Chapter 1

"Ethan, I don't think we're working out anymore."

Chloe pushed the limited-edition bracelet back toward me. It was the exact one I had stood in line for three hours to buy, but right now, her eyes held nothing but pure, unbothered disdain.

I gripped the velvet box, my knuckles turning white.

She had no idea I worked overtime for an entire month just to afford this.

To her, the only thing that mattered was that her best friend just got a one-carat diamond ring, while she was stuck with what she saw as a cheap piece of silver.

"We’re just not a match," she repeated, her voice dripping with a sense of relief. "I’ve met someone else. He’s just an ordinary guy, but he actually *gets* me. Being with you... I feel like I'm suffocating in a lukewarm bath."

I stared at her perfectly done makeup, catching the spark of excitement in her eyes as she imagined her brand-new life.

I was silent for ten seconds.

Then, I smiled.

"Alright. I won’t hold you back."

That was the very last time I would ever indulge her.

Because starting tomorrow, she was going to learn what real suffocation felt like.