Chapter 1
Pete and I had been together for seven years, our journey stretching from the sun-dappled college campus to the cutthroat bustle of the professional world.
We started with nothing but each other, building both our careers and our relationship hand in hand, lifting each other up every step of the way.
He was the ideal partner in every practical sense, even-keeled and steady, he never flew off the handle over small things.
The only problem?
He had zero interest in ever marrying me.
I, on the other hand, had dreamed of walking down the aisle with him for years. So I screwed up all my courage and planned a surprise reverse proposal at his company's victory banquet.
With every eye in the room fixed on us, the smile on Pete's face froze right on his lips. A tiny c***k split through the polished, unflappable mask he always wore so well.
I held my breath, staring at him anxiously.
All around us were friends we'd hustled and fought side by side with for years. If he turned me down in front of all of them, I'd never live down the humiliation.
He just sat there, face cold as stone, not moving an inch.
One of our best friends, trying to save me from total public embarrassment, stepped forward to take the ring from my hand and stuffed it straight into Pete's palm.
He took it without putting up a fuss, but he didn't say a single word about what it meant.
The night before what was supposed to be our engagement, he insisted on going out for one last bachelor's night out.
Well past midnight, my phone suddenly buzzed with a call from him. When I picked up, I realized he'd pocket dialed me by accident. All I could hear at first was the soft rustle of fabric. I called out his name once, and sure enough, no one answered.
Just as I was about to hang up, his voice cut through the line, cold and sharp.
"Who the hell does Nicola think she is, trying to corner me into marriage like this? I thought she knew me better than anyone. Turns out she's just a shallow, ordinary woman at the end of the day."
I froze on the spot, my breath catching in my throat with a sharp inhale. I didn't snap out of it until another voice drifted through the speaker.
"But Nicola has that insane body, man. She was the it girl back at uni, for crying out loud. She's stuck by you for seven whole years too."
Pete let out a cold, mocking scoff. "So I have to marry her just because we've been together seven years?" he exclaimed. "Besides, any woman would get boring if you slept with her for seven years straight. Touching her now is exactly like feeling my own left hand with my right. Even in bed, it's just going through the motions. I haven't felt a spark with her in ages."
He paused with a cruel chuckle. "If any of you guys are actually jealous, I'll gladly hand her over. Hell, I'll even play matchmaker for you two."
Snickers and rowdy laughter bubbled up across the room, loaded with sleazy, suggestive undertones.
"I get what you mean. Nicola's like some fancy, high-end delicacy. No matter how good it tastes at first, you get sick of it after eating it every day for years."
Basking in that wave of rowdy, like-minded laughter, Pete spilled his real thoughts.
"Besides, if I marry Nicola, what happens to Jesy? She's only twenty-one. She'd totally fall apart without me..."
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me dead center. Every last trace of sleepiness vanished in an instant.
The call had cut off at some point, though I hadn't even noticed.
Right then and there, I made up my mind.
We were done. No ifs, ands, or buts.
That same night, I booked a solo flight ticket to New York.
No hesitation, no dragging my feet. Not even a little bit.
