Chapter 2

The moment I saw Julian’s photo, I felt like a lightning bolt had struck me.

He leaned languidly against a yacht railing, a luxury watch on his wrist, surrounded by various beautiful women.

One pretty girl snuggled into his arms, wearing a matching watch.

It was the exact same face, yet utterly different from the Julian I knew.

I remembered the Julian who had rubbed his eyes that morning, signing for a good morning kiss.

My temples throbbed as if drills were boring into them, and my vision blurred with pain.

*Ding.*

My phone vibrated.

It was a message from Julian.

“Lena, I handed out flyers for half the morning today and earned thirty bucks. I bought you a bracelet.”

I tapped the picture, and my breath hitched.

I recognized that bracelet.

Last night, I'd accidentally found a velvet gift box in his backpack.

Inside was an exquisite, beautiful four-leaf clover bracelet.

But the identical one on my screen now had chipped plating and a crooked gem.

It was clearly the cheapest knock-off.

So, Julian bought a genuine one worth 50,000, then a thirty-dollar dollar-store trinket.

The dollar-store trinket was for me.

What about the 50,000 one?

Was it for the girl on the yacht?

I suddenly remembered looking at that bracelet a bit too long in a mall display last month.

Julian immediately signed to me:

“I’ll buy it for you when I have money.”

Now he had “bought” it.

I thought of the other gifts I treasured in my tiny apartment’s cabinet.

Faded earrings, a cashmere scarf with loose threads, a bag with an embroidered ‘JY’ tag…

He seemed especially keen on buying me cheap, counterfeit versions of designer brands.

Before, I’d just thought he didn’t recognize those brands.

Now, I realized he was doing it on purpose.

Or even worse, for every genuine item he bought for another girl,

He’d get me, the “old-fashioned and boring” big sister, a cheap, barely-worth-anything junk item.

What a hilarious way to mess with me.

*Ding*, my phone vibrated again.

“Why aren’t you replying? Don’t you like it?”

I slowly typed:

“I like it. Thank you.”

Julian quickly sent another picture, a promotion for a ski resort:

“Let’s go skiing this weekend. They’re having a sale.”

“Oh, and a few of my friends are coming too. You don’t mind, do you, big sis?”

I looked at the so-called sale price: $199 per person, not including equipment rental.

It was the money I could make from one night of food delivery.

I stared at the screen and suddenly laughed out loud, my eyes burning with tears.

It seemed that in moments of extreme absurdity, people really do want to laugh.

Dr. Evans across from me looked at me strangely.

“Are you alright, dear?”

I put away my phone.

“Nothing. Just saw a joke. It was really funny.”

“Let’s continue discussing the new drug trial.”