Chapter 4

I was about to go after him when my brother came back with ice cream. Seeing my hurried expression, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I think I saw a friend.”

In the blink of an eye, that figure disappeared into the crowd. I licked my ice cream and sent Justin a message: [Where are you?]

He replied half an hour later: [Tutoring a student.] As if to prove it, he sent another picture: a child bent over a desk writing.

[What’s wrong, babe? Missing me? How about I come find you after my class?]

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it easily takes root and grows.

I suddenly wanted to video call him. But with my brother next to me, I had to drop the idea.

After my brother politely declined the nth girl asking for his number, he finally had time to pay attention to me. “Hazel, you seem a bit down.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it because you didn’t get a Valentine’s Day gift?”

I shook my head. My brother didn’t care what I was thinking.

He snapped his fingers. Then, a group of exaggeratedly dressed “princes” seemed to pop out of nowhere and surrounded me.

“Pick whichever ones you like most. I’ll have them hang out with you.” My brother always did this crazy stuff. How was I supposed to handle ten or so of them?

“Oh, bro, I…” My brother’s jaw dropped. “What?! You want all of them?!”

When did I say that? He waved his hand. “Fine, kids make choices, but we adults have it all.” I was a bit speechless.

“Forget it, bro. Let’s just go get some food.” The princes were all handsome, but I had a boyfriend. It wouldn’t be right to do that.

But very soon, I changed my mind. Not long after we got in the car, Chloe sent me another message.

[Hazel, weren’t you with Justin today?]

[He’s busy tutoring students. I’m out with my brother.]

But then she sent me a photo. It was Justin and Scarlett playing the claw machine together. The location was the amusement park I was currently in.

This amusement park wasn’t cheap.

Other places might be a dollar a game, but here it was ten dollars for a single coin, and one try cost twenty dollars. Scarlett was already holding several stuffed animals.

With Justin’s skill, he probably wouldn’t even get one in ten tries.

He bought me a hundred-dollar gift set on Wish and tried to fool me with a screenshot of an official store purchase!

But he was spending hundreds, maybe even a thousand, dollars at the amusement park playing the claw machine for Scarlett!

Chloe asked me, [Hazel, do you want to come over now? I can keep an eye on him for you.]

[No, Chloe, you go hang out with your boyfriend. I’ll handle this myself.]

I couldn’t take it anymore. I called Justin directly. One ring, two rings, three… He didn’t pick up until the fifth!

“Hazel, what are you doing? I’m in class! The student’s parents are right here!”

I took a deep breath, trying my best to control my emotions. “Video call me.”

“I’m really busy here. I’m tired after a full day of teaching. Don’t be unreasonable, okay?!” His tone was incredibly impatient. This time, he didn’t even bother making up a lie.

“Am I being unreasonable, or do you just have a guilty conscience?”

He snapped, furious, “Hazel, what do you mean by that? I’ve been working so hard for our future, and now you’re doubting me?!”

He kept saying it was all for our future! But my future wasn’t going to come from him sucking up to some rich girl!

I hung up, sent him the link and the photo, and left a message: [We’re over.] Then I blocked and deleted all his contacts.

When did he start seeing Scarlett? That authentic YSL gift set must have been for Scarlett too.

Scarlett, that kind of rich girl, so proud, claiming she never bought second-hand goods, despising vintage and antiques. But a person like that actually liked stealing other people’s boyfriends?