Chapter 1

1

I have a hereditary fat metabolism disorder. Overeat slightly, and my weight and blood sugar spiral out of control. After diagnosis, my best friend Wendy quit sweets and fried foods with me so I could look perfect for my wedding. My fiancé Hank was deeply moved.

Three days before the wedding, Hank said, "We're at the finish line. I'm taking Wendy out for a cheat meal tonight. What are you craving, Wendy?" My fork of plain chicken breast froze mid-air. He asked her, not me. Wendy squealed, hugging my arm. "Sushi! The expensive kind!" Hank chuckled. "You got it, little glutton."

He turned to me. "Tracy, your dress is a size smaller. I'll take you for spicy hotpot after the wedding. I need to compensate Wendy first for suffering through this diet with you." I lowered my head. The dry chicken tasted like cardboard. He gave Wendy all the credit and rewards, while I got all the discipline and sacrifice. Throughout my diet, he never encouraged me once. He only pitied her.

Wendy grabbed Hank's hand, pulling him toward the door. "Let's run there so we can eat even more! Catch us, Tracy!" I stayed put until they disappeared down the street. My eyes drifted to the snowboard shop on the corner. For months, I'd talked about wanting to go snowboarding. But I wanted hotpot right now. And I didn't want to wait until the honeymoon to snowboard either.

…

I was picking up my third snowboard when Hank finally called me.

When I answered, it was Wendy’s voice coming through the speaker.

"Tracy, we already started eating! What’s taking you so long?"

Before I could even respond, she flipped the camera around. The screen showed Hank, meticulously peeling a shrimp with absolute patience.

"Don't worry, Tracy! Your fiancé is taking amazing care of me!"

Hank looked down with a soft smile, handing her the peeled shrimp with practiced ease.

We had been together for seven years. He had never peeled a shrimp for me.

I carried the snowboard toward the checkout counter. "I’m not coming. You guys enjoy yourselves."

The line went dead silent for a second.

Wendy flipped the camera back to herself. "What’s wrong, Tracy? Are you mad?"

She chewed loudly as she spoke.

I looked away from the screen and handed the board to the cashier. "Hi, I’ll take this one, please."

Wendy choked slightly on her food.

The camera shook violently before the phone was handed back to Hank.

"Tracy?"

I waited until the cashier started ringing up the board before looking back at the screen.

Hank lowered his voice into a hushed, reprimanding tone.

"Stop throwing a tantrum at Wendy. She completely lost her appetite because of you.

"If you’re not coming, just go home early. We’ll talk tonight.

"I promised you I’d never let you go to sleep angry."

My fingers paused. I thought, maybe I could give him one last chance.

"Alright. Buy me that snowsuit I’ve been asking for, and we’ll talk."

I left the shop's shipping address with the cashier and hailed a cab to the university district. When I stepped out, snow had started falling from the dark sky.

I pushed the door of the hotpot shop open. "Auntie Martha, the usual, please."

Auntie Martha walked out of the kitchen with a warm, wrinkled smile.

"Tracy! What a surprise. Where’s Hank today?"

I looked away. "He’s busy."

Auntie Martha didn't notice my tone and started expertly tossing my favorite vegetables into the boiling broth.

"I heard that after your old boss ran off, you two started your own design firm! So young and successful. I’m so proud of you both."

I forced a smile and pulled a wedding invitation out of my purse.

Auntie Martha froze for a second before wiping her hands on her apron, her face breaking into a huge, delighted grin.

"Oh my goodness! Congratulations! I will absolutely be there. I need to get you two a massive red envelope!"

I quickly waved my hands.

"Just bring yourself, Auntie. You helped us so much back then. Hank and I are incredibly grateful."

In college, Hank and I survived purely on student loans and part-time jobs. At the end of every month, when we were completely broke, we would come here and order the cheapest vegetarian combo.

Over time, Auntie Martha memorized our faces.

Eventually, we started finding extra slices of meat hidden at the bottom of our bowls.

Just as I finished eating and stood up to leave, the front door swung open. I came face to face with Hank.

Behind him was Wendy, draped in a brand-new, luxurious wool coat.

The moment she walked in, her eyes grew red and teary.

"Tracy, if you didn't want sushi, why didn't you just say so?"

She looked around the tiny, rundown shop with blatant disgust.

"Why would you come to a place like this? It’s so unsanitary."

