Chapter 3

That was fast!

Now, Brittany and I worked at the same company.

She'd joined two years after me. I was on the fifth floor in Marketing, she was on the second floor in Sales.

To come all the way up to my floor just to find me in the restroom… her motive was clear.

Brittany saw me, and her previously calm expression instantly turned contemptuous, her features becoming arrogant. The moment I stepped into the restroom, she forcefully shoved me back out.

"I was here first! Get out!" she sneered, full of mockery and arrogance.

I couldn't be bothered to argue; after all, some people just aren't worth my time. But then she brought up the ring.

"Liam gave me a ring at my birthday party yesterday," she said, as if she'd planned it, pulling it out of her pocket, a twisted look on her face. "Too bad it's too loose, I can't wear it. Maybe I'll give it to you…"

"Even though the quality is pretty bad, it's just right for you…"

Brittany was showing off to me. It wasn't the first time over the years.

I remained calm, about to retort, when I heard a sarcastic voice from the doorway: "Did someone eat sh*t in this bathroom today? It stinks!"

It was Maya.

She said this while rushing over to Brittany, scrunching her nose and sniffing hard, then looking at me in mock surprise: "Chloe, that's the smell! So manipulative and disgusting!"

Brittany looked furious enough to hit someone. I grabbed her wrist, my eyes sharp. "Thinking of laying a hand on me? Do you even have the right? If you don't know how to act like a decent human, then your senior will teach you a lesson."

Then I leaned close to her ear and sweetly whispered, "Oh, and that ring? It's trash. Manipulative b*tches and trash are a perfect match."

Her wrist was red from my grip, but I had no intention of letting go.

Being kind to your enemies is being cruel to yourself.

Brittany, always accustomed to arrogance, never expected me to treat her this way. She desperately tried to break free, cursing me as a thug and a malicious b*tch.

I just thought, being the good girl is exhausting. Sometimes, it's actually kinda fun to be a little ruthless.

Maya huffed twice, then hooked her arm through mine and marched out, head held high. "I've been sick of her for ages! That felt amazing, so damn satisfying!"

"Two-timing Liam, and also getting played by some old man. She really has no standards, does she?"

I gave a helpless laugh, then quipped, "I have no standards either. But I just picked up trash!"

Brittany must have been upset and called Liam to complain.

As soon as work ended, I saw Liam blocking me at the company entrance, his face grim.

"Chloe, what's the meaning of this?"

Liam's expression was terrible, his strong fingers gripping my arm tightly, causing me a pang of pain.

I scoffed, finding it almost laughable how 'devoted' Liam was, ready to jump through hoops for Brittany.

And how ridiculous I was for ever loving someone like that.

Eight years. A full eight years.

"I have nothing to say to you. We're not close."

My voice was cold, completely devoid of the initial joy and excitement I used to feel seeing him.

That ring was the absolute last straw for me.

Liam's brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes tired. He even had a faint stubble, something unheard of for the usually fastidious Liam. He must have been really struggling.

His grip was still tight, and I grew increasingly annoyed. It felt like any last shred of dignity between us was gone. "Liam, we're adults. You have the right to pursue your happiness, and so do I!"

"I admit, you gave me hope. But what's more painful than the despair after hope? If you don't love me, why force it?"

I spoke with biting resentment, as if indicting him for eight years of unspoken pain and frustration.

Eight years of chasing him. I had considered Liam the light of my life. Even after Brittany came into the picture, I tried to maintain a facade of dignity and respect.

On Liam's birthday, I happily brought a homemade cake to his dorm building, only to see him and Brittany in a passionate, lingering kiss.

He was smiling brightly, leaning over her, his head gently touching her forehead, their arms wrapped around each other, totally inseparable.

Brittany saw me, and with a sickeningly sweet smile, she naturally took the cake from my hands. "Wow, Liam always said Chloe makes the best cakes! I'm so lucky today. Unlike me, I'm so clumsy, I can't make anything!"

I've forgotten everything else.

I only remember Liam's doting gaze on Brittany, and how he gently patted her head.

He didn't thank me, instead he looked at Brittany and said, "If you like it, I'll have Chloe make it for you every day."

The jealousy was real, and so was the humiliation.

Liam basically treated me like his personal assistant, always available at his beck and call.

I never wanted to live like that again.

Liam never in a million years expected me to say such things.