Chapter 2

After we paid for dinner, Chloe walked out of the restroom.

Like a million times before, Ethan was already holding her purse.

It was getting dark.

Ethan turned to me.

"Rainey, take the subway home. I'll drive Chloe. She lives far away."

Before I could even say a word.

Chloe had already opened the passenger door and hopped in.

"No need to ask! Rainey worries about me more than you do!"

Of course I worried about her.

She had been my best friend for ten years. Back in college when we were broke, we even shared a single piece of expired bread.

But now, the person who cared about her most wasn't me.

It was Ethan.

"Bye, Rainey! We're off!"

Chloe's cheerful voice faded as the car kicked up a cloud of dust.

I got home.

Ethan FaceTime-d me.

"Rainey, the streets over here are flooded. The car might stall, so I'm not coming back tonight."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "So, are you sleeping in the car?"

Chloe snatched the phone from Ethan's hand, her face flushed red as if she had just showered.

"He's staying at my place! Don't worry, Rainey, he's totally not my type!"

Only then did I notice she was wearing Ethan's button-up shirt.

I hung up.

I called the moving company to schedule a time.

In the corner of the bathroom, the laundry basket was giving off a faint, sour smell.

I walked over with a frown.

It was the shirt Ethan wore two nights ago, stained with vomit from when he drank for Chloe at a party.

"Why are you guys picking on a young girl? Just because she doesn't have a boyfriend? I'll drink for her!"

When our college internship ended.

Ethan had changed the only full-time return offer on our team from my name to Chloe's.

He said the exact same thing back then.

She didn't have a boyfriend.

So, because I had one, I was supposed to let her have everything.

I threw the dirty shirt straight into the trash.

Dirty clothes get thrown away.

And dirty people? They get thrown away too.

The next morning.

Ethan FaceTime-d me again.

"Rainey, bring me a change of clothes on your way to work."

Chloe popped her head into the screen, giggling.

"Reporting in, Rainey! Nothing happened last night. But your man snores so loud, like a literal pig. I was in the next room and couldn't sleep all night. How do you tolerate him? You must love him so much, haha!"

"Shut up. Who was the one whimpering like a puppy because of the thunderstorm..." Ethan muttered.

I simply replied:

"Ethan is not my husband."

The R&D department needed to send two people to Africa for a project. Nobody wanted to go.

After the meeting, I went straight to the general manager's office.

She was shocked. "Are you sure? You guys are planning a wedding. Long-distance isn't great for a relationship."

I looked at the sunlight outside the window.

The shadow over my heart cleared up a bit.

"We're not getting married anymore. A career is way more reliable than a man."

When I walked out of her office.

The receptionist gave me a sly look and handed me a single rose.

"Your boyfriend is so romantic."

I threw it into the trash can. A small card fell out.

The familiar logo on it made me realize exactly where the rose came from.

It was a freebie from the luxury birthday gift he bought for Chloe.

Right on cue, a text from Ethan popped up on my phone.

[Happy Birthday!]

[Babe, I'll pick you up tonight. Chloe keeps complaining that it won't feel like a birthday without you!]

My birthday was only one day apart from Chloe's.

Every year, Ethan and I would plan a huge birthday surprise for her.

But after her party, he would always complain:

"It's so exhausting, Rainey. Doing this twice would kill me. Why don't you just celebrate on the same day as Chloe?"

But every joint birthday after that.

Chloe was always the star of the show.