Chapter 2

The next morning, the whole group was buzzing.

Bianca was glowing as she walked around the office handing out candy.

“It’s my birthday tonight. Adrian says he’s treating everyone to dinner, so come on, don’t be shy!”

When she saw me, she lifted her chin and held out a piece of candy to me.

“Elena, you should come too.”

I ignored the candy in her hand.

“My husband is throwing his mistress a birthday banquet. I’ll pass.”

Bianca was still young.

Her face turned green on the spot, and she slammed the candy down.

“Who are you calling a mistress?”

Adrian came out with a dark look on his face and tried to explain.

“Bianca landed a big project last week. The dinner is being paid for by the company. Can you stop overthinking this?”

Then he held my shoulder in a placating way and leaned close to whisper in my ear,

“Bianca’s leaving in a few days anyway. Just think of it as a farewell dinner from the group.”

I looked at the pleading expression on his face and didn’t say anything in the end.

But Bianca wasn’t satisfied.

She started crying right there in the office, acting wronged.

“Why does she get to call me a mistress? Adrian and I have done nothing. Is it just because I’m younger, prettier, and more capable than she is?”

The people in the office could see I was still standing there, so no one dared comfort her openly.

I walked straight up to Bianca in front of Adrian.

“You and Adrian have done nothing, and yet on my birthday, you pulled that little stunt to make him take you to the Ferris wheel?”

“You and Adrian have done nothing, and yet when you had cramps, you had him at your house rubbing your stomach?”

“You and Adrian have done nothing, and yet you casually accepted a necklace worth hundreds of thousands?”

Bianca’s face turned bright red, but I still wasn’t done.

“Bianca, don’t forget this. Every dollar Adrian spent on you is marital property. I have every right to demand that you pay it back.”

“But whatever. He spent that money on you, so I’ll just treat it like charity from me.”

“You may be young and pretty, but don’t forget—when I married him, I was ten times better than you are now.”

The first time Adrian and I met was at a school basketball game.

We were freshmen in high school.

He was tall, handsome, and incredible at basketball.

He got a crowd of girls crushing on him after just one game.

At halftime, my cheer team came on.

And after just one performance, Adrian was completely hooked.

Right there in the middle of the game, he shouted out,

“The girl leading the team—do you have a boyfriend?”

“If not, can you consider me?”

I was proud and impossible back then. I just glanced at him and said,

“Whether you can catch me depends on your skills.”

Adrian laughed on the spot.

And in those ten short minutes of halftime, the two of us became the biggest gossip in the school.

After that, Adrian chased me like he was possessed.

Any free moment he had, he’d use it to check on me and take care of me.

I was a rich girl.

He was a poor boy.

Everyone told him, “Give up. You’ll never get her.”

But Adrian never backed down.

“Elena, I’m set on you for life.”

He once skipped dinner for a whole month just to save up enough money to take me to a movie.

He worked part-time on weekends just to buy me a birthday gift.

I once told him, “If you win thirty games for me, I might consider it.”

After that, he showed up at every basketball game.

He fought like his life depended on it, and every time he won, he’d shout to the stands,

“Elena, will you be my girlfriend?”

He chased me for three whole years.

And when we graduated high school, I finally said yes.

That night, Adrian finally won the war he’d been fighting for three years.

But when my father found out, he said Adrian came from nothing and refused to let us be together.

Later, for me, Adrian worked himself half to death as soon as he started college.

He never played basketball again.

And for him, I gave up dancing and turned my back on my family.

In the end, all that wild young love still couldn’t survive reality.

That night, the whole group went out to celebrate Bianca’s birthday.

I stayed at the office and worked late by myself.

Right before I was about to leave, my secretary texted me:

“Elena, something’s wrong—Bianca tried to kill herself!”

My heart jumped.

The second I got to the hospital, Adrian was standing there waiting for me with a dark face.

“You knew Bianca was proud. Why would you say those things to her in front of so many people?”

“I haven’t actually done anything with her. What more do you want from me?!”

I looked at him standing there furious, and for a second I couldn’t even speak.

In ten years together, he had barely ever raised his voice at me.

And now he was yelling at me over Bianca.

“She provoked me.”

Adrian let out a cold laugh.

“Elena, are you still eighteen?”

“Since when did you become someone who only knows how to win with cheap words?”

I stood there numbly, looking at him.

But he wouldn’t even look at me.

“Go home.”

“Bianca doesn’t want to see you.”

“I’m staying at the hospital with Bianca for a while. I’m not coming back.”