Auntie Martha, who had just started walking over to greet them, froze dead in her tracks, completely humiliated.

My face instantly hardened. Hank’s jaw tightened. Seeing Wendy open her mouth to complain again, he quickly grabbed her arm.

I took a deep breath, turned to Auntie Martha, and apologized profusely, begging her not to take the insult to heart.

Then, I grabbed Wendy by the arm and dragged her outside.

She immediately started shrieking.

"Let go of me, Tracy! This coat is brand new! It’s handmade! You’re ruining it!"

I forcefully shoved her away. Before I could even open my mouth, Hank cut me off.

"Enough, Tracy. Wendy isn't wrong."

My lungs completely stopped working. "What did you just say?"

Hank sighed and stepped between us, deliberately shielding her from me.

"I mean, we have a different status now. Coming back to a dump like this is degrading."

The cold winter air fell into an absolute, suffocating silence.

I slowly looked up and met his eyes.

I couldn't recognize the man looking back at me anymore.

I slowly shook my head.

"A dump like this? Hank, did you forget how you survived those years?"

Hank’s brow furrowed in irritation.

"I haven't forgotten. But people need to move on and leave the past behind, don't they?"

I stood frozen on the sidewalk.

Wendy suddenly let out a delicate sneeze.

Hank instantly spun around, unscrewing the thermos he had been holding the entire time. "Here, drink some hot water quickly."

When he turned back to me, his tone had shifted to pure impatience.

"Tracy, stop being so dramatic, okay?"

I pointed a shaking finger at my own chest. "I’m being dramatic?"

"Aren't you? Wendy and I went home, and you weren't there. Your phone was off. We were losing our minds with worry.

"Wendy has been freezing out here for an hour trying to find you, and this is how you treat her?"

I opened my mouth, but it felt like a soaked sponge had been shoved down my throat. I couldn't utter a single syllable.

Hank and I did owe Wendy.

When we first started our firm, nobody wanted to hire two fresh graduates. We were on the verge of bankruptcy.

Wendy convinced her wealthy father to pull some strings and get us into a massive bidding war. That was the only reason we survived.

Ever since that day, Hank treated Wendy like royalty. He catered to her every whim.

But whenever she left, he would bury his face in my neck, groaning in exhaustion.

"Tracy, networking is so exhausting."

He used to raise his hand and swear to me. "I promise, I’m just buttering up the client! I’m doing this all for the company!"

I used to laugh at how dramatic he was.

But when exactly did Hank turn this "networking" into a genuine obsession?

Maybe it was the first time he practically begged to drive her home.

Maybe it was during my business trips, when they started going out for private dinners, night after night.

When I finally caught them, he looked at me with that tired, condescending expression.

"The only reason we have this lifestyle is because of her. I am just fulfilling my duty as a businessman to keep the client happy. Stop being so paranoid."

Suddenly, a freezing gust of wind ripped down the street, and my body shivered uncontrollably.

Hank’s face instantly changed.

He rushed forward, grabbing my hands, letting out a sharp gasp.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

He frantically breathed hot air into his palms, rubbing my hands vigorously, trying to transfer his body heat to me.

Deep down in my chest, a pathetic, stupid sliver of warmth flared back to life.

"Hank."

I forced a tight smile. "Did you buy the snowsuit I wanted?"

Hank’s hands stopped moving.

"Tracy," he said, glancing back at Wendy for a split second. "You don't actually need that snowsuit right now, do you?"

I froze. "What?"

Wendy immediately rushed forward and linked her arm through mine.

"Come on, Tracy! You’re not going snowboarding tomorrow, right?

"After we finished our sushi, we walked past this designer coat boutique. I made Hank go in with me."

She smiled, looking incredibly pleased with herself. "He kept saying everything looked perfect on me. He gave absolutely zero constructive feedback!"

Hank looked up at the sky, laughing helplessly. "That’s because you were the model. Everything looks good on you."

He turned back to me, the fond smile still lingering on his lips. Before he could speak, I violently ripped my hands out of his grip.

"So," I stared dead into his eyes. "Something I’ve been begging for was cast aside for her impulsive shopping trip. Again. Right?"

Hank’s brow snapped together in instant frustration.

Wendy looked confused for a second before her face hardened with offense.

"Excuse me? What did I even do?"

Hank’s voice immediately turned harsh and protective, exactly like a boyfriend defending his girl from an attack.

