Chapter 1

My girlfriend's ex-boyfriend attempted suicide, and ever since, whenever he felt unwell, she would drop everything and rush to his side, leaving me behind.

Faced with my objections, Chloe snapped:

"He was beaten raw, all bruised and battered, and his mental state is incredibly fragile. What's wrong with cutting him some slack?"

To win his affection, Chloe gave him my brand-new luxury watch, worth over five figures, to wear.

She let him browse my walk-in closet for clothes, and even stole my bank card to fund his spending sprees.

Worse, to 'heal' her ex, she secretly got intimate with him behind my back.

When I caught them red-handed, Chloe brushed it off, utterly unfazed:

"Noah was just too tense, Ryan. I was merely helping him release some stress."

Later, I fully indulged her 'compassion' for her ex, and happily married the woman I could never let go of.

That's when Chloe lost her mind.

I came home early, only to walk in on my girlfriend, Chloe Miller, and her ex, Noah, tangled up in my bed.

Noah was the first to spot me, standing in the doorway, my face dark as thunder.

His face flushed with terror; he pushed Chloe away, tumbling off the bed and shrinking into a corner.

He clutched himself, burying his head in his arms, muttering to himself:

"I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, don't hit me, don't hit me, boo-hoo..."

Chloe, who moments before had been enjoying herself, snapped back to reality and immediately rushed to comfort Noah.

"Noah, it's okay, no one blames you. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Ah, don't bite your arm again, you're hurting yourself. Please, stop."

What could a woman's strength do against a man's?

Watching Noah self-harm, Chloe stood up, ran over, and without a word, slapped me across the face.

She screamed at me:

"Ryan, what the hell is wrong with you? Weren't you supposed to be at work today? Why are you back already? Look what you've done to Noah! You scared him half to death. Go apologize to him, now!"

I stood my ground. She couldn't drag me anywhere.

From the moment I walked in, a furious rage had been building, and seeing her attitude now, there was no way I was holding back.

"I apologize? Shouldn't you be the one explaining things to me? You're my girlfriend, living in my house, you brought your ex back here, and then I walk in on you two doing something so disgusting. And you expect me to apologize to *him*? Are you serious?"

Chloe, however, thought *I* was being unreasonable. She lectured me:

"What's your problem, Ryan? I've told you countless times, Noah was kidnapped and tortured for days. He came back almost completely broken. He's only just started to feel a little better, and I simply saw he was too stressed out. I was helping him relax. What more is there to explain?"

I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound.

I raised my hand and slapped Chloe across the face, disappointment heavy in my voice:

"Chloe Miller, you utterly disgust me."

Noah suddenly rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Chloe, shielding her behind him.

His eyes, red-rimmed, stared at me, his voice choked with tears and a trembling sob.

"Ryan, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have touched Chloe, but I was so scared. Scared of being locked up again. It was Chloe who patiently guided me, gave me warmth, helped me accept a new life, I... I... ugh..."

I kicked him hard in the stomach, spat on the floor, and glared at the sickening pair.

"Disgusting. I never want to see either of you again. Get out of my house before I come back."

Furious, I slammed the door shut and called my best friend.

"Leo, come out for a drink with me."

At the bar, I downed glass after glass. My phone vibrated endlessly in my pocket. I picked it up.

It was Chloe.

"Ryan, please don't be mad at me, okay? I'll send Noah away. He won't stay at our place anymore. I know you care, but I can't help it, his mental state..."

I didn't want to hear another word about Noah. I hit the red button and chugged straight from the bottle.

Leo snatched the bottle from my hand, his face etched with worry.

"What happened, man? What did Chloe do to get you this worked up? I haven't seen you this out of control in ages. You walked in and already drank a whole case of beer. You're scaring me."