Chapter 3

Chloe snapped her mouth shut, looking chastised.

When she stepped out of the car, she hurried around to my side, reaching for my hand.

I casually slipped both hands into my coat pockets, stepping out of her reach.

The next second, Damon swooped in, looping his arm intimately around hers.

Chloe didn't pull away. In fact, she instinctively raised her hand to shield his head, making sure he didn't bump against the door frame.

I watched it all unfold. I didn't say a single word.

I just walked straight ahead.

The moment the front door of our newly purchased house swung open, Damon’s stomach illness seemed to magically vanish.

He dragged Chloe from room to room, pointing excitedly at every corner.

"Chloe, didn't I tell you I hated the curtains in the guest bedroom? Why haven't you replaced them yet?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"I told the contractors not to change them. The color you picked is hideous."

"Besides, this is the house Chloe and I are moving into. You have zero say in how it's decorated."

The smile on Damon’s face instantly froze. He never expected me to call him out so brutally to his face.

He stood stunned for a couple of seconds before running over, clutching my arm with that signature, helpless routine.

"Sean, don't say that. Are you still mad about the Tahoe trip?"

"I'm sorry, okay? We just thought you were slammed with work and wanted you to rest. Come on... we've been best friends for eighteen years. What's mine is yours, right?"

My face remained completely flat as I shoved his hand away.

"What's yours is mine? Does that mean you want to marry Chloe too? Damon, we've known each other for eighteen years. I know exactly what kind of game you're playing."

"Cut the act."

Damon's voice caught in his throat. Then, his eyes welled up with tears, playing the innocent victim.

"No, no, Sean, please don't think of me like that! I swear I just—"

I took a deep breath.

Since things had already reached this point, there was no reason to keep up appearances.

"Every text I sent in the group, the two of you blatantly ignored. You stayed up chatting with each other while leaving my DMs on read."

"You hide behind the excuse of being my best friend while taking my fiancée out to private dinners, movies, and weekend getaways. Ask literally anyone on the street—every single person would tell you that's completely messed up."

"Damon, do I need to spell it out any clearer? Have some damn self-respect."

Damon stood there, completely tongue-tied, burying his face in his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Chloe couldn't take it anymore.

She rushed over and shoved me hard.

"Sean! What is wrong with you?!"

"Damon and I have nothing going on! We've known each other forever. If something was going to happen, it would've happened years ago! Can you stop being so paranoid? I brought you here to clear the air, not so you could scream at him like an animal!"

Unprepared, I stumbled backward, my shoulder slamming painfully against the wall.

A dull groan escaped my lips.

Chloe instinctively reached out to catch me, but her hand froze mid-air.

Instead, she turned around and wrapped her arm around Damon’s shoulders, whispering gentle reassurances.

"Sean, apologize to Damon."

"Let this go. Stop making a scene."

I stared at the accusation burning in her eyes. The pain had long surpassed its peak.

All that remained was complete numbness.

I pushed myself off the wall, standing tall as I looked Chloe in the eye.

"I won't let it go."

"I have things to say to you. In private. I’ll be in the master bedroom. Don't bring anyone else in."

With that, I brushed past her.

Chloe lingered outside for a few minutes, comforting Damon and handing him a gift box along with a set of keys before finally walking into the bedroom.

"Sean, this is for you."

She held out a gift box.

"Damon and I picked it out together in Tahoe. We were thinking of you the whole time. Please don't be mad. I promise... I promise I'll set better boundaries from now on. I won't upset you again."

I glanced at the box, not bothering to take it.

Instead, I held out my empty hand.

"Keep the gift. Where are the keys to the house?"

"The locksmith handed over two sets. One for you, one for me. Where's mine?"

Chloe’s eyes darted away guiltily.

"I... I’ll always be home to open the door for you. You don't really need a key. You might lose it anyway."

"You gave it to Damon, didn't you?"

A bitter laugh escaped my chest. The absurdity of it all was almost comical.

"Chloe, I am your fiancé. I’m supposed to be the man living in this house, and I don't even have a key?"

"Do you hear yourself? You knew how angry and uncomfortable I was, yet you handed my key to someone else. Whose house is this? Ours, or yours and Damon’s?"

Chloe was backed into a corner, completely speechless.

After a long pause, she mumbled defensively:

"I’ll get another copy made for you later."

"You know Damon’s family situation is tough. I gave him a key so he’d feel like he had a safe place to go. As his best friend, shouldn't you want him to feel secure..."

I lost my temper and roared.

"Is this just about being friends? You know the answer better than anyone!"

Before the echo of my voice faded, the bedroom door was violently flung open.

Damon stood there, breathing heavily.

"Chloe, you mixed up the gifts!"

"I was supposed to take the cheap souvenir. Why did you give me the six-thousand-dollar custom designer necklace? It even has my initials engraved on it! Give it back to Sean!"

Chloe barely glanced at it.

"It wasn't a mistake. You said you’d never owned anything that nice, so I wanted to get it for you."

Turning back to me, she shoved the other box into my hands, softening her voice into a placating whisper.

"I was running low on cash this month, so just take this for now. When my annual bonus comes in, I’ll buy you something way better. You know how hard Damon has it. He doesn't make much, and you were the one who pulled strings to get him his job in the first place."

"Just take pity on him, Sean. Can we please stop fighting over these little things?"

Damon looked at me, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Sean... please just forgive me."

***