"Tracy, I don't understand you.

"Why are you throwing a fit right now? Even if I bought it, you wouldn't use it until we go on our honeymoon, right?"

Wendy pouted her lips, nodding in aggressive agreement.

Hank kept going. "If you keep acting like this, I’m just going to take Wendy snowboarding instead and leave you at home."

I looked at him, pronouncing every single word with absolute clarity.

"Don't worry about it. I don't need you to take me."

Hank blinked, caught off guard. "What does that mean?"

I took a breath. "It means the wedding is off."

The second those words left my mouth, both of their faces morphed into pure shock.

Wendy jumped backward.

"Tracy, are you out of your mind? You’re ruining your wedding over a coat?!"

Hank just stared deeply into my eyes.

"You’re doing this over a cheat meal? Or is it because of the stupid snowsuit?"

I slowly shook my head. "I just suddenly realized that you already have someone you genuinely want to spend your life with. Why should I force myself into the picture?"

Hank’s face turned as black as thunder.

Wendy suddenly let out a dramatic sob, her eyes turning bright red.

"This is all my fault! Fine, I’ll leave!"

She turned around and sprinted blindly into the freezing snowstorm.

Hank instantly lunged forward to chase her. He took two steps, then violently whipped his head back to look at me.

"Tracy," his voice was hoarse and furious. "When we had absolutely nothing, Wendy was the only one who threw us a lifeline.

"I coddle her, I spoil her, I agree with her because it is basic human networking! Why can't you ever understand that?!"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and bolted after her into the blizzard.

Once again, I was left standing entirely alone on the street.

A snowflake landed on my lip. It was strange. Why did it taste like salt?

I walked into a sports store, bought the exact snowsuit I wanted, and hailed a cab home.

When I stepped out of the car, I checked my phone. Zero missed calls.

The only notification was a text from the snowboard shop employee, confirming that my board had been delivered to my front door.

But when I reached my porch, the board was gone.

I was about to call building security when I accidentally opened my Instagram feed.

Wendy had just posted a new photo: "There’s no sadness a little snow can't fix!"

The photo was of the exact snowboard I had spent weeks researching and selecting. The background was my own living room.

A sickening mix of confusion and anger washed over me. My hands shook as I unlocked the front door.

The entryway lights were blazing.

Wendy was sitting on my couch, caressing the snowboard as if it were a priceless artifact.

Hank was standing next to her, looking down at his phone, typing notes.

The second he saw me, his expression dissolved into pure panic. He practically teleported across the room.

Before I could even speak, he clamped a heavy hand over my mouth and physically shoved me back out the front door into the freezing hallway.

I violently ripped his hand off my face.

"Hank, you better give me a damn good explanation for why she has my snowboard."

Hank dug his fingers into my shoulders, his eyes darting frantically toward the door, aggressively shushing me.

"Keep your voice down! Don't let Wendy hear you!

"She has been spoiled her whole life. She can't handle being criticized. She was crying so hard, so I just... told her you bought the board specifically for her as an apology."

My eyes widened in absolute disbelief. "Me? Apologize to her?"

Suddenly, the front door swung open.

Wendy launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Tracy, I forgive you! We’re still besties!"

Out of the corner of my eye, Hank was frantically signaling me to play along.

I slowly, deliberately peeled her arms off my shoulders.

Then, I pulled out my phone, typed "911" into the keypad, and held the glowing screen right in front of their faces.

I spoke slowly, emphasizing every syllable. "Taking things without permission is called theft."

Wendy froze instantly.

All the blood drained from Hank’s face.

He grabbed my wrist with a vice-like grip and dragged me into the master bedroom, slamming the door shut behind us.

His eyes were completely bloodshot.

"Do you really have to humiliate her like this?

"It’s just a piece of plastic! Are you insane?"

I stared at him for a long time. Suddenly, all the tension left my muscles. I just felt entirely, overwhelmingly exhausted.

"You’re right. It’s not worth it."

"Let's break up, Hank."

A raw, guttural roar ripped out of Hank’s throat.

"No!"

I flinched, startled by the sheer violence in his voice. He realized he had lost control and immediately lowered his tone into a harsh, desperate whisper.

"If you dump me right now, do you have any idea how embarrassed Wendy will be?

"Tracy, you are an adult! Can you stop throwing irrational tantrums like a child?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I’m throwing a tantrum?"

