Chapter 3

I gently pushed her arms off me and left the apartment without looking at her.

The moment I walked into the design studio, my junior designer, Leo, rushed over to my desk with a massive grin. "Julian! Did you see the announcement on our WhatsApp group?"

I shook my head.

"Our company just signed a massive partnership with NW, the luxury brand in Europe! They're selecting a few designers to go to their headquarters for a three-year advanced training program. That’s NW, Julian! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

This program only opened up once every three years. Although our previous partners weren't as legendary as NW, they were still highly prestigious.

In the past, Marcus, our creative director, had urged me to apply multiple times. But I had always turned him down.

The program required living in Europe for three years. I couldn't bear to leave Chloe, and I knew she would never survive a long-distance relationship. For her, I had thrown my career away.

Looking back, I had spent my entire twenties obsessing over only two things: loving Chloe, and my design work.

Now, at thirty years old, I had failed at both. It was pathetic.

In my relationship, I was the only one putting in any effort. I had chased her for ten years and been rejected fifty-two times, all because she wanted to wait for Hunter.

My career had been stagnant for just as long. Without going abroad for training, I could never move up to a senior global partner role.

I realized it was time to start living for myself.

I walked straight into Marcus's office. When I told him I wanted to apply for the NW training program, a look of genuine shock flashed across his face.

"Are you serious, Julian?"

I nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Did you talk it over with your girlfriend?"

I was quiet for a moment before replying, "I've made up my mind. I'm thirty now. It's time to focus on my career."

Marcus smiled warmly. "I've been waiting to hear you say that for years. I recommended you every single time, and you always turned me down. Since this is a partnership with NW, I expect nothing but masterpieces from you."

"Thank you, Marcus. I won't let you down."

After finalizing the details, I went back to my desk and threw myself into preparing my portfolio. For the entire day, Chloe didn't cross my mind once.

I didn't even check to see if she had sent me any Snaps.

And I realized I didn't want to care anymore.

Just as I was about to log off for the day, a message from Chloe popped up on Snapchat.

She wrote: *Let's have dinner tonight.*

I stared at the screen for a few seconds. This was actually the first time Chloe had ever actively planned a date with me, and the first time she was making an effort.

I agreed. I figured tonight would be the perfect time to tell her about my move to Europe.

When I walked out of the office building, her Land Rover was parked by the curb. I walked over, bypassed the passenger seat, and slid directly into the back.

Through the rearview mirror, I saw Chloe’s eyebrows knit together.

"Why are you sitting in the back? Are you treating me like your Uber driver now?"

I didn't say a word. My eyes were fixed on the passenger seat console, where a expensive men's watch was lying.

Chloe seemed to have forgotten that in the past, whenever Hunter joined us, I was always the one forced to sit in the back.

Eventually, I started avoiding any outings that involved Hunter just to save myself the embarrassment.

I never expected that he would leave something as personal as his watch in her car.

And he definitely did it on purpose.

I turned my head to look out the window, feeling completely numb.

It didn't matter anymore. In my heart, Chloe and I were already over.

Noticing my gaze, Chloe glanced at the watch on the console and quickly explained, "Hunter had a few too many drinks last night. He must have dropped his watch when I drove him home."

"Oh," I replied softly. "It's fine. He's always been forgetful. I get it."

She glanced back at me through the mirror, clearly taken aback by how easily I had let it slide.

She started the car, and for the entire drive, she kept trying to make small talk. I only gave her short, polite answers.

She must have picked up on my coldness because she eventually fell silent. Soon, she pulled up in front of a high-end Italian restaurant.

Chloe got out and handed the keys to the valet.

"The food here is amazing. I've been meaning to bring you here for a while."

"You and Hunter have pretty similar tastes. If he likes it, I know you will too."

She looked at me, searching for a reaction. When I remained silent, she sighed softly and grabbed my hand. "Look, I know you're upset about the proposal. That's why I brought you here tonight—to apologize. Please don't be mad anymore, okay?"

Chloe led me inside. The waiter greeted her warmly, and without even looking at the menu, she simply said, "We’ll have our usual." The waiter nodded politely and walked away.

Clearly, Chloe was a regular here.

But it was my very first time.

***