He Saved Romance for Her, I Rejected His Late Regret

Chapter 3

I wanted to grab his phone and see for myself, but Luke caught my wrist first.

"Haven't you had enough?"

"What's her contact name on your phone?"

He glanced down, showing not a shred of guilt. "I put that because I think of her as a little sister. You're the one twisting it into something dirty."

"Then can I see your chat history?"

"No."

He refused flatly.

"My boyfriend calls another girl 'baby,' and I don't even have the right to ask?"

I let out a hollow laugh, turned, and walked away.

Back at the apartment, I started packing the clothes I'd brought. Luke followed me into the bedroom and shut my suitcase.

"Our anniversary isn't over yet. Where are you going now?"

"Home."

"I already booked a restaurant for tonight."

I paused. For the first time in three years, he was actually trying to make it up to me.

Luke pulled a silver bracelet from the drawer. "Sasha felt bad about upsetting you yesterday, so she picked this out for you. It has a tracker. Didn't you always say the distance made you feel insecure?"

I took it. It fit perfectly, and my name was engraved on the inside. Something that had already gone cold in my heart stirred again, just a little.

Before dinner, Luke went to park the car. While I waited at the restaurant entrance, Sasha suddenly stepped out of his car.

"Jane, Luke saw I wasn't feeling well before we left, so he insisted on bringing me along for some air. You don't mind an extra place setting, do you?"

Without waiting for my answer, she looped her arm through his. Luke didn't pull away.

"Don't overthink it. It's just a meal."

At the table, Sasha asked to see our old chat history. "I've never been in a relationship this long. I wanted to see how you make it work."

Luke slid my phone toward her. "Passcode's her birthday. Go ahead."

I pressed my hand over it. "That's private."

Luke's tone stayed flat. "Isn't it just you asking if I ate and why I didn't text back? What's there to hide?"

Sasha had already tapped a voice message. Three years ago, I'd been crying, asking Luke if he'd leave me someday. Back then, he'd said he wouldn't. My voice came through the speaker, and a few nearby tables turned to look.

Sasha let out a soft laugh. "Jane, you were so cute back then. Like a kid who was scared of being abandoned."

I snatched the phone back, and my hand knocked over a glass of water. Luke immediately shielded Sasha, his voice sharp. "She didn't mean any harm. Do you have to be so sensitive?"

"Playing my private messages for other people to hear—I'm sensitive?"

"She just wanted to get to know you."

"Why does she need to get to know me?"

Sasha stood up, eyes red. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I thought the three of us could be good friends."

As she ran out, she bumped my bag off the back of the chair. The silver bracelet rolled to the floor, and the screen lit up on its own. The paired user wasn't Luke. It was Sasha. My location, heart rate, and account status were all displayed clearly.

I looked up at him. "You gave her my location?"

Luke paused. "Sasha was worried you'd show up and upset her. I just wanted her to be ready."

I dropped the bracelet into my water glass. The screen flickered twice and went dark.

Luke's face went cold. "Jane, that was a gift from me."

"No." I stared at the blurred name at the bottom of the glass. "It's a tracker you bought for her."