Hank took a step closer, towering over me.

"Are you telling me I’m the villain here?

"I am breaking my back trying to keep your best friend happy! I spend more time managing her emotions than I do yours! And I’m doing all of it for the company! I’m doing it so I can give you a better life!"

The room fell dead silent.

I heard my own voice whisper, hollow and broken.

"But I never asked you to sacrifice yourself like that for me."

Tears flooded my vision. I dropped to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around myself.

Hank let out a long, heavy sigh. He gently slipped my phone out of my hand and typed a quick apology message to Wendy on my behalf.

After he finished, his voice became soft and gentle again.

"Tracy, just take some time to really think about this.

"It’s getting late. I’m going to drive Wendy home."

Just as his hand touched the doorknob, I called out to him.

"Hank. Are you really doing all of this to give me a better life? Or did you just construct an elaborate excuse so you could justify spending all your time with her without feeling guilty?"

The air in the room stood still for a terrifying second.

Then, Hank let out a light, completely unabashed laugh.

"Does it really matter? You’re the one I’m marrying in the end. Isn't that enough?"

He looked down at the floor, sighing softly.

"It’s just... the more time I spend with Wendy, the more I realize how heavy my life is with you. When I look at you, I just get reminded of those miserable, poverty-stricken years.

"Carrying the weight of this company and our future is exhausting, Tracy. You have to let me find my own happiness somewhere."

With that, he opened the door and walked out.

I sat slumped on the hardwood floor, staring blindly at the wall.

A few hours later, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Hank.

"Wendy is having a panic attack and can't sleep. I’m going to stay at her place tonight. Don't wait up."

I stared at the glowing text message for a very long time. The final, microscopic ember of hope in my chest permanently died.

With frozen fingers, I opened a travel app and bought a one-way ticket to a ski resort out West. My flight left at dawn.

Hank, I am never waiting for you again.

Early the next morning, someone started violently pounding on my front door.

When I opened it, Hank was standing there, his face completely twisted with rage.

Wendy was standing right behind him, her eyes swollen, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

"Tracy, what the hell is wrong with you?"

I looked up, completely lost.

Hank aggressively shoved his phone screen directly into my face. That’s when I saw it. Our company’s internal forum was completely blowing up.

An anonymous account was mass-posting vicious rumors, accusing Hank and Wendy of having an illicit, sleazy affair.

His voice dropped into a lethal whisper.

"Tracy, if you want to break up, fine. But why do you have to be so incredibly vindictive? Why are you trying to destroy our reputations?"

My entire body flinched. I froze in the doorway.

"I... I didn't do that."

Wendy choked on a sob and stepped forward, playing the ultimate victim.

"Tracy, I know you’ve always been jealous that I was the one who saved the company, but you can't fake a real emotional connection!

"How could you use such a disgusting, dirty trick against me... If this leaks to the industry, my life is ruined!"

She looked like she was about to collapse from the sheer injustice of it all.

Hank stared at me like I was a complete monster.

"Tracy, you are going to go online and post a public retraction right now!"

My throat tightened painfully. My fingernails dug so deep into my palms I almost drew blood.

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Hank was momentarily stunned by how eerily calm I sounded.

But Wendy’s eyes immediately lit up. She quickly unzipped her designer purse and pulled out two crisp sheets of paper.

The first was a formal letter of apology and a full confession to the rumors.

The second was a termination notice.

She looked at me with those big, tear-filled eyes.

"Tracy, we have to kill this rumor before it spreads. I drafted an apology letter on my way over. All you have to do is sign it."

My voice felt like sandpaper.

"And the termination notice?"

Wendy instantly stopped crying and glanced nervously at Hank.

He lowered his voice, trying to sound reasonable.

"That was my decision. Just to avoid any more internal drama, I need you to stay away from the office for a while.

"Once this whole mess blows over, I’ll officially rehire you."

I looked down at the paper. The official company seal—my company’s seal—was stamped in red ink at the bottom. I let out a dry, hollow laugh and signed my name on both pages.

Hank let out a massive sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had just been lifted off his shoulders.

He took the papers, grabbed Wendy’s arm, and the two of them hurried back toward the office to do damage control.

I leaned against the doorframe, taking one final, lingering look at the apartment we had shared for years.

Then, I grabbed my snowboard, walked out, and never looked back.