Chapter 2

I didn't look back.

From this day forward, Antony's fate, whether he lived or died, married Jennifer or ended up alone, had nothing to do with me, Irene, anymore.

The engagement party disaster became a brutal spectacle, and for days, it was the talk of the town among the city's elite.

I became the "poor girl who got dumped."

Antony was really gone.

The next day, one of his friends sent me a photo.

At the airport, Antony was holding Jennifer, who was sobbing like her heart was breaking, his eyes filled with pity.

The caption read: [Finally got her to calm down. Wishing you a safe journey.]"

I deleted the photo without a second thought and blocked his friend.

For the next week, I locked myself away in my room.

It wasn't heartbreak. I just felt numb.

Antony and I had been dating for seven years, ever since college. Everyone thought we were a match made in heaven.

I believed it, too.

Until Jennifer became impossible to ignore.

She was the orphan of one of Antony's parents' old friends, taken in by the Kelsen family when she was little. She was always frail, sensitive, and emotionally unstable.

Antony would always say, "Jennifer grew up without much love, and her personality's a bit off. We just have to go easy on her."

So, whenever we had a date, Jennifer could just call, and Antony would ditch our plans for her with a single phone call.

Even on my birthday, when he had a surprise planned, Jennifer could make Antony bail on me just because she was "feeling down."

She'd even call him in the middle of the night, crying about a nightmare, and Antony would get dressed and rush over to their place to comfort her.

I did protest.

But every time, Antony dismissed me with the same old lines like "She's just a patient," or "She's my sister."

And Jennifer would always go to extremes, just to prove how much she "needed" him.

She'd stand on the rooftop and call me, her voice soft but tinged with bitterness. "Irene, is Antony mad at you because of me? Just tell him to stop worrying about me. I'm just a burden; maybe it'd be better if I was gone..."

And on the other end, I'd hear Antony shouting frantically in the background.

Every single time, I'd end up giving in.

I thought getting engaged would be a turning point. Once we were engaged, I believed he'd finally know where to draw the line.

Looking back now, I realize I was ridiculously naive.

In Antony's eyes, I was always the one he could sacrifice, the one he could put off, the one he expected to 'be understanding.'

But Jennifer was the one he felt responsible for, the one he couldn't stop caring about.

On the seventh day, Arthur unlocked the door and burst into my room, yanking open the curtains.

The sunlight was so harsh I couldn't even open my eyes.

"Irene! Enough already! How long are you going to keep punishing yourself over that jerk?"

I looked at his red eyes and slowly sat up.

"I'm fine," I said.

"You call this fine?" He pointed at the pile of takeout boxes littering the floor. "Look at the state you're in!"

I tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace, worse than crying.

"I just need a little time to sort things out," I said quietly.

"What's there to think about? A guy like that is not even worth the trash can. Even the garbage would be insulted!" he snapped.

I nodded. "Yeah, I've figured it out."

I got up, headed for the bathroom, and let the shower run.

The warm water poured over me, as if it could rinse away all the gloom and heaviness I'd been carrying these past few days.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, pale, empty-eyed, and told myself that's enough.

Seven years wasted on someone who wasn't worth it. I wasn't going to throw away any more of my life.

After my shower, I changed into fresh clothes and put on some light makeup.

Then I picked up my phone and started taking action.

I deleted every photo and update that had anything to do with Antony.

I left all the group chats we used to share.

I blocked his number, erased him from my contacts, and wiped him from every social app for good.

Arthur stood in the doorway, watching me. His anger slowly shifted to worry, and finally settled into gentle concern.

"Irene..." he said, his voice full of care.

"I'm really fine now," I said, walking over to hug him. "Honestly, I'm just hungry. Let's go grab something to eat."

That day, I ate a lot.

It felt like I was trying to make up for all the neglect I'd shown myself these past few days.

That night, my parents quietly came into my room, their faces full of worry.

My mom's eyes were swollen from crying. "Irene, if you're feeling sad, just let yourself cry. Don't keep it all bottled up."

My dad let out a heavy sigh. "This is on us. We never should've agreed to your relationship in the first place..."

I shook my head and held their hands.

"Dad, Mom, it's not your fault. I was blind. I trusted the wrong person," I said, taking a deep breath and trying to make my smile look real. "It's all over now. From this moment on, there's nothing left between Antony and me, not anymore."