You think you get to speak up here?" Charles snapped, pointing a finger right in Andrew's face.

Andrew let out a sigh and took my backpack. "I'm nobody. I just can't stand seeing someone treat a girl like this. Charles, relationships are supposed to be equal—not some tool for you to test compliance."

By now, some students had already started recording with their phones, whispering to each other.

Charles, who cared most about his reputation, saw things getting out of hand. His face turned grim as he pointed at me. "Fine, you've got guts. Don't come crawling back to me when you regret it."

With that, he spun around and stormed out of the café.

Charles's POV

Charles's Porsche 718 had barely made it 0.3 miles from Zoe's dorm when he rolled down the window, letting the cold wind rush in.

The passenger seat suddenly shifted upright from someone in the back. A girl in a slip dress, draped in Charles's jacket, leaned forward from the rear seat.

Then, with a sweet, flirty tone, she casually reached over to raise the window halfway. "Charles, don't let the wind make you sick. Why are you so mad? Didn't Zoe come down?"

Her name was Summer Linwood, an art major who'd gotten Charles's contact info after a recent club mixer.

Charles tugged at his collar, clearly annoyed. "Don't even mention her. Dating her is like serving a queen. If I'm even a second late, it's a huge deal. And now she's putting on airs and blocking me."

Summer giggled, her fingers brushing lightly over the back of Charles's hand on the steering wheel. "Zoe is really not considerate.

"Today's your one-year anniversary, and you booked a fancy restaurant that costs 600 dollars per person. She doesn't appreciate you at all. If it were me, I'd be downstairs waiting for you half an hour early."

Her words stroked Charles's ego, instantly soothing the frustration he'd felt from being blocked.

He shot Summer a glance, his gaze drifting down to her flawless collarbone, and his voice took on a teasing, flirtatious edge. "Oh yeah? Maybe I should take you out for that fancy dinner tonight instead."

"For real? But what if Zoe finds out? Won't she be pissed?" Summer bit her lip, feigning innocence.

"Does she have the right to be pissed?" Charles scoffed, his eyes flashing with contempt and frustration. "We've been together for a whole year, and even holding hands or kissing feels like some kind of chore.

"I tried to take her to a hotel to have some fun, and she went off about 'no sex before marriage' and wouldn't even let me do anything intimate.

"Seriously, who does she think she is, putting on that holier-than-thou act? Like she's too good for everyone else."

In Charles's spoiled-trust-fund-kid logic, just because he spent months chasing after Zoe—putting in time, effort, and even swallowing his pride—she was supposed to lay her heart bare and be completely loyal to him.

But Zoe stuck to her boundaries, and Charles's whole "couldn't get what he wanted" frustration just twisted into resentment and contempt for Zoe.

"Totally," Summer chimed in, sliding into the passenger seat and leaning in close to Charles. "Who dates like that? Charles, you've got everything going for you. Any girl would be lucky to have you. Why let her treat you like that?"

The vibe in the car turned unmistakably flirty, and Charles pushed all thoughts of Zoe out of his mind. He slammed the gas pedal and sped straight toward the restaurant.

To him, Zoe was just some stiff, dull, old-fashioned girl—good grades, but zero excitement. He figured if he left Zoe hanging for a few days, then transferred her some money or bought her a designer bag, she'd give in just like always.

Zoe had no clue there was another girl in Charles's car, but honestly, it didn't matter to her. The moment she blocked him, she started erasing everything about the past year from her life.