My boyfriend lost a game of Truth or Dare and had to kiss a girl in the room. Before he could even lean toward me, Sarah violently shoved me aside and planted her lips on his. "Stop fooling around. Today is your sister-in-law's birthday." Carter pinched her cheek with a doting smile. Everyone stared at me, sprawled awkwardly on the sofa, too afraid to breathe. Sarah giggled. "Don't be mad, Chloe. Carter has never even seen me as a girl anyway." Carter also chimed in, trying to placate me. "It was just a game. Don't be such a sore loser." Everyone expected me to throw a massive, hysterical fit. But instead, I just quietly took off my engagement ring and gently slid it onto his childhood best friend's finger. "Let me know when the wedding invitations go out." 1 "Carter, you taste so sweet! What did you eat?!" Sarah's coquettish voice echoed through the private karaoke room. Carter had been gazing at her with absolute fondness. It wasn't until he noticed the dead silence in the room that he finally looked over and saw me shoved onto the sofa. He let go of Sarah's cheek and lightly patted the back of her head. "Stop fooling around. Today is your sister-in-law's birthday." Sarah pouted. "Aw... Chloe wouldn't be that petty, right? It was just a dare~" With that one sentence, nobody in the room dared to make a sound. This wasn't some silly little punishment like a slap on the wrist or a flick to the forehead. This was a kiss. A few people were already shrinking back into their seats, because usually, this was the exact moment I would explode into a screaming match. However, I simply, slowly took off my engagement ring, walked over to Sarah, and gently slid it onto her finger. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly. I smiled. "Let me know when the wedding invitations go out." Everyone was completely dumbfounded, including Sarah. "Chloe Vance, it was just a game. Do you really have to do this?" Carter's voice was freezing cold. "I know it was," I replied with a soft smile. "I'm just helping you guys have more fun." Carter's face visibly darkened into a thunderous scowl. Sarah tugged on his sleeve. "It's okay, Carter. It's my fault. I didn't know Chloe was such a sore loser." Saying that, she pulled the ring off and threw it at me. "Here. Stop being mad. Have your ring back. I didn't mean anything by it." The ring hit me square in the face with a sharp sting, then clattered onto the floor with a metallic clink. Everyone in the room stared at me with wide, horrified eyes. But I just calmly picked the ring back up. "Since you don't want it, it doesn't have any use anymore." With that, I tossed the ring straight into the trash can. "Chloe, are you crazy?! That's your engagement ring!" "Quick, quick, quick! Get it out!" "Where did it go?! Why can't I find it?!" Everyone scrambled frantically, digging through the trash can. But it was already full of watermelon rinds, banana peels, and even some vomit. Finding a tiny ring in that mess was impossible. Sarah panicked too. She gripped Carter's hand tightly, her eyes turning red. "Carter, how did this happen? Why is Chloe overreacting so much?! Did I really cross a line? But we grew up together, we've never had boundaries..." The very next second, Carter stepped in front of her, shielding her behind his back. "Stop looking for it!" Everyone froze, standing around the trash can, staring at Carter. His eyes were freezing cold, glaring at me like he wanted to bore a hole through my skull. "If you can't handle a game, why play? "Now you've ruined the mood for everyone. Are you happy?" A suffocating knot formed in my chest. Sarah was the one who kissed my boyfriend. I stepped aside to accommodate them. How did I become the one ruining things for everyone else? If this were the past, I would have definitely started screaming and crying, furiously pointing out that Sarah was the one in the wrong. But now, I couldn't muster even a single ounce of interest in arguing. Instead, I turned around and grabbed my purse. "I'm leaving then. Have fun, guys." 2 As the door closed behind me, I heard someone speak up tentatively. "Um... today is Chloe's birthday. Is it really okay that she just left?" Carter's voice was laced with deep irritation. "Just ignore her. It's about time she learned to fix that temper of hers. Actually, Sarah was just hired as a lecturer at my university. Let's have Sarah blow out the candles instead." The room quickly livened back up. The voices that were supposed to be wishing me a happy birthday were now shouting, "Congratulations on the new job, Sarah!" My face felt cold. I wiped my cheek. I didn't even realize when I started crying. But I wasn't sad. I just felt absolutely nothing inside. 3 Growing up in the faculty housing complex of a university, I had admired Carter, the resident academic genius, since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I was always quiet and awkward. I never fit in with their group. I would always sit by my window, enviously watching Carter and Sarah chase each other and play. I studied like my life depended on it. Every time I saw our names ranked next to each other on the school's honor roll, I would be incredibly happy. But I wasn't as bubbly and cute as Sarah. Between Carter and me, we were always just polite strangers. It wasn't until we both got into the same university, and Sarah went to a lower-tier college where she started dating someone else, that I finally gathered the courage to confess my feelings to him. Heaven smiled on me. He said yes. From that day on, every single decision I made revolved around him. When he decided to stay at the university to teach, I gave up a prestigious opportunity to study abroad. My advisor pleaded with me countless times. She brought up my older peers who had returned from abroad to secure million-dollar salaries, become distinguished scholars, and achieve full professorships at incredibly young ages. But I just blushed and told her: "As long as I can have a stable, peaceful life with him, that's enough for me." I poured absolutely everything I had into him. All I wanted was him. Yet he had never once considered me. Standing in the freezing winter wind, I let out a long, heavy breath and called my former Ph.D. advisor. "Professor? Excuse me, but... is that project you mentioned before still looking for people?" My professor paused for a split second before her voice exploded with excitement. "My dear girl, you finally figured it out?! "Of