Chapter 2

Kaele didn’t come back all night.

For the next few days, he didn’t appear before me. The messages I sent him, the calls I made, he didn’t answer any of them.

Sending more only resulted in a red exclamation mark.

He blocked me, a skillful silent treatment.

There were times like this before; Kaele was best at cold wars. Each time, I had to coax him for a long time before he’d show me a good face.

But this time, I was busy with work handover and didn’t have time to appease him.

I was buying a ticket to go back home in the evening when my phone suddenly rang.

It was Kaele’s friend calling.

The noise on the other end was chaotic, with men and women laughing and joking incessantly. The music was so loud that it felt disruptive even through the phone.

“Elowen, Kaele’s had too much to drink. Can you come pick him up?”

Kaele loved clubbing. His family was wealthy, and the band was just a hobby for him; he didn’t rely on it for money.

I once asked him why he didn’t inherit the family business. He sneered and said that for the little money his father had, his illegitimate siblings were almost fighting like dogs for it, and he didn’t want to compete for scraps.

Anyway, his grandfather’s estate and his mother’s would be left to him. He wasn’t short of money and just wanted to do what he liked in this lifetime.

Kaele seemed to have no ambition, and we had no common topics in this regard.

Whenever I secured a project or got a promotion at work, he always seemed uninterested when I told him.

He once disdainfully said that working hard for a little money each month was pointless, not even enough for a night of drinks at the bar.

I knew, from the core of our beings, we were not the same kind of people. Apart from physical compatibility, we had no common topics.

I didn’t care about his soul; I just liked his body.

He ignored my inner self, merely accustomed to my sensibility.

It’s quite good; this way, when we part, neither of us would be sad.

I thought for a moment and agreed, hung up the phone, and looked out the window.

The city at night seemed more splendid than during the day, with thousands of lights and bustling traffic. Various lights intertwined, overshadowing the stars in the sky.

I glanced at the ticket; it was for eight o’clock the morning after tomorrow.

I sighed.

Actually, I didn’t want to break up so soon. Kaele and I were really in sync in bed, and with the pressure of changing companies these days, I originally wanted to have a farewell fling with him.

I smacked my lips, feeling a bit regretful, but since the opportunity arose, there was no choice.

…

When I arrived at the bar, Kaele was surrounded by a group of girls.

They varied in shape and size, but all shared the common trait of being very pretty, with makeup unable to hide the ample collagen in their faces, clearly young.

No wonder girls liked him; Kaele’s family was wealthy, he was generous, handsome, and his flirtatiousness seemed to add to his charm.

I touched my face, recalling Kaele’s previous disdainful words.

“You’re already 27. If you need a facial, get one. Doll yourself up properly, will you?”

No wonder he despised me; he was surrounded by girls in their early twenties.

I said nothing, standing outside the crowd, my gaze meeting Kaele’s.

Yet he acted as if he didn’t see me, quickly averting his eyes.

Juniper, with a flushed face, clung tightly to him, her voice sticky:

“Kaele, have another drink.”

Kaele laughed.

Under the lights, his eyes were captivatingly beautiful, yet devoid of warmth.

“Drinking like this is boring. Why don’t you feed me?”

“How?”

Kaele said nothing, merely lowering his gaze to her.

Half a second later, Juniper understood, a hint of delight flashing in her eyes as she tilted her head back and downed the caramel-colored whiskey in her glass!

Then Kaele suddenly hooked her chin and kissed her fiercely.

His kiss lacked any tenderness, seemingly venting emotions. Juniper tilted her head to endure it, her eyes gradually moistening from lack of oxygen.

The liquor overflowed from the corners of their mouths, casting a mesmerizing hue under the lights, until a long silver thread stretched between them when they finally parted.

The atmosphere around exploded instantly, everyone screaming and cheering.

I knew he did it on purpose; he was punishing me.

Punishing me for showing him a cold face that day and not coaxing him afterward.

Until I walked up to Kaele, only then did everyone notice me, gradually quieting down.

Kaele looked up, his expression indifferent:

“What are you here for?”

Looking at that face, I vaguely recalled the days of intimacy.

In the heat of passion, we had spoken of love.

Does it hurt? It seems a bit.

But how much it hurts, it doesn’t seem to matter, for I always knew Kaele was this kind of person.

Flirtatious, endlessly seeking excitement, unable to refuse.

Selfish, probably spoiled from a young age, always self-centered, never considering others’ feelings.

I trembled as I spoke, “Kaele, you’re too much.”

Kaele looked up at me, clearly sitting while I stood, yet I felt his posture was looking down on me.

He maintained that indifferent expression, with a contemptuous smile.

“Too much? You can break up; no one’s stopping you.”

I said nothing, just looked at him.

I lost count of how many times he threatened me with breakups.

Fifty times?

Or a hundred?

Friends nearby felt he had gone too far, knowing how I treated him over the years, and softly said to him:

“Kaele, don’t be mad at her. Look, she’s about to cry.”

In fact, I did cry.

Acting requires full commitment, and when that tear fell to the ground, I clearly saw Kaele’s expression change, his fingers holding the cigarette twitched, yet he said nothing, just coldly watched me.

The next second, I softly said:

“Alright, Kaele.”

“Let’s break up then.”

Kaele’s face instantly turned extremely unpleasant, for a moment I almost thought he would explode!

Yet he didn’t get angry but laughed, though the laugh seemed gritted.

“Impressive, Elowen, fine, but I never go back to old flames.”

“Just don’t come begging like a dog later.”

“Alright.” I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Then I turned and left, not looking back at him once.

That night, Kaele didn’t come back. I deleted all contact with Kaele and everything related to him, packed my luggage.

Early the next morning, I boarded the earliest flight back home.

As the plane soared above the clouds, I removed the SIM card from my phone and tossed it into the trash bag.