Chapter 2

Everything was like an illusion, beautiful, but always out of reach.

I shouldn't have expected anything from him. After all, in five years, not once did he remember my birthday.

I held out my hands, covered in chilblains, and studied them closely. I knew all too well how much a woman valued her hands, but I had no choice.

If I didn't wash those dishes and do that hard labor, Alex and I wouldn't be able to make ends meet, and he wouldn't be able to receive medical treatment.

He wasn't inattentive. He was just never attentive when it came to me.

Meeting Alex was honestly like something out of a movie.

He and his buddies were always showing up at the restaurant where I worked. He claimed he had a crush on me at first sight.

He started pursuing me right away. At that time, Alex was a popular radio host with fame, and I felt totally out of his league, so I kept dodging him whenever I could.

One night after my shift, a customer started harassing me. Alex rushed over and smashed a bottle over the guy's head.

He got hauled off to the police station, but when I saw him, he just gave me a grin and said, "Thank God, you're okay."

I lost my parents when I was very young. Over all these years, he was the first person to truly care about me. My heart began to soften.

He pursued me first, and I said yes. Shortly afterwards, we got engaged. Then we started planning our wedding.

But on our wedding day, Alex got fired from the radio station. The shock hit him so hard, he was struck mute, running away from our wedding.

For the past five years, I never complained. I just thought he was broken by what happened.

The phone call last night made me realize that Alex and Rachel had orchestrated everything from the start. It was all just their game.

For them, two trust-fund babies, I was nothing more than a plaything.

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of promise they made to each other.

As my eyes started to blur with tears, I was about to toss all the oatmeal into the trash when I noticed the drugs Alex had thrown away.

I let out a mocking laugh at how pointless all my sacrifices had been. It turned out I was only a fool.

I had no intention of competing with Alex in the game. I decided to step out of it and stop loving him.

The landlord suddenly called. "Emma, all the other apartments around here have gone up in price. I kept the rent low for you because I felt bad for your situation. But your lease is up tomorrow, so..."

I dumped the oatmeal into the trash and cut in, "I'm not renewing the lease."

After I hung up, my phone received a travel reminder for the flight to Southvale at nine the next morning. It was a place I had always longed to visit, but I had never had enough money.

My salary for this month was about to be paid. Now that I didn't have to cover Alex's doctor bills, I'd finally have enough left from my paycheck.

At five in the afternoon, I headed out for work, just like any other day.

After I changed into my uniform, my coworker gave me a look and said, "Your boyfriend's here. Didn't you say he rarely goes out? So how come he's got so many friends to meet?

"And isn't your life pretty tough? How does he have the money to show up at a high-end place like this?"

Her words stabbed at me, one after another, leaving me speechless.

Just then, the manager called out, "Emma, take some drinks to VIP Room A2."

I grabbed the chance like it was a lifeline and bolted, not even hearing my coworker yell after me, "Hey, your boyfriend's in that room!"

I walked to the door. It was half open, and the room was so noisy. I saw a girl wearing a fancy dress and an expensive hair accessory. She looked like a rich young lady. I guessed she was Rachel.

Alex stood in the center, his gaze fixed on her as he sang "Happy Birthday" with such tenderness.

It turned out that today was also Rachel's birthday.

I had never realized before that his singing voice could be so gentle.

If that man hadn't been Alex, maybe I could've felt happy for them.

After Alex finished singing, someone burst into applause, saying, "Man, you're crazy loyal. Rachel made you pursue a waitress just to test your feelings, and you did it. She told you to ditch your wedding, and you actually ran.

"She even made you pretend to be mute and broke, living with her for five years, and you stuck it out.

"Rachel is back, and you've already proven your true feelings for her in every possible way. I suppose it's about time you got married, isn't it?

"So when are you finally dumping that waitress?"

Their promise was even more disgusting than I ever imagined. They played with people's lives from their ivory tower, treating us like pawns.

I couldn't blame anyone else. I was the fool. I had been lying to myself for five years. The truth was, he had never loved me.

Alex took a sip of his drink, paused, and said, "No rush. She's so crazy about me, I'm afraid she might do something stupid."

I smiled through my tears. From now on, I was no longer the same fool I used to be.

Now, all I had in my heart was hatred.

I knocked on the door and stepped inside. The room instantly fell silent. Someone tugged at Alex's sleeve, and when he caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye, he went quiet, looking unusually rattled.

Keeping my gaze down, I set the drinks on the table and said softly, "Here are your drinks. Hope you all enjoy yourselves. If you need anything, just call me."

Alex walked over to me, our eyes locking. He reached out and gently wiped at the corner of my eye. "You cried?"

It was the first time he'd spoken to me in five years.

I turned my face away. "I'm fine. Have fun."

I walked out, leaving the group inside exchanging awkward glances.

He didn't come after me.

The room was quiet for just a moment, then the chatter and laughter started right back up.

I truly meant nothing to them. I wasn't even a blip on their radar.