Chapter 2

"Throwing a tantrum?" I fixed him with an icy stare.

Jeffrey responded matter-of-factly, "Aren't you? Look at this mess of the house."

I followed his gaze to the wet spots and footprints on the floor—some of which they had just tracked in themselves.

Taking my silence as confirmation, Jeffrey continued, "You're obviously fine. Kira was actually worried about your foot and insisted I check on you, but look how energetic you are! Make sure you clean it up later."

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the ache in my heart.

Jeffrey hadn't always been like this. How could he have changed so completely in just a few years?

We met in college and shared some beautiful moments together.

He used to treat me with such care and consideration—otherwise, I would never have accepted his proposal.

I truly believed Jeffrey was someone I could build a life with.

He remembered every anniversary, every little detail about me. He even tracked my menstrual cycle in his calendar when I sometimes forgot.

I'd always known about Kira. He told me about her when we first started dating.

They'd known each other since high school but separated when they attended different colleges in different cities, and Kira went abroad to study.

When did our relationship begin to deteriorate? It started a year ago when Kira returned.

One look, one word from her could completely win Jeffrey over.

Sometimes I thought bitterly that the moment Jeffrey picked up Kira at the airport, I had already lost him.

I didn't want to deal with either of them, so I limped back to my room, wanting to be alone.

But Jeffrey followed me in with Kira, demanding, "Raelyn, what's with your attitude? You haven't said a word since I came in. Did that fall make you mute?"

"Jeffrey, calm down." While Kira pretended to soothe Jeffrey, her eyes wandered around the room, landing on a jeweled necklace on my vanity.

"What's this? How beautiful. Such a large gem must be fake, right? Could I have it, Raelyn?"

As she reached for it, disgust welled up inside me. How could someone be so shameless?

"Put it down!" I snapped. "Touching other people's things without permission? Where are your manners?"

Kira jumped, her face instantly crumpling into a hurt expression as if she might cry, which only fueled Jeffrey's anger.

"Raelyn, why are you being so petty? It's just a fake gem. What's wrong with giving it to her? I'll buy you a real one later."

I almost laughed at how quickly he dismissed it as fake, completely disregarding my feelings.

My fury finally boiled over. "Fake? Jeffrey, you know perfectly well that's from my mother! Don't push me too far! Buy me a real one? You couldn't afford it even if you sold your company!"

"What do you mean? I can't afford your stupid necklace?" Jeffrey exploded, reaching for it.

Without thinking, I grabbed an eyebrow razor and slashed at him.

"Jeffrey!"

"Raelyn!"

Jeffrey clutched his face, staring at me in shock while Kira fretted over whether he needed medical attention.

He angrily wiped the blood from his face. Seeing that I wasn't lowering the razor and recognizing I was on the verge of breaking down, he had no choice but to storm out with Kira.

I collapsed slowly to the floor, staring at the blood on the eyebrow razor. My throat tightened before I burst into loud, wracking sobs.