Chapter 3

She was thrilled for me, but after a moment of silence, she asked, "What about Eric? Did he agree to you going abroad?"

I let out a soft laugh and replied, "No, he doesn't need to know. This time, I'm going alone."

Once I finished handing over my responsibilities at the dance troupe, I started sorting out all the paperwork I'd need to go overseas.

My parents are divorced, and in my home country, aside from a few childhood friends, Eric is the only person I really have.

Back then, I used to believe that as long as Eric was there, that place was home.

But now, I don't have a home anymore.

I'm like a piece of floating weed; wherever I drift, that becomes my home.

When I got home, Eric was just about to head out.

He was dressed in a sharp suit, with a dark green tie that made him look especially confident.

When I saw the birthday cake in his hand, it all made sense to me.

Today was Emily's birthday, and Eric was going to celebrate her birthday.

He was on the phone, sounding really excited. He said, "Alright, stop guessing. If I told you what the gift is, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. Just wait for me, I'll be there soon."

Whatever Emily said on the other end made Eric crack up, showing off his sharp canine teeth.

That simple smile of his was something I rarely got to see.

He was all smiles, but as soon as he saw me, his smile faded.

Eric would do anything for Emily, but he couldn't even smile at me.

His expression soured in a heartbeat. He didn't say a word, just shot me a look like I was nothing, and turned away.

He swapped his shoes in a flash, and the sound of the door slamming echoed through the apartment.

I knew Eric was freezing me out again.

We'd had our share of silent treatments before, and every single time, it was because of Emily.

Whenever that happened, I'd be running around not knowing what else to do, just trying anything to make him happy.

Even if he ignored every single message, I'd still throw myself at him, acting all warm while he couldn't care less.

But now, I was just browsing the internet for some international dishes and practicing how to cook them in my own kitchen.

Figured I should start getting used to things before I head overseas.

Lying in bed, I scrolled through my phone and saw a post from Emily on her social media: "This year's birthday gift is from you again. Thank you for always being there for me."

In the comments, one of Eric's buddies wrote: "Man, I'm so moved. Seeing Emily happy just makes my day."

I glanced at the likes; pretty much all of Eric's friends and crew liked Emily.

Eric's friends had always looked down on me, thinking I was the one coming between him and Emily.

Honestly, I figured Eric would probably be happier without me around.

As I scrolled through Eric's comments on Emily's post, I couldn't help but think his friends might be right.

Eric had commented, "Happy birthday, my little princess."

I stared at their sentimental exchange, my face expressionless. Then one of Eric's buddies chimed in: "Dude, stop posting. If Emma sees this, with her temper, she'll definitely cause a scene."

Back then, I'd always try to gently remind Eric to keep some space between him and Emily. I mean, since they're a guy and a girl, people might start talking, and it's just better to avoid any drama.

But Eric's buddies would just call me petty, making fun of me for acting like I was putting him on lockdown, not even letting him have normal friendships.

Eric would just side with his friends and then turn around to blame me, telling me I should be more chill about it, since I'm a girl.

I didn't give Eric's friends the satisfaction. I just quietly stopped checking my feed, watched some short clips on my phone, and eventually drifted off to sleep in bed.