Chapter 5

I had intended to chew him out for flaking on my birthday, but the moment I saw that manga-protagonist face, my irritation melted away.

“What kind do you want? My treat, both of you!”

Completely ignored, Bella squeezed out a flood of angry tears. “Sean! What’s so great about this crazy bitch anyway?! I just wanted to introduce myself, and she threw coffee at me! I saved my allowance for three whole months just to buy this outfit!”

I stared at her in genuine shock. “You saved for three months and bought that piece of trash? Sweetheart, if you’re broke, focus on your grades instead of blowing your money trying to flex!”

Bella shrieked hysterically, “Sean, look at her!”

Only then did Sean pull Bella to her feet, his eyes crinkling into a soft, soothing smile. “All right, all right, don’t be mad at Mia. She’s only taking it out on you because she’s upset I can’t spend her birthday with her.”

“How about I buy you that cosplay outfit you’ve been dying for tomorrow?”

The girl immediately blushed and broke into a shy, happy smile, nodding meekly.

Sean turned his gaze back to me. “Mia, it’s normal for people our age to have plans. It’s just one birthday. Can’t I make it up to you in a couple of days? I promise I’ll make it unforgettable!”

Hearing that instantly reminded me of my last birthday.

Claiming he wanted to make it lively and celebrate properly, Sean booked a private karaoke room and invited a dozen of his college buddies.

God, they drank like fish! Even with Jaden financing my lifestyle, paying that bar tab made my soul bleed.

Then, completely plastered, Sean started playing flirty party games with his female classmates, biting strawberries off another girl’s lips right in front of me. When I pulled him aside to stop him, he whined that I was being a buzzkill.

If he hadn’t been so sweet on normal days, would I have ever put up with that garbage?

And now, the girl glued to his side was Bella—and she definitely wouldn’t be the last.

I had zero energy left to argue. I told them to have fun, turned around, and blocked his number too.

I wasn’t even that heartbroken. Going from three boyfriends to zero overnight was just a little disorienting.

Yet beneath it all, there was an overwhelming sense of relief.

No more keeping my guard up twenty-four-seven, burning through brain cells frantically calculating schedules to make sure none of their dates overlapped.

The next day, I was chilling at home on my birthday, happily scrolling for a movie to watch, when a loud banging rattled my front door.

I opened it. It was Jaden.

He immediately launched into a furious tirade: “Why did you block me and stop answering my calls?! Mia, I made myself crystal clear! Sasha is just a friend! Spending her birthday with her was just honoring a promise I made back then!”

“Name your price! How much money will it take for you to pull me off your block list?”

I was completely stunned to see Jaden standing on my doorstep on my actual birthday.

He grabbed my phone straight out of my hand, pulled up my blocked contacts, and a faint smirk broke through his furious expression. “‘One in a Million Jaden’? Hah, glad to see you still have a conscience—”

The next second, his smile froze dead. “Wait. Who the hell is ‘Pleasant Surprise Brandon’ and ‘Soulmate Sean’?!”

“That would be me!”

Two angry voices roared in unison from down the hallway. My jaw hit the floor.

Why were they all here at the exact same time?!