course we need you! This project practically has your name on it! Your junior colleague was begging and crying to join, but I still refused her! When do you plan on coming over? I'll personally pick you up from the airport!" I smiled. "Give me about two weeks, Professor. I'll head over as soon as I tie up loose ends here." 4 Even though I wasn't leaving immediately, I asked for all the detailed documentation on the project. Ireland has a significant time difference. By the time I hung up the phone, it was already getting dark for my professor. And for me, it was the middle of the night. My head was throbbing and heavy. I ran a hot bath, and as I sank into the water, the tension in my muscles finally started to ease. Exhaustion completely consumed me. Listening to the soft music playing, I drifted into a deep sleep. When I opened my eyes again, it was because of the sound of the front door opening. "Chloe?" It was Carter's voice. His voice echoed through every room in the apartment, growing increasingly frantic. Until the bathroom door was pushed open, and his voice dropped low. "Chloe." His gaze carried a hint of blame. I couldn't fathom what he was angry about. Was he mad that I wasn't sitting in the living room waiting for him like I usually did, ready to start a massive fight and interrogate him about his relationship with Sarah? "Oh, you're back. Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't hear you." Gripping the edge of the tub, I turned my head. "Could you please step out?" My attitude was polite but incredibly distant. He frowned. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted. "I didn't come back earlier because Sarah had too much to drink. Her ex-boyfriend was harassing her, and I couldn't just leave a girl alone..." "I know. Safety first, right?" He froze. I gave a soft chuckle. "You're... not mad?" I laughed out loud. "What is there to be mad about? You guys grew up together. What's wrong with walking your childhood friend home? Especially since she lives alone." For a split second, the look Carter gave me was one of pure disbelief. I waited for a moment, and when he didn't move, I just stood up to grab a towel. We lived together anyway. It wasn't like he hadn't seen everything before. It was just that I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Wrapping the towel around myself, I turned to leave. He grabbed my wrist forcefully. "Chloe, can you just say what's actually on your mind?" I paused. "What am I supposed to say?" He hesitated. "Don't you... normally have a lot to say?" I thought about it for a second. It was true. In the past, every time we fought over Sarah, I was always the one relentlessly arguing, refusing to let it go. But I've realized that people only lose control and go crazy when their hearts are completely full of love. I didn't feel anything anymore. Naturally, I had nothing left to say. So, I gently pushed his hand away. "Stop fooling around. It's past 2 AM, and I have experiments to run tomorrow." His hand, which I had pushed away, hung frozen in mid-air. I yawned. "Don't stay up too late either. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." With that, I actually got into bed and closed my eyes. There was no sound from outside the door for a while. And then. SLAM! A deafening crash jolted me right as I was about to fall asleep. It was Carter. He slammed the door and left. I knew exactly why he was mad. He had finally, rarely, offered me an olive branch. And I actually refused to take it. 5 I slept incredibly well that night. The next morning, yawning, I ordered delivery. When I opened the door, there was already a birthday cake sitting on the dining table. Carter was sitting behind the cake. "A belated happy birthday, Chloe." I froze in place, my food delivery app still open on the payment screen. "I know what happened yesterday upset you. We really couldn't find the ring." His long, pale fingers gently slid his phone across the table toward me. "That style didn't really suit you anyway. Pick out a new one. Sarah can be a bit childish, so please don't hold it against her. Kissing is a huge deal to us, but she's always been careless and impulsive since we were kids. You..." "You actually got a custom cake made for me? Thank you so much!" My sudden exclamation cut off whatever else he was going to say. He stared at me, completely dumbfounded. "Chloe?" I leaned over the cake, reading the inscription aloud. "Wishing my baby is eighteen forever." "What a sweet message. Thank you, I really love it!" He frowned. "Chloe..." I was busy pulling out plates and forks, but looked up when he spoke. "Yeah?" He lowered his eyes. "It's nothing." My voice was full of genuine delight. "This place has the best buttercream in the whole city. I can almost never get a reservation. You really put a lot of thought into this." He gave a soft "Mhm," his tone quiet and unreadable. "Chloe, the ring..." "Here, this is the biggest piece! You can't let it go to waste!" I placed the largest slice of cake directly in front of him. Then, picking up a smaller piece for myself, I took a bite. "Is this a new flavor? It's really good." "Chloe." He frowned deeply. "Can you please look at what I'm showing you?" I looked down. On his phone screen was the official website for Darry Ring (DR). The diamond ring brand famous for the rule that a man can only customize one ring in his entire lifetime. My hand trembled slightly. I couldn't even imagine how ecstatic I would have been if he had shown me this screen just one day earlier. But now, I just continued enjoying my favorite cake. "No thanks. Those are just marketing gimmicks. It's too much of a hassle." "Chloe?" Carter looked at me like I was being completely unreasonable. I smiled. "Really, I don't care about that kind of stuff anymore. Don't waste your money. Getting me this cake already makes me very happy." Finishing my piece, I placed the empty plate on the table. "I have a meeting today, so I have to leave early. Remember to put the plates in the dishwasher." Then, I turned and went into the bedroom to change. Scraaape. The sound of a chair being pushed back sharply. I turned around. Carter was putting his phone away. "Suit yourself. I'll order one for Sarah. She likes this kind of stuff." With that, he truly slammed the door and left. He hadn't touched a single bite of the cake. For the next few days, I didn't see him at the university at all.
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