Chapter 1

My ex-girlfriend broke up with me but refused to move out right away.

She asked to crash at my apartment for a few days until she could find a new place.

Thinking about our three years together, I soft-hearted and gave her a temporary smart-lock passcode.

But when I got back from my business trip tonight, I couldn't get in.

The screen on the smart lock read: Access Denied. Incorrect Passcode.

I pressed the doorbell.

Inside, I heard the rustle of slippers, followed by a man's annoyed voice.

"Who the hell is it at this hour? So annoying."

The door opened just a crack, held by the security chain.

A strange man was standing there, wearing my bathrobe and my slippers, looking at me with pure disgust.

"Oh, so you're Chloe's clingy ex?"

"Chloe told me about you. You guys broke up already. Isn't it a bit pathetic to show up here?"

For a second, I thought I was hearing things.

I had been on a business trip for three days. Now, returning to my own home, a total stranger was blocking my door and calling me pathetic.

I pushed the door.

He immediately blocked it with his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing? This is breaking and entering!"

I looked him dead in the eye. "Get out of my way."

From inside, Chloe's voice rang out.

"Tyler, who is it?"

She walked over to the entryway. The moment she saw me, her face froze.

But she quickly masked her guilt.

"Ethan? Why are you back so suddenly?"

I laughed.

"Do I need to RSVP to come back to my own home?"

Chloe frowned. "Can you not talk like that? I just haven't found a suitable apartment yet. Tyler only came over to help me pack."

I looked at the men's shoes in the hallway, the men's coat thrown over the sofa, and the unwashed dishes on the table.

"He's helping you pack, so he needed to change my smart lock passcode?"

Tyler jumped in immediately. "Your lock? Chloe lives here, and I'm her boyfriend. What's wrong with me being here?"

I ignored him and looked straight at Chloe.

"I let you stay because you promised it would be five days max. The rules were clear: no guests, no lock changes, and don't touch my study."

She avoided my gaze.

"Tyler is only staying for one night."

"Then why is he wearing my slippers?"

Tyler's face darkened.

"Alright, that's enough. You're a grown man. Being this petty over slippers after a breakup? No wonder Chloe dumped you."

I pulled out my phone and called the building manager.

"Marcus, someone changed the lock on my apartment. Please come up with security right now."

Tyler sneered. "Stop pretending you own this place."

Chloe whispered, "Ethan, stop making a scene. You're only making me lose what little respect I had left for you."

Those words were colder than the draft coming from the hallway.

Four years of relationship, and in the end, she stood beside a guy she barely knew, painting me as a bitter stalker.

The building security and local police arrived almost at the same time.

Since I didn't have the physical deed on me, I showed them my ID and the digital ownership registration on my building's resident app.

But Chloe lied straight to their faces, claiming this was a post-breakup property dispute and that Tyler was just here to help her.

Tyler was an even better actor.

"Officer, I don't want to be rude. But he just can't let her go. He showed up tonight completely out of his mind."

The officers looked at us, then at the time.

It was already past 10 PM.

They ordered both sides to bring full legal documentation to the precinct the next morning to verify ownership and warned us not to escalate the conflict tonight.

Before leaving, I looked at Chloe. "Tomorrow at 10 AM, I'm coming back with the building management. You both better be packed and gone."

Chloe said nothing.

Tyler stood inside the doorway, giving me a smug, arrogant smile.

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

I turned and stepped into the elevator.

Before the doors closed, I saw Chloe shut the door, and Tyler's hand naturally slid around her waist.

At that moment, I didn't feel sad.

I just felt sick.

Not long after I checked into a hotel, my phone buzzed.

A notification from my smart lock app popped up:

Admin permissions updated.

New Admin Name: Mr. Tