Chapter 3Let Go of Bygone Days, Awaken to Love’s Fading

I asked Jack to meet me at our favorite restaurant.

I waited for over an hour. The food had gone cold by the time he finally arrived. He was wearing a new suit I’d never seen before, and there was a smudge of cream on the cuff. The older Jack followed him in, his face a thundercloud.

“Today is Chloe’s birthday. Why did you leave her to meet this woman? She’s all alone.”

“If you go back now, you can still make it for the cake.”

Jack ignored him, his jaw tight, and sat down beside me. A faint, unfamiliar woman’s perfume drifted toward me. My stomach churned, and I subtly shifted away.

“Project keeping you that busy?” I asked.

He didn’t seem to notice my discomfort, rubbing his temples. “Yeah, we had to add a new feature last minute. It’s been chaos.”

He reached for my hand. “I’ve missed you this week. Have you missed me?”

I pulled my hand back before he could touch it. “I can’t stand sweet smells right now.”

He finally noticed the cream on his cuff and fumbled for a napkin. “Oh, uh, one of my colleagues had a birthday. I must have brushed against the cake on my way out.”

But I had seen the video. He’d gotten that smudge while helping Chloe bake her own birthday cake.

His movements faltered, his gaze shifting away from mine.

“Sorry, Nina,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “The job I was saving for you at the company… I gave it to an old classmate.”

“Her name is Chloe. We went to the same high school. Remember her?”

“She was having a really tough time at her last job, her boss was a nightmare, so… I gave her the position I’d promised you.”

I gripped my water glass, my knuckles turning white. A cold dread spread through me.

His startup was his dream, and it desperately needed someone with advanced programming skills. To help him, I’d turned down a high-paying job my professor had arranged for me. I’d poured my heart and soul into building his technical framework. Now that the project was finally taking off, he had casually given away the core technical role he had promised me.

I looked him straight in the face, deciding to give him one last chance to be honest.

“I remember she had a crush on you in high school. Are you helping her because you feel sorry for her, or because you have feelings for her?”

Jack’s pupils constricted. His voice rose. “That was ages ago! Of course I don’t like her! You’re pregnant, you’re emotional. Don’t say things like that!”

Realizing how harsh he sounded, he softened his tone, taking my hand in his. “You have a master’s degree, Nina. Any company would be lucky to have you. She only has an associate’s degree. It’s hard for her to find a good job in this city. Just… let her have this one.”

My heart turned to stone.

I calmly pulled my hand away. Under his expectant gaze, I nodded. “Fine. She can have it.”

If Jack was destined to fall in love with Chloe, then I, the temporary placeholder, needed to cut my losses and get out.