Chapter 2

Maya didn’t know anything when I showed up.But she opened the door with one eyebrow already up.

“Why is your package coming to my place?”

She opened the door in sweatpants, hair a mess, holding a mug. “The building text me I got a package.”

“Because I need it sent here,” I said, walking straight into her kitchen. For some water.My voice sounded normal. My stomach didn’t.

Maya followed me, confused. “Claire. What happened?”

“I’ll show you when it arrives.”

The buzzer rang five minutes later.

Maya went to grab the package. When she came back, she was carrying a plain shipping box and staring at the label like it offended her. “Okay. Now explain.”

“Open it,” I said.

Maya frowned but grabbed scissors and cut the tape. The flaps popped open.

Inside was a shoebox wrapped in light gray paper with a subtle silver pattern. Corners taped clean. And a small white card tucked under the lid edge, peeking out.

Maya froze. Her eyes went wide. “No way.”

She looked at me like I’d pulled a prank. “That’s… that’s the same wrapping you used for Ethan’s gift.”

“It is,” I said.

Maya blinked. “How is it here?”

I unlocked my phone and slid it across the counter. “Read.”

It was the eBay chat—my “buyer” messages, the seller’s short replies, and the part where the listing said, “From my ex-girlfriend. Letting it go cheap.”

Maya read fast. Her face changed as she scrolled—confused to shocked to disgusted.

She looked up. “The seller is Ethan.”

I nodded.

Maya’s voice went sharp. “He sold the shoes you bought him. He called you his ex. He sold them without even opening the box.”

I didn’t answer right away. My throat burned. I swallowed it down because if I let myself start, I wouldn’t stop.

Maya slammed the phone onto the counter. “Call him. Right now.”

“Not yet,” I said.

Maya stared. “Why are you acting like this is a work project?”

“Because I need one sentence,” I said. “I’m waiting.”

Maya opened her mouth, then paused. “For what?”

I pulled the wrapped shoebox out and set it on the counter. The seal on the shoebox was still intact. Ethan hadn’t even lifted the lid. That thought hit me like a slap all over again.

The card was still where I’d left it.

I remembered what I’d written on it—something soft and embarrassing.

Hope we last a long, long time.

He hadn’t seen it. He’d sold it like it was trash.

Maya watched me. “Claire… what are you doing?”

“Show him.” I said.

I opened the shoebox.And I took a small knife from Maya’s drawer.

Maya’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait—”

I dragged the blade lightly across the leather near the toe.

Maya sucked in a breath. “What the hell, Claire?”

I put the shoe back, closed the lid, and slid the card back into place.

Then I opened eBay Messages and typed like a normal buyer.

The package arrived, and there’s a scratch on the shoe.

I can’t accept it like this.

The typing bubble appeared almost immediately.

What scratch?

There shouldn’t be any.

I didn’t even open it.

My stomach tightened.But I just typed back.

You didn’t open it?

So you didn’t check anything before shipping?

His reply came fast, defensive.

It was sealed. It was brand new.

You probably did it yourself.

Maya let out a short, ugly laugh. “He’s unbelievable.”

I didn’t let myself sit in it. I kept going.

If you didn’t even open the box, you can’t say it wasn’t scratched.

I’m not accepting this.

He replied instantly, angry now.

You’re trying to scam me.

You scratched it. Not my problem.

It’s already shipped and delivered. I’m not responsible for anything after that.

I stared at the screen until my vision sharpened.

That line.

I took a screenshot. Then another.

Maya leaned in. “So that’s what you were waiting for.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Maya looked at the wrapped box, then at me. “Claire, I’m sorry. That’s… disgusting.”

I exhaled, slow. The anger was there. The hurt was there. My hands were cold.

“I’m not done,” I said. “But now I have what I need.”

Maya picked up her mug. “Then?”

Then?

Then I picked up my phone and called Ethan.

“Hey, baby. How are the shoes? Do they feel comfortable?”