Chapter 2

After a long time, my phone finally pinged with a message.

Callum: [Get to Prism Nights now.]

Prism Nights was the city's biggest entertainment club, where people from all walks of life gathered. It boasted endless ways to have fun, and nobody judging what anyone did or who they were with.

It was also where Callum and Erica first crossed paths.

I didn't like that place at all, so I set my phone down and tried to pretend I never saw the message.

But then, another text popped up.

Callum: [If you're not here within an hour, you're grounded for life.]

Callum knew I was planning to go out tomorrow, and now he was turning that against me.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to go.

When I pushed open the door to the private room, everyone burst out cheering.

"Forty-two minutes. Callum said you'd get here in thirty, so he lost this round. Erica takes the win," someone called out.

"That's the eighteenth time Callum lost tonight. Is he losing on purpose or what?" another teased.

"Callum's just spoiling Erica rotten," someone else chimed in.

Callum glanced over at the door, excitement flickering in his eyes, but he didn't say a thing to me.

Instead, he turned and wrapped his arm around Erica, pulling her in for a searing kiss.

Some of the pricey bottles on the table crashed onto the floor, but Callum and Erica were too wrapped up in each other to care.

When they finally broke apart, a thin, glistening strand of saliva clung between their lips.

The crowd nearly blew the roof off with their uproar.

I felt a wave of nausea hit me and almost bolted out of the room.

But before I could take another step, a voice called out to stop me.

"Wendy, get over here." Callum's voice cut through the noise.

Fighting back my urge to gag, I walked over, and Callum tugged me straight onto his lap.

He grabbed my cheek and scolded playfully, "That was just a punishment for the game—don't go getting all jealous. You took forever to get here. That's on you. If anyone's to blame for me losing the bet, it's definitely you."

I apologized out of instinct, "Sorry."

A guy nearby let out a low whistle. "Wendy's such a good girl. Callum messes around however he wants and she never says a word. Man, that's exactly the kind of girlfriend I need."

Callum waved him off carelessly. "Trust me, being too obedient is just dull."

"Then I want someone like Erica—she knows how to party. She's got a wild side," the guy fired back.

"Only if you're not afraid of a little pain," Callum shot back with a grin.

He cocked his head on purpose, flashing a fresh bite mark on his neck.

The tipsy Erica giggled, "Quit pretending. Wasn't it you last night begging me to go harder? Said it doesn't feel good unless it hurts."

Callum rolled his eyes and tossed a banana her way. "Try working on your skills, will ya?"

They just kept sparring with each other like I was invisible.

Everyone watched, their gazes sharp as daggers. It felt suffocating.

I clenched my shirt and whispered, "Can I go home? I'm really tired."

Callum looked a little surprised, like he'd just remembered I was still there.

He rubbed his nose and casually waved over a waiter to get me out of there.

But Erica wasn't having it.

"Wendy hardly ever comes out—let's make a bet and have some fun," she said.

I instinctively wanted to refuse.

But Callum answered for me. "Sure, why not? You think she's scared of you?"

Erica immediately pulled out a pair of dice, leaving me no way out.

"Let's keep it simple—highest roll wins," she said. "The winner gets to ask the loser for anything they want."

There was a sly glint in her eyes that made me uneasy.

Callum squeezed my shoulder, his voice easygoing as he reassured me. "Chill out—Erica only ever wants bags and jewelry. If you lose, just let her pick whatever she wants from your storage room. It's not a big deal."

I never gave a damn about that stuff anyway, so whatever.

Hoping luck would be on my side, I nodded.

The dice clattered in Erica's cup for a tense ten seconds before she slammed it down hard on the table.

"I'm betting big!" Erica called out.

So I picked small.

In the end, I lost.

Erica didn't waste a second. She reached out with a hand and said, "Wendy, that necklace of yours is really pretty. I want it."

I froze, clutching the pendant at my chest, taking a step back.

"No way. You can't have this," I said.

Erica's face clouded over. "What, can't handle losing? Ever heard of sportsmanship?"

After she called me out, dozens of scornful stares cut right through me.

I rushed to explain, "This necklace belonged to my mom. I really can't give it away. Pick anything else—there's millions in jewelry at home. You can take whatever you want except this."

My parents didn't leave me much, and after a bunch of moves, most of it got lost along the way.

The pendant was all I had left.

I couldn't lose it, no matter what.

Erica scoffed, "You should've said no before. Too late now. The bet's set in stone—no give-backs. I want it, so hand it over. If you start breaking the rules now, nobody's gonna want to play with you anymore."

She was relentless, refusing to back down.

I could only look to Callum for help.

He knew how much this necklace meant to me. He wouldn't just stand by, would he?

But Callum just said coldly, "Wendy, take off the necklace."

I just stood there, stunned, all the strength draining out of me.

Erica couldn't wait—she lunged forward for her trophy.

She jerked the necklace hard, scraping my neck and leaving beads of blood behind.

I stared at Callum, like I couldn't even feel it anymore.

Callum stayed ice-cold, like it was even worth reacting to. "Whatever, you can just win it back next time, so—"

He didn't even get to finish, because suddenly, a harsh crack rang out from the floor.

"Whoops, looks like I slipped. Guess this cheap thing couldn't handle a drop—just shattered everywhere. Damn, it's ugly now," Erica sneered.

She strutted right through the broken pieces, making a point to kick the shards aside before leaving.

The room fell into a suffocating silence. Stiff and numb, I knelt down, hands trembling, desperately picking up the fragments on the ground.

The last shard ended up right by Callum's feet.

He bent down to help, but I shouted, my voice sharp and cold, "Get lost!"

Callum was always used to being the center of everyone's world. Now, facing my rejection, even if a flicker of guilt flashed across his face, it vanished instantly.

His tone went ice-cold. "Wendy, quit acting out. There's a line, you know."

Without so much as a glance at him, I bundled the shattered pieces into my handkerchief, then walked straight out.

A huge crash rang out behind me—something just got kicked across the room.

The air was so tense, one could almost hear it crackling.

Somebody tried to play peacemaker. "Callum, maybe you should go after Wendy. She looks really wrecked."

Callum just snorted, totally indifferent. "Forget about her. I've already divorced her. Whatever happens to her now is none of my concern.

"I've been too soft on her all these years, spoiled her so much she thinks she's the center of the universe. She expects everyone to cave to her, even dares to mess around and kill the mood for everyone. All this drama for that old necklace from her mom? Seriously? She's nuts.

"Let her go if she wants. Just wait and see—she's got no parents, no friends, and I'm her only savior. Three days tops, and she'll shamelessly come crawling back, begging me for forgiveness."

He said a lot of harsh things, but I never looked back, nor did I shed a tear.

This time, Callum and I were truly done.