Chapter 3

Lucas and I spent two hazy days holed up in a hotel. He was young, the kind who threw himself into everything, feelings included. On the third day, I told him the truth about Sam and let him decide for himself whether he still wanted to be with me.

He was completely stunned. "So you never really liked Henry. Then if you get with me, can you really promise you'll come to like me for real?"

"I'll do my best." I ran a hand over his abs, my tone lazy.

He stayed quiet for a long time, then finally said in a low voice, "I'm still young. I can wait."

We clung to each other a little longer. That evening, after tidying up, we went out for dinner. It was peak dinnertime. We'd just finished ordering when Henry walked in with Emily Foster, and the second he saw me, his eyes tightened.

Then he quickly looked away and grabbed Emily's hand. "Let's go somewhere else. I'm tired of eating here."

Emily looked puzzled. "Weren't you the one who said this place was good and insisted on bringing me?"

Right then, a server came over with our dishes. "Ma'am, here's your couple's set."

"They have a couple's set here?" Emily clutched Henry's hand and looked over curiously.

Our eyes met, and she paused. "Henry, isn't that Claire Linwood? Your admirer?" She tugged at his sleeve, sounding weirdly excited. "Didn't expect to run into her here. Let's join them."

As she spoke, she dragged a reluctant Henry over and sat down without the slightest hesitation. "You're Claire Linwood, right? I'm not mistaken, am I?"

I looked at her, my tone flat. "You know me?"

"Your pictures have been all over our group chat." She covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "I heard you're crazy about Henry, always trailing after him. That's what people here call a simp, right? Sorry, I just got back, so I'm still learning the slang."

The mood at the table instantly turned awkward. I looked at Henry. His expression was ugly, but he silently went along with what Emily said and didn't speak up.

Lucas, on the other hand, spoke in an even tone. "Not really. She wasn't that into him."

Only then did Emily notice the man sitting beside me. She stared at Lucas for a long time, then widened her eyes. "Oh my God, you couldn't get Henry, so you found yourself a Henry look-alike?"

Then she nudged Henry affectionately with her elbow. "Henry, look. That guy really does look like you."

Henry's gaze darkened. "His name is Lucas Reed. He's my cousin."

Disappointment flashed across Emily's eyes, and she gave a stiff little laugh. "Oh, so he's your cousin. I thought he was Claire's new boyfriend."

"He is my boyfriend." I smiled openly, nothing like the doormat I'd been before, as if Emily and I were close friends. "He's only twenty-two. Young, right? Full of energy too."

Emily looked like she'd seen a ghost, and all her snide remarks died in her throat. Henry's face went dark, and he shot me a warning look. I pretended not to see it, and he lowered his head with a grim expression and started typing on his phone.

A moment later, my WhatsApp pinged. His message was short and blunt: [We only started dating two days ago. If you don't want me breaking up with you, behave.]

He was probably too used to my obedience, too used to being the only person in my eyes. If this had happened before, I would've apologized right away and promised never to do it again. But this time, I just put my phone away and spoke loudly enough for everyone at the table to hear.

"Miss Foster, from this moment on, I don't like Henry Shaw anymore. Let your friends know for me. From now on, they can stop talking about me."