Chapter 1

At the birthday party, I walked in on my boyfriend, Leopold Woodward, kissing his adoptive sister during a game of Truth or Dare.

The room went dead silent. Everyone stared at me.

This time, I didn't get angry. I didn't go off on him like I used to.

I clapped and egged them on, grinning at him. "Keep going. Why are you looking at me?"

Leopold froze, his expression flickering from excitement to confusion, then embarrassment.

*****

Last month, when Doran Rhodes had her birthday, Leopold took time off work to take her to the beach.

I called to ask when he'd be back, and he said he was on his way.

But at 2 a.m, he was still not home.

The next day, I scrolled through my social media and saw Doran's post.

It was a photo of the sunrise by the sea.

The caption read: [Thanks for spending my birthday with me.]

I confronted Leopold about it. He shot back at me, asking if I was crazy.

"I went with a group of friends. Why are you overthinking this?" he said.

We gave each other the silent treatment for a whole week after that.

In the end, I was the one who caved first.

We'd been together for six years, and every time we argued, I was the one who tried to make peace.

If he gave me even the tiniest excuse, I'd go along with it.

If he showed me a little kindness, I'd forget all the pain he'd put me through.

This year, I even forgot my own birthday, but he was the one who brought it up and said he'd celebrate for me.

Two days before my birthday, he sent me a screenshot showing he'd booked a table at a restaurant.

I replied, "Okay." Then, I went right back to working overtime.

The birthday dinner was set for 7 p.m. on Saturday.

I got there at 6:30.

By 7:30, he still hadn't arrived.

By 8, he wouldn't even pick up the phone.

By 9, the waiter came over and asked if I wanted them to start serving, since they'd be closing at 10:30.

I told him to bring it out.

I ate all the dishes on the table, finished the whole birthday cake, and drank half a bottle of red wine alone.

As I walked out of the restaurant, I scrolled through my feed and saw a post from Doran.

It was a side profile shot of Leopold, cigarette dangling from his lips, playing a card game. The caption read: [How many points should we score for a flush?]

I stared at that photo for a long time.

I didn't feel angry or sad.

Instead, I felt a sense of resignation, like this was exactly what I expected.

Every time Leopold ditched me, it was always because of his adoptive sister, Doran.

But this time, I didn't even care enough to ask.

I gave her post a like, shut off my phone, and caught a cab home.

The city lights flashed by outside the cab window.

As I was riding home, my phone buzzed. It was Leopold calling.

I paused for a moment, then picked up anyway.

Leopold sounded frantic on the other end. "I'm sorry. I totally spaced on your birthday today. Next year, I swear I'll make it up to you."

I paused for a moment, then said calmly, "It's fine."

There was a pause, then Leopold started whining, "Come on, I already said sorry. What more do you want from me? Is it because I forgot your birthday?

"Something came up at the last minute. Can't you cut me some slack?"

Without saying anything, I hung up on him.