Chapter 7

Truth be told, Jack Stevens didn’t have many things left here.

It took just two hours to clear everything out.

I called the junk man, Mr. Davinson, and handed over everything in one go.

The apartment felt clean all of a sudden.

No more pairs of things—no more signs of us.

It was refreshing.

I tidied up a bit, ready to start looking for a new job the next day.

Then a message came in. It was a photo.

Jack was lying in Cindy’s arms, his eyes half-closed.

Behind them was the luxurious setting of a private lounge, the kind dripping with decadence.

The dim lighting cast a seductive glow over Jack’s face.

A side of him I had never seen before.

Cindy didn’t add any words to the message.

But it was enough.

The message was clear: Jack Stevens was hers.

After the emotional rollercoaster earlier, I felt... nothing.

I deleted the photo, my expression blank as I started making myself a bowl of noodles.

I’d cried over him once. That was enough.

Crying over a man? Now that would be foolish.

The noodles were just about ready when my phone rang.

A number I didn’t recognize.

"Hey, Nina—no, wait, poor little Nina," came Victor’s booming voice from the other end.

"Jack’s drunk and insists you come pick him up. Better hurry."

I took a bite of my noodles. "Jack Stevens? I don’t know him."

"What are you talking about? If you don’t come soon, the place will close, and Jack will be sleeping on the street."

"Then let him sleep there," I said, finishing the noodles in just a few more bites.

"It’d be better if he just died."

Victor was still talking, but I hung up before he could waste any more of my time.

What a waste of a phone call.

I turned my phone off and enjoyed one of the best night’s sleeps I’d had in a while.

When I woke up the next morning, sunlight poured through the window, filling the room.

Turns out, when I’m not worrying about Jack Stevens, I can sleep perfectly fine.

This was the first day without him, and even the bed felt bigger than it used to.

I was just about to get out of bed when I saw a head pop out from the bathroom.