Chapter 2

That afternoon, Dylan took me shopping at the most exclusive mall in town.

He was rarely this interested, telling me to try on the latest seasonal dresses and designer jewelry.

He lounged on the sofa, watching me seriously, sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning, judging whether the clothes and jewelry looked good on me.

In the end, he picked out a few outfits and a set of sapphire jewelry.

But instead of handing them to me, he gave them to his assistant and told her to have them packed up.

The salespeople around us gave me looks of pity and contempt.

In that instant, it all clicked.

He was using my body to pick out outfits for his dream girl, the one who was about to return home.

I was just his human mannequin.

I lowered my eyes, hiding the mockery in my gaze.

Maybe because I'd behaved myself all afternoon, Dylan just picked out a random necklace for me.

But it was nothing compared to the expensive one he chose for Kayla Emerson.

I couldn't help but wonder how much I could pawn it for.

Back at the villa, Dylan gave my head a gentle pat, pretending to be affectionate, and said, "You did well today. I've got a business dinner tonight, so I won't be back."

I made sure to look a little reluctant and kissed him.

This time, he didn't push me away. He kissed me back.

"Get whatever you want, eat wherever you like. Just put it on the card," he said. "Good girl."

After he left, I scrubbed my lips furiously, pulled up my favorite shopping site, and went on a wild spree, placing orders like there was no tomorrow.

That jerk had better pay for all the mental trauma.

I tallied up every transaction. My account was looking seriously stacked.

I started getting my visa paperwork together.

Days just drifted by, nothing special, until finally. It was the day before Kayla was coming back.

Dylan came home early that day, ordered me to stand in the living room, and gave me a thorough once-over.

He announced, "Tomorrow, you're coming with me to pick up a friend."

"Who is it? Dylan, why are you making such a big deal out of this?" I asked.

I played innocent, acting like I had no idea what he was talking about.

"It's not important," he replied.

I instantly got what he was up to.

He wanted to use me, his girlfriend, just to mess with Kayla and push her to admit how she really felt.

I just went along with it, playing the obedient girlfriend.

When he saw me play the perfect obedient girlfriend, whatever little guilt Dylan had left started to crack again.

He waved his hand like he was tossing me a bone, wrote out a check, and handed it over. "Go buy yourself something you like," he said.

I clutched the check, my fingers shook, like I was barely holding it together from all the 'sadness.'

But inside, I was screaming with joy. Score, Everything was going according to plan.

The next day, Dylan took me to Kayla's homecoming dinner.

I dressed to kill, and even Dylan did a double-take when he saw me.

But the moment Kayla showed up, he only had eyes for her. I didn't even exist in his world anymore.

I was just a shadow, quietly following behind him, completely invisible.

The guests around us looked at me with either sympathy or ridicule.

I ignored them all.

Kayla looked me over, curious, and asked softly, "Dylan, who's this?"

Dylan, as if he'd only just remembered I existed, reached out, pulled me close, and announced loud and clear, "This is my girlfriend, Kylie Lennon."

I leaned into his arms, playing along.

But I could feel Dylan's hand trembling just a little as he held me.

Kayla's eyes went watery for a second, but she still put on a graceful smile and greeted me warmly.

"Dylan, how come you never told me you were dating someone?" she asked. "You know, she really does look a bit like me."

"But Dylan, weren't you used to hating this kind of glam look? You always said I looked best in plain colors. Looks like your taste has changed a lot these past few years," she said.

With just one casual remark, she basically branded me as tacky and nothing more than her knockoff.

I kept a polite smile plastered on my face, totally unfazed inside.

I was just cashing in on this gig. Once I was living overseas, there would be no shortage of ways to spend the money.