Chapter 2

"Liam, are you out of your mind? You liked his post? And commented 'happily ever after'?"

Ryan snatched my phone, his voice trembling with anger.

"Don't you know Ethan's post was deliberately designed to piss you off? He's declaring war on you!"

I took my phone back from Ryan and pressed the screen dark.

"I know."

Ryan froze.

He stared at me, as if he didn't recognize me, then slumped onto the sales office sofa.

"Then you're just going to let him walk all over you? Chloe's such an airhead; doesn't she know what today is? It's the down payment for your new home! That's the place you two have been looking at for a whole year!"

"Ryan, do me a favor."

"Tell me, are we going to the hospital to confront that couple? I'll go get the car right now!"

"No." I shook my head, pulling the purchase contract from my bag. "Come with me to the bank. I need to make a large transfer."

Ryan's eyes lit up: "You're going to pay the down payment yourself? Not putting her name on it?"

"Not the down payment." I looked at the blank space on the contract where two names were supposed to go. "The full amount. I'm buying it alone."

Ryan's expression shifted from shock to a complex silence. He didn't ask anything else, just clapped me firmly on the shoulder.

At ten that night, Chloe's text finally popped up, slow as ever.

"Liam, Ethan's calmed down, just minor scrapes. I'll treat you to a big dinner tomorrow to make it up to you."

"I'll definitely take time off next week to go with you for the house stuff. I've already told the agent."

"Go to bed early. Don't overthink it."

There were those words again.

Don't overthink it.

For seven years, every time she flaked on me for Ethan, or put me second for Ethan, the ending was always those light, airy words.

As if all my anger and dissatisfaction were due to my narrow-mindedness, and not because she lacked boundaries.

I replied: "Okay."

She instantly sent back a hug emoji.

I tossed my phone onto the sofa and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Her electric toothbrush was still on the counter, next to the women's facial cleanser she'd just unsealed yesterday.

I grabbed a trash bag and swept in her toothbrush, facial cleanser, makeup remover, and the towel she kept at my place.

Ryan leaned against the bathroom doorframe, watching me.

"Liam, are you serious this time?"

I didn't turn around. I pulled a few of her jackets from the balcony and folded them into a cardboard box.

"A month ago, I submitted a transfer request to head office for the European branch. Back then, I just wanted a change of scenery. But today, I truly don't want her anymore."

"Because of that post?"

"Because this morning, before she left, she poured me a warm glass of honey water."

Ryan didn't understand: "What's wrong with that?"

"Last week, Ethan said his stomach had been bothering him recently and he needed honey water every morning. But she forgot that honey gives me severe stomach cramps."

I covered my faintly aching stomach and forced a smile.

In college, I'd mistakenly eaten honey and had such acute stomach cramps I was writhing in pain in bed. She was the one who took me to the infirmary.

Later, she remembered honey water was good for Ethan's stomach, but forgot that honey would make me miserable.

Ryan fell silent.

The tape on the cardboard box made a harsh tearing sound.

I sealed the box and brushed the dust from my hands.

I didn't say anything more.

I just felt that seven-year mark, at this moment, had become utterly ridiculous.