Chapter 1

My boyfriend and I had saved for three years to buy a house, and overnight, half the money vanished.

I called to ask him about it, and he answered casually, "Mary saw a bag she liked, so I lent it to her first. Don't worry, she'll definitely pay it back."

The next second, his childhood friend Mary posted on Instagram showing off that limited edition bag along with a photo of them together, captioned:

"Thank you, darling, for my birthday gift. Friendship forever!"

I laughed, then transferred all the remaining $250,000 from our joint account to myself.

And that very night, I moved out.

William, since your friendship with Mary is so important, you two can be locked together forever.

"Alice, are you done throwing your tantrum?"

"This time when you move out, don't come crawling back like a dog begging me to take you back."

William leaned against the bedroom doorframe, arms crossed, looking down at me as I stuffed the last piece of clothing into my suitcase.

I didn't look up, and I didn't respond.

"It's just $250,000. Is it really worth all this drama?"

"Don't you know what Mary and I are to each other? We're friends. It's her birthday—what's wrong with me getting her something?"

"Besides, I told you I lent it to her, didn't I? She'll pay it back soon enough."

I finally stopped what I was doing, turned around, and looked at him calmly.

Three years of savings for our wedding house.

It was supposed to be "together," but in reality, more than $400,000 of it was money I'd saved penny by penny.

For this "future home," I worked as a designer at the company during the day, took freelance jobs at night, and worked part-time on weekends.

I gave up my favorite bubble tea and snacks. The last time I bought new clothes was during last year's holidays.

And William?

He'd contributed less than $50,000 total, constantly depositing and withdrawing money for Mary.

Today it was a housewarming gift for a friend, tomorrow it was emergency cash for someone's startup, the day after that it was a funeral for a friend's dog.

Every single time, he said, "Honey, I'll make it up when I get my bonus."

But I never saw a single one of those bonuses.

Now, he'd spent $250,000 on a bag for Mary without batting an eye.

He didn't even bother to give me a heads-up beforehand.

If I hadn't checked the account balance when depositing money today, I might not have discovered it until the account was completely drained.

I opened my phone and showed him Mary's Instagram post.

"Lent?"

"William, you call this lending?"

In the photo, Mary wore that limited edition bag, intimately resting her head on his shoulder.

William glanced at it, and instead of showing any guilt, he frowned.

"Are you jealous?"

"You never cared before. Why are you making such a big deal out of it today?"

I laughed—laughed so hard I almost cried.

Yes, I'd let it slide before, time after time.

I'd tolerated Mary using her "friend" status to have William abandon me with a high fever at 3 AM to go drinking with her.

I'd tolerated Mary wearing William's shirt and lying in our bed while I had to sleep on the couch.

I'd tolerated Mary getting all touchy-feely with William right in front of me.

And me, as his legitimate girlfriend—if I raised even the slightest objection, I was "petty," "making a scene," or "immature."

Over three years, I'd accumulated more than just that money. I'd accumulated disappointment after disappointment.

Each time, I told myself William was just clueless, that he loved me, that he just didn't know how to say no.

But this time, I wasn't going to lie to myself anymore.

"William, let's break up."

When I said those words, my heart didn't hurt as much as I expected.

More than anything, I felt relief.

He froze for a moment, then laughed mockingly.

"Break up?"

"Do whatever you want. You'll come crawling back in a few days anyway."

I forcefully pushed past him blocking the doorway.

"Don't worry. This time I won't be coming back."

I grabbed my suitcase and headed straight for the door.

As I passed him, I caught the familiar scent of women's perfume on him.

It was Mary's favorite brand.

I didn't look back.

I knew that this time, I'd truly let go.