Chapter 2

The next morning, before the sun was even up, Austin was already up and active.

He had to rush to that high-end spa to stand in line, keeping his promise to Veronica.

I blocked him right before he could walk out the door. My voice was dead calm. "I'm moving out today. We are officially done."

Austin reached out and gripped my wrist tightly, his eyes filled with a panicked desperation.

"Chloe, please don't leave."

He cupped my hands and pressed them against his face, whispering, "We've been through so much to get here. I will explain everything to you, I swear."

But the next second, his alarm went off. He let go of my hands instantly and rushed out. "I have something urgent to handle. We'll talk when I get back."

To Austin, anything involving Veronica was "urgent"—from a spa reservation to driving her to the hospital when she had period cramps.

Everything of hers was a priority he couldn't refuse, while my needs could be delayed indefinitely.

I didn't have much stuff in this apartment. One suitcase was enough to fit everything.

I had once tried to decorate this place to make it feel like a cozy home. But when Veronica visited, she had simply frowned and said:

"Why is this place so cluttered? I hate it."

That very same day, Austin made me throw everything away.

I called Austin because I wanted to end things face-to-face.

I have my principles. I believe in proper endings, and that goes for breakups too.

Austin was driving when he answered. "Oh, forgot to tell you. The guys are throwing me a pre-wedding pool party today."

He paused, then added, "Veronica is coming too. But don't worry, none of us see her as a girl."

Veronica’s giggling voice drifted through the speaker. "Screw you, Austin! I'm a solid C-cup. You think I'm just gonna wear swim trunks like you guys?"

I forced myself to keep my voice steady. "I don't think I can wait for you to come home. If you have time, let’s meet up somewhere."

"Sure. Actually, I forgot my swim trunks. Can you bring them over to the pool club for me this afternoon?"

Then I heard Veronica's voice again. "Please, I've seen every inch of your body anyway. Why are you acting shy now?"

She then let out a dramatic "Oh!" as if she had just realized the phone was on.

"My bad, Chloe! I didn't know the call was still active. Don't get the wrong idea!"

After hanging up, I drove over to the private pool club they booked.

There, standing in the middle of a crowd of men, was Veronica, wearing a skimpy string bikini.

"Damn, Veronica! You're really feeding the bros well today with this look."

Veronica smiled cutely, playing along with the flirtatious vibe. "Shut up. Just treat me like one of the bros and we're good."

Austin’s eyes were locked onto her like a starving wolf, filled with a raw, predatory desire.

Veronica dove into the pool. She surfaced, her wet hair dripping water down her pale chest. "Are you coming in or what?"

Even from a distance, I could see Austin swallow hard. "Chloe hasn't brought my trunks yet."

One of his so-called frat bros groaned. "Man, that good-girl fiancée of yours is so slow. It's practically midnight, is she still waiting at every red light like a good little citizen?"

"Seriously. I still don't get what you see in her. I bet she's like a dead log in bed!"

"Totally. She can't even compare to our girl Veronica."

Veronica looked up at Austin, her eyes full of temptation. "Do you remember back in high school, when we snuck into the school pool at night without swimsuits? What did we do then?"

With that, she turned her back to the crowd, unclipped her bikini top, swung it over her head, and threw it right at Austin. "Do you still dare?"

She swam deeper into the pool, completely ignoring the wild cheers of the guys behind her.

Austin’s eyes went completely red. Without even taking off his clothes, he jumped into the water and swam furiously toward Veronica.

He threw his long arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. Then, he yanked off his wet shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders, his voice thick with possessiveness.

"Don't do that again. I don't want anyone else seeing you like this, got it?"

Veronica leaned into his chest, blushing like a schoolgirl.