Chapter 2

"Clara, what are you trying to do? When did I ever say I agreed to break up with you? So I gave Gina the set of jewelry you wanted—big deal! It's her birthday today. As her boss, what's wrong with me giving her a gift?"

Jared Jenkins stormed in, his voice sharp and full of fury. He must have just been chewed out by his grandmother, Frances.

Every word he spat out was laced with self-righteous logic.

"So you do remember that set of jewelry was the one I wanted."

I let out a bitter laugh. I had thought Jared didn't even realize I had once longed for that set.

I had told him before—it was my design. But someone stole the draft, and though I'd never get credit for it again, owning a set crafted from my own hands would've made up for that regret.

Back then, he held me close, kissed my cheek gently, and said with such tenderness and pity:

"If that design ever goes to market, I'll be the first to buy it for you."

A week ago, the ad for it came out.

I stared at it for a full ten minutes.

Jared saw me looking. He promised to buy it.

But never in my wildest thoughts did I expect him to give it to Gina Harlow instead.

"If you like it so much, I'll buy another set tomorrow," he said. "Stop making a scene. Now get back to Jenkins Manor and have dinner with Grandma. Her rheumatism's acting up again. You're the only one who knows how to ease her pain."

Finally, he got to the point.

When had it started—this pattern of calling me only when he needed something?

Like when he craved my soup and asked me to bring a pot to his office.

Or when he drank too much and made me deliver my homemade hangover desserts.

Or when he rear-ended someone and was late for a meeting, and I had to stand out in the freezing wind waiting for the insurance guy just to handle the mess for him.

Sometimes, when his temper got the best of him and he ended up in a barfight, it was me who had to go apologize on his behalf.

Our friends used to joke—those who knew us remembered we were a couple. Those who didn't thought I was his unpaid live-in maid and assistant.

On-call 24/7, 365 days a year, no breaks.

"This is the last time I'll say it, Jared. I'm breaking up with you! Don't call me again!"

I had already sent him the instructions and video on how to treat Frances's rheumatism.

If he truly cared about his grandmother, he'd go back to Jenkins Manor and look after her himself.

If his so-called devotion only extended as far as lip service, then there was nothing more I could do.

After eleven years together, I had done right by Jared and every member of the Jenkins family.

"You really want to force me to go to your mother?" Jared's voice dropped, laced with a dark edge. "You know how much she wants you to marry me. If we break up, aren't you afraid she'll lose it?"

"She'll find out sooner or later," I said, my scalp prickling at the thought of my mother. "Whether she's willing or not, she'll have to learn to face reality."

When I first started dating Jared, my mother was against it.

Back then, Jared's business hadn't taken off. He was drowning in debt.

My mother had wanted me to follow her plan and marry some twice-divorced rich man from Manchester.

But I was determined. I stuck by Jared, even going three whole years without returning home, just to help him build his company from scratch.

In the fourth year, she saw Jared's success on the news and came to our city on her own.

With a bright smile, she all but begged him to hurry up and marry me.

After that, she and Jared grew closer. Too close. Half the time, she bypassed me entirely and reached out to him directly.

It was through those interactions that he began to understand—my mother had always mistreated me.

She claimed it was for my own good, but time and again, she allowed my family to take advantage of me, sacrificing my interests to benefit my brother.

"She's still waiting for the money so your brother can get married. You really think she'll accept reality at a time like this?"

"..."