Chapter 2

After the nurse removed the IV, Elaine sat down beside me, giving me an apple. Her voice was full of resentment. "I told you Finn was no good, but you wouldn't listen. See? This is all because of him."

I took a bite of the apple. It was a little tart.

My gaze drifted to the withered leaves outside, and my thoughts were pulled back five years.

That fall, Finn showed up at school as a star alumnus, giving a lecture. He stood under the spotlight, cracking jokes and looking like he owned the place.

When the lecture ended, he pushed through the crowd and stopped right in front of me. "Hey, you dropped your pen."

After that day, Finn went all in on chasing me.

He parked a limited-edition sports car outside my dorm, packed the lobby with red roses flown in from abroad, and even the staff member couldn't help but look at me with envy.

He dedicated songs to me on the campus radio and let loose a bunch of balloons with my name on them out on the field.

It was the kind of showy romance every twenty-year-old girl fantasized about.

At first, I turned him down because the gap between us felt way too wide.

However, then came that stormy night. I was burning up with fever and out cold all day.

My roommate told me that Finn had been waiting downstairs for three hours, worried sick about me.

I rushed to the balcony and saw him shivering in the downpour. Grabbing an umbrella, I dashed downstairs.

Finn took the umbrella and tilted it toward me. "Why did you come down? Are you still feeling sick?"

My heart just melted in that moment.

The night we made it official, fireworks exploded along the riverbank all night long. The brilliant bursts lit up his face, making the affection in his eyes impossible to miss.

He promised he'd always be good to me, and I believed him.

He took me to fancy restaurants, taught me how to appreciate wine, and gave me a glimpse into the dazzling, extravagant world of high society.

Everyone said that Finn was genuinely in love this time and that a playboy like him was finally tamed.

To prove I deserved his love, I took on every part-time job I could find. I spent three months saving up just to buy the nicest yarn, then pulled all-nighters to knit him a scarf.

That scarf was my way of telling him I cared about him, not his money.

Later, when I was riding in his car, I saw the scarf just tossed on the floor of the back seat, with mud stains and random footprints all over it.

I picked it up and brushed off the dirt.

Finn just gave it a quick look and said, totally indifferent, "It's kind of itchy around the neck. I don't feel like wearing it."

And just like that, the sweet times shattered like a soap bubble.

Finn started ghosting me, ignoring my calls and texts.

On a stormy day, I waited three hours beneath his office building, only to see a perfectly made-up girl sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Her name was Claire.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked, frowning.

My voice trembled. "You promised to have dinner with me."

Finn seemed to suddenly recall and explained casually, "Something came up. I ran into Claire, so I gave her a lift."

Claire turned to me, grinning. "Oh, so you're Daphne. Finn is a nice guy. You don't mind the ride, right?"

She pulled out her phone and flashed her contacts right in front of me. "Finn, can I add you on WhatsApp? I might need your help with some school stuff later."

Finn didn't even blink. He just took out his phone and added her on WhatsApp.

The beep sounded like a slap in the face to me.

Once Claire was gone, I finally voiced my objection for the first time.

However, Finn's tone turned icy. "It's not a big deal. Since when did you get so petty?"

After that, he started acting cold and distant all the time.

I started losing myself, always anxious and overthinking, wondering if I was too demanding or greedy.

I wanted to patch things up, so on our first anniversary, I showed up at his place with a cake.

His door code was my birthday, and it fooled me into thinking I still had a place in his heart.

However, when I reached the bottom of the building, I saw Finn with his arm wrapped around Claire, the two of them heading upstairs.

They were so close, practically leaning into each other.

The glow from the streetlamp lit up the bracelet on Claire's wrist; it was identical to the one Finn had given me just last month.

Back then, he'd fastened it on my wrist, saying, "This is custom-made, one of a kind. There's only one like it in the whole world."

It turned out it was just some cheap, bulk-order gesture.

They walked into the building, laughing and chatting.

I just stood there, the cold wind slicing across my face like a knife.

I lost track of time, standing beneath the building until a window's light flickered on and then went out.

I walked over like a zombie and stopped in front of the apartment door. My hand was shaking so badly, failing several times to knock.

Finally, I took a deep breath and knocked hard on the door.

After what felt like forever, the door finally opened. Finn stood there, shirtless, just a towel wrapped around his waist, with hickeys glaring on his neck.

He looked at me, not a trace of guilt or even surprise in his eyes.

Leaning against the doorframe, he said coldly, "Why did you come without calling first?"