Chapter 2

He said, "Jayda's hands down the smartest girl I've ever met. She catches on in a flash.

"We ran into a real headache of a case today, but Jayda pointed out a law that totally saved our skin."

Back then, Brandon would never get tired of telling me about all the interesting cases and legal stuff. He always said it was his way of making sure his family knew their rights.

But ever since Jayda came into the picture, his go-to lines changed.

He'd say, "Honestly, you wouldn't get it anyway."

Or, he would tell me, "If only you were as sharp as Jayda."

After that, we barely talked anymore, and he was constantly texting Jayda, glued to his phone all day.

At first, I tried to comfort myself. After all, I didn't really get his work stuff anyway.

Jayda was his assistant, so of course, they had to keep in touch all the time.

But then I realized, at some point, Jayda had become his pinned chat.

Just like that, she silently slipped into my place before I even noticed.

By morning, the storm had passed, and the sun was shining outside.

But no matter how clear the sky looked, the storm left its mark. Just like us, there was no way we could ever get back to what we had.

When I got home the next night, Brandon was rarely home, but tonight he'd gone all out and cooked a feast.

"Iris, you're back. Go wash up and eat. I made all your favorites," he said, trying to sound cheerful.

I just stared coldly at the table, set with beef stew, vegetable salad, and chicken soup.

If this had been before, I would've run over, hugged him, and kissed him without a second thought.

But this time, I didn't feel like eating at all.

"Iris, are you still mad at me?" Brandon said.

He walked over and took my hand, his tone full of caution as he tried to please me.

"It's my fault. It got really late last night, and Jayda was hurt, so I didn't come home," he explained.

"I just crashed on her couch for a while, I swear. We're just colleagues, nothing else," he said quickly, trying to reassure me.

I looked up into his tender gaze, but all I could think was that he must look at Jayda just like this, too.

"I just think she's talented, and she's working so hard all by herself in this city, so I just try to help her out when I can," he said.

"If it makes you unhappy, I won't do that again," he promised, almost apologetically.

Before he could finish, his phone started ringing.

He glanced at his phone and let go of my hand.

"Hey, what happened?" he answered.

"Mr. Caldwell, I accidentally spilled water everywhere, and all the case files are soaked. What should I do?" Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.

"Don't stress. I'll be right there," Brandon said, his voice full of concern.

He grabbed his jacket and bolted out the door. Just before leaving, he shot me a quick look and tossed over his shoulder, "Iris, wait for me. Let me explain when I get back."

Watching his silhouette fade away down the hallway, my heart was completely numb. There wasn't even a hint of emotion left inside me.

From the moment he left, I knew we were truly done for good.

I blocked his number, packed up my things, and moved out that very night, leaving behind the place we'd called home for five years.

I took some time off work and headed back to my hometown.

When my parents saw me show up alone, they immediately asked where Brandon was.

"He's got a few big cases to handle right now, so he couldn't make it," I said, trying to sound casual.

I did my best to keep my emotions in check, pretending nothing was wrong. I didn't want them to worry about me.

All these years, no matter how packed his schedule was, Brandon always made sure to come with me whenever I visited my family back home. He'd always say, "You've already given up so much to marry me and moved so far away. I can't let you go back alone."

The day after I got home, it happened to be Christmas.

He used to say he wanted to spend every holiday with me.

I checked my phone and saw a post from someone at his firm about their team dinner.

In the photo, he and Jayda were sitting really close, and the way he looked at her was so soft and full of tenderness.

Out of nowhere, memories of our first two years together came flooding back.

Back then, I told him to focus on his work and leave all the money stuff to me.

By day, I was grinding as an intern reporter at the paper. By night, I hustled to write articles to keep us afloat. I was so sleep-deprived once that I literally collapsed on the sidewalk during an interview.

Brandon rushed to the hospital, and when he saw me lying there, his eyes filled with tears.

"Iris, I promise I'll make you the happiest woman on earth," he said, voice trembling with emotion.

But all that love and loyalty we once shared, over time, it just lost its weight, like it didn't matter anymore.

And now, I wasn't the only one he had by his side.

When my break was over, I went back to my apartment.

As I stepped outside one morning, I spotted Brandon standing outside.

He looked worn out, with stubble on his face and exhaustion written all over him. But the moment he saw me, his eyes lit up.

"Iris," Brandon called out.

He hurried over and grabbed my hand.

"Since you blocked me, I tried to find you at work, but they told me you were on leave and had gone back to your hometown," Brandon said.

"I thought maybe you needed some time alone, so I gave you space. Now that you're back, can you forgive me?" he asked, hope flickering in his voice.

I pulled my hand away and shot him a cold look.

"Forgive you for what? Is there even anything between us anymore?" I said, my voice flat and distant.