Chapter 4

That turned out to be the most relaxing date I had been on in weeks.

It felt as though a massive boulder had finally been lifted off my chest.

Because I couldn't bear returning to that house filled with painful memories, I temporarily moved back in with my parents.

Lately, the moment I walked through the door, my mother would pester me, asking if I had met anyone interesting.

If I said no, she would look disappointed for a brief moment.

Then she would immediately get back on the phone with her friends to see if anyone else was willing to meet me.

This time, however, was different. "Chloe is wonderful. Please hold off on introducing anyone else for now. I'd like to get to know her better."

Chloe was a celebrated, internationally acclaimed cellist.

My mother hadn't harbored any real hopes about our match; when she asked today, she hadn't even sounded expectant.

Hearing my answer, her eyes went wide. "A woman like that actually looked twice at a man who was almost on his second marriage?!"

I rubbed my temples. "Is it really that shocking?"

Chloe's brilliance was obvious to everyone. Countless prominent families were practically lining up to marry her.

Who could have guessed that behind her glamorous exterior, she was also carrying scars from a broken heart?

Call it mutual empathy; that shared pain had created an opening for us.

A chance to be together for a little while.

Faking a relationship to appease our families had been her idea.

It would take the pressure off both sets of parents and spare us the endless parade of blind dates.

It would buy us both some peace and quiet.

Chloe and I quickly came to an agreement.

It was a win-win for both of us.

What I didn't expect was that before my mother could even fully digest the news, my phone rang. It was Chloe.

She got straight to the point: "Chase, are we doing a dinner date tomorrow, or are we going ring shopping?"

Before I could answer, my mother, who was shamelessly eavesdropping, frantically signaled at me: *Don't let the girl do all the pursuing!*

I cleared my throat. "We can do both. I'll pick you up after work."

To make the act convincing, Chloe and I talked on the phone for quite a while.

I quickly discovered she was witty, sharp, and effortless to talk to. There was never an awkward silence.

Time flew by when I was with her. In all this time, she was the first woman who effortlessly checked every single box.

Having been burned, I was naturally more cautious about choosing a future partner, but I sensed Chloe wouldn't mind.

And so, Chloe and I began dating.

Every single day, she showed me a new side of herself, making me look forward to what she would surprise me with next.

My world was slowly being filled with her presence, and thoughts of Mandy crossed my mind less and less.

Until two months later, when Chloe called and asked me to pick her up.

When I arrived at the venue, the first person I saw by the entrance was Nathan.

A lit cigarette dangled between his fingers. When his eyes caught mine, a mocking smirk spread across his lips.

"Don't you have a girlfriend now? What are you doing partying here?"

Lately, Chloe and I had developed an unspoken mutual feeling that our fake romance was turning very real.

Our relationship was hardly a secret anymore.

I had zero respect for him, so I didn't bother offering a response.

He called out after me, "Don't tell me you found out Mandy was here and came running to find her? After everything she did, you're still hung up on her?"

Nathan seemed to have conveniently forgotten that he was the one stirring the pot.

He was the one who had been hanging out and sleeping with Mandy these past two months!

I had no desire to engage in pointless banter with him. "I'm here to pick up Chloe."

Nathan instantly snapped upright. "What is she doing here?"

Seeing his sudden tension, an uneasy feeling crept into my chest.

It felt like there was a hidden meaning behind his words, like there was something he was keeping from me.

And whatever it was, it most likely had to do with Chloe!

I had already been fooled once; I couldn't survive being played a second time.

A sudden panic seized me: What if Chloe's warmth toward me was all an act? What if the past two months of happiness were just an illusion?

Every step down the corridor felt agonizingly heavy. By the time I reached the room number Chloe had texted me, cold sweat had soaked through my shirt.

Nathan had followed me without my realizing it.

Evidently, he spotted the scene inside the room as well.

He blew a sharp whistle, gesturing toward the interior.

The door was left ajar. In the dim, moody lighting, a woman with disheveled clothes was locked in an intimate, tangled embrace with the person beside her.

It was a scene I had never witnessed so brazenly!

I felt like my eyes had been violated, and I instinctively turned to get the hell out of there!

Nathan, seizing the moment, shoved me hard from behind right through the door. "Since you're already here, you can't leave without saying hello!"