Chapter 2Kicking Out the Jerk: My Life Got Better Overnight

Justin came home late. He’d been coming home late a lot recently.

Every night, I’d sit on the sofa waiting for him. Sometimes, exhaustion would win, and I’d curl up and fall asleep right there.

The sound of the shower woke me.

The living room was pitch black, except for the faint light spilling from the bathroom.

The water stopped, and he walked out, a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair slightly damp.

Tall and long-legged, water droplets traced paths from his hairline, over his well-defined collarbones, disappearing beneath the towel, adding a layer of raw appeal.

I sat on the sofa, just staring at him blankly.

How did I ever manage to land such an incredible guy? Wendy Shaw, you are seriously lucky.

Justin really was exceptional. Started his own company sophomore year of college, raked in scholarships left and right, and now he was the CEO.

The company wasn't huge, but it was financially stable, miles ahead of most people his age.

Justin walked past me, heading straight for the fridge.

I knew he was going for ice water.

But his stomach issues were pretty bad.

I used to stay up late making him hot meals, just so he wouldn't go hungry and could get his stomach back on track.

This time, though, I didn't stop him like I usually would. The scene from earlier kept replaying in my mind. I couldn't let it go.

"How was the soup I made today? Was it good?"

Justin paused mid-sip, seemingly surprised by the sudden question.

He turned to face me, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

"It was great. Anything Wendy makes is great, of course."

I smiled back, but tears welled up in my eyes. A suffocating feeling clamped down on my chest, making it hard to breathe, my throat raw with pain.

Justin, why are you lying to me?

He stepped closer, patted my head gently, and said softly, "It's late, Wendy. Go get some sleep."

He hadn't noticed anything wrong. Not a single thing.

"Oh, right, I put your wallet on the table."

"Honestly, you're a grown woman, still so forgetful."

I sat there silently in the living room as darkness swallowed me, blanketing my sorrow.

In that moment, it felt like I split into two people.

One watched everything unfold with cold detachment. The other was utterly heartbroken, desperately urging me to fight for Justin, to hold onto him.

I don't know how long I sat there before I finally forced myself to move, heading towards the bedroom.

Justin was already fast asleep. His phone lay on the nightstand nearby.

Expressionless, I used his fingerprint to unlock it and opened his messaging app.

Right there, catching my eye immediately, were several unread messages.

"Thanks for the chicken soup today, boss."

"But... won't your girlfriend be mad that you gave it to me?"

"It's getting late, you should rest up. Goodnight, boss."

Followed by a cute emoji.

I let out a cold sneer and kept scrolling up.

"Boss, I'm so scared. What if I mess up this project?"

"Don't worry, I'll cover for you."

"Boss, you're the best! Love ya! "

"Mm."

Seeing that, what else was there left to misunderstand?

I laughed silently in the dark, tears streaming down my face.

"Ugh, this guy is disgusting."

I heard a strange voice echo in my mind.

Yeah, he really is disgusting.

I mocked my own stupidity.