Chapter 1

I broke up with my girlfriend of three years.

Everyone thought I'd be the one crawling back, begging for forgiveness, just like always.

Even Chloe thought so.

Until she showed up at my doorstep, asking when I'd stop throwing a fit and come home.

Instead, she saw me holding another woman.

"Alex, are you done with this drama?"

My girlfriend—no, my ex-girlfriend Chloe—sat on the sofa, her face etched with impatience.

I looked at her impatient face, a cold smirk playing on my lips.

I'd caught her slow dancing with her childhood friend, Mark, at a club. She'd claimed I was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Fine, I'd show her a real mountain.

She's just a flirt, constantly leading guys on. Honestly, I'd rather not deal with her!

"I told you, Mark and I are just friends, hanging out normally. You already embarrassed me in front of all our friends; what more do you want?"

"Whatever, think what you want."

Her phone screen flashed, cutting off her accusations and complaints.

I watched her get up and go into the bathroom, then quietly followed. Sure enough, Mark's clear, smiling voice drifted out: "Chloe, he isn't giving you a hard time, is he?"

"Of course not!"

Chloe's voice was incredibly gentle, a kindness she never showed me.

Hearing Mark's laughter float out, I turned and started packing my things. Seriously, what a pair of unreliable individuals.

Why would I ever want her back?

I sent Chloe a breakup text, then blocked her. The conversation in the bathroom stopped for two seconds, then resumed as normal.

Heh, she always felt so entitled, so confident around me.

Couldn't blame her.

Who told me to fall madly in love with her in freshman year and willingly give her everything?

All those years, washing her activewear, buying her drinks and gifts... it all felt like an ocean of effort I poured into her, but it just vanished without a trace.

Now, even when I broke up with her, she still looked dismissive.

Would someone who'd given so much truly be able to let her go?

The laughter from the bathroom continued. I grabbed my suitcase and quietly left that cage.

As soon as I got in the car, my SnapChat started blowing up.

Chloe's friends were relentlessly tagging me in the group chat. "Alex, playing the disappearing act again?"

"How many times is this now?"

"If you ask me, you should grow a spine. If you leave, don't come crawling back to our Chloe next time, so you don't 'disappear' again."

"Seriously, like he could ever leave our Chloe?"

A wave of laughter followed, showering me with blatant humiliation.

I watched coldly, quickly typed out a message, and sent it: "As you and Chloe wished, we're done. For good."

After sending it, I left the group.

That SnapChat group was made by Chloe's friends just to mock me. They had other groups for real communication.

But I knew their purpose and still joined.

Just for Chloe's occasional snippets of conversation.

Later, they even added Mark to it, and Chloe's messages increased. I'd be wildly jealous, yet like a desperate gambler, I'd frantically search through Chloe's messages for any tiny sign that she loved me.

Unfortunately, there was none.

Instead, her chats with Mark grew increasingly flirtatious, and she never once considered my feelings.

As my friend Liam would say, I was completely obsessed.

Totally under Chloe's spell.

Now, looking back, I find my past self pretty pathetic.

Chloe didn't love me. She wasn't gentle or considerate, let alone caring or nurturing. She'd only call me when she needed something, but when she didn't, she wouldn't even use my name.

What was I even getting out of it? Just someone to eat, sleep, and cause trouble?