Chapter 2

Hearing the sales associate’s words, I stood frozen in place. It took me a full three minutes to understand what she had said.

“That’s impossible! Please check again. Could the age of the watch have caused you to make a mistake?”

Chloe was the heiress of a wealthy family. How could she possibly have given me a fake?

A false smile appeared on the sales associate’s face as she returned the watch to me.

“If you don’t trust the appraisal, you can take it to a professional authentication agency. The craftsmanship on this counterfeit is very crude. It’s worth no more than two hundred dollars on the market.”

A chill spread through me. My hands trembled as I took the watch back.

The scene from the day Chloe gave it to me came rushing back with perfect clarity.

She had told me the watch was extremely valuable and needed to be carefully maintained, so I shouldn’t wear it outside casually.

I had treasured it and naturally agreed, hardly ever daring to wear it out.

Now that I thought about it, she must have been afraid that someone would discover the watch was fake if I wore it in public.

This watch was just like her feelings for me. It was all a fantasy born from my own wishful thinking.

I sat on the steps and threw the watch hard into a trash can.

My phone rang. It was the hospital.

“Mr. Parker, the kidney matched to your father has been purchased by someone else. The patient also passed away from complications just moments ago.”

Those few words rolled through my mind like thunder, mocking me for being an unfilial son.

If I had never met Chloe, if I hadn’t devoted myself to her so foolishly, I wouldn’t have been unable to come up with even the $200,000 my father needed for treatment.

“I’m sorry, Dad…”

When I saw my father lying in the hospital bed, his breathing gone, I could barely remain standing.

I hadn’t even managed to see him one last time.

I numbly handled my father’s funeral arrangements and couldn’t even be bothered to go to work.

Chloe seemed to finally remember me and called.

“Ethan, where the hell have you been? Are you seriously quitting? You’re throwing a tantrum over a little money?”

“Yes, I signed a prenuptial agreement with you, but that doesn’t mean I have to marry you! If you keep making trouble, we’ll break up right now!”

I stared at the urn in front of me, my heart already dead.

“There’s no need. I won’t ask you for money again. My father is gone. I’ll never need it for him again.”

Chloe was stunned for a moment before letting out a cold laugh.

“Ethan, you’ve really opened my eyes. You’re so desperate for money that you’re cursing your own father to die early!”

“If you’re unwilling to come to the company, then you can give up your position as general manager too. Let Jason have it!”

I felt nothing.

“Fine. Didn’t you want Jason to replace me all along? Now you can have it your way.”

Chloe laughed angrily. “Fine. Remember, you’re the one who resigned voluntarily. Don’t come asking me for severance pay!”

I gave a mocking laugh. Even when I was leaving her, the only thing she cared about was money.

“I don’t want any money. And while we’re at it, let’s officially break up.”

“Break up?”

Chloe’s voice rose sharply.

“You want to break up with me over something this trivial? Ethan, I’ve told you hundreds of times. Jason is only my best friend. Why do you always target him?”

Her male best friend?

Even though I had already lost all hope in Chloe, I still couldn’t stop the anger from rising inside me when I heard that.

During our seven years together, Jason had always hovered around Chloe like a ghost that refused to leave.

He even followed us on every single date, claiming he was only there to look out for Chloe.

Whenever I complained, Chloe always grew impatient.

“He’s my best friend. I think of him as a girl. Can you stop being so disgusting? If there were anything between us, it would have happened long ago. You wouldn’t even have a chance with me!”

Because Chloe indulged him, Jason became bolder and more shameless. He even intertwined his fingers with hers right in front of me, and the two of them wore matching couple outfits every day under the excuse that they were best-friend outfits.

Even when outsiders mistook them for a couple, Chloe never explained. Instead, she seemed delighted that people saw them that way.

They did everything couples did under the name of friendship, then turned around and accused me of having a filthy mind.

“Chloe, don’t you always say that where the money goes, the love goes too? Who have you spent more money on, Jason or me?”

As soon as I said that, Chloe was rendered speechless.

She had always used that argument to force me to hand over all my money.

Humiliated and furious, Chloe said coldly, “Are you trying to settle accounts with me now? Don’t forget that our prenuptial agreement says the money in your salary account was a voluntary gift. Even if we break up, don’t expect to get it back!”

I said calmly, “Take all of it. Buy Jason as many luxury watches as you want. I won’t ask a single question.”

Perhaps because my tone was completely different from before, Chloe began to panic.

“Ethan, is there some kind of misunderstanding? I’ll come find you right now. Just listen to me…”

I couldn’t be bothered to hear another word and hung up.

Not long after I submitted my resignation, a headhunting firm called me several times.

“Mr. Parker, I heard you’ve left your previous company. Would you be interested in joining us? The salary we’re offering is far higher than what you were making before!”