Chapter 2Let Him Walk

Getting the exact answer I anticipated, I did something I had never done before. I hung up on him.

There was no panic, no hot rush of tears. Just a vast, cold expanse of nothingness.

I looked back at the ruined ice cream cake on the counter. It was melting into a sugary puddle, losing its shape. Just like our relationship. I had once believed what we had was indestructible, but over time, it had quietly dissolved into nothing.

I set my phone face down and went back to packing.

Lucas didn't come home until the next afternoon. When he walked in, his shoulders were slumped, and a faint flicker of guilt crossed his face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, stepping closer and reaching for my hand. "I realized I forgot your birthday. I know you've been wanting a little car to commute to work, so I went to the dealership today and picked one out for you. Consider it your makeup gift."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off, a proud smile warming his tone. "Kate was the one who reminded me, actually. You should thank her when you see her. She helped me pick it out. She was so sure you'd love it."

Of course. It wasn't his memory that had saved him, but Kate's. Even my birthday present was curated by her taste. And I was supposed to be grateful, to smile and accept the crumbs of their shared life.

He unlocked his phone, scrolling through his gallery to show me the car. "See? Kate picked pink. She said it's perfect for girls..."

I looked at the screen. But as his finger swiped to the next photo, my heart went completely still. It wasn't a picture of the car. It was Kate, sitting in the driver's seat of the pink sedan, winking and sticking her tongue out at the camera.

Lucas cleared his throat, quickly swiping past it. "Kate wanted to take a selfie, but her phone was dead, so she used mine."

Without saying a word, I took the phone from his hand and swiped backward. There were three hundred and twenty-three photos in his recent album. One hundred and twenty of them were of Kate. Only three were of the car.

A bitter irony settled in my chest. Lucas had always claimed he hated taking photos. He despised clutter on his phone. In five years, we didn't have a single photograph together. My contact info wasn't even saved under my name in his phonebook. It was as if I was a ghost in his life.

When I had asked him about it years ago, he had kissed my forehead and laughed. "I know your number by heart, Jane. I could recite it in my sleep. Why would I need to save it?"

Yet, Kate was saved in his contacts as "Lucky Pig." On every social media platform, her chat was pinned to the top.

I kept scrolling through the messages in silence. Lucas didn't stop me. Instead, he chuckled, leaning against the counter. "Are you checking up on me? Go ahead. You won't find anything suspicious."

Before he could finish the sentence, a notification popped up from "Lucky Pig."

Lucas! You can't be biased! You can't forget about me just because you have a girlfriend. If Jane gets a car, I want one too! Buy me one right now!

The screen blurred slightly. I lost all interest, locking the phone and handing it back to him.

Lucas took it, immediately typing a reply. I stood up from the couch and caught a glimpse of his screen as I walked away.

The company's cash flow is a bit tight this month. I'll owe you one, okay?

Kate wasn't having it. She bombarded him with a flurry of crying and begging emojis.

I saw the hesitation in Lucas's eyes as he looked up at me. "Jane," he began, his voice soft and coaxing. "Our apartment isn't that far from your office anyway. Would it be okay if we let Kate have this car first? I'll buy you another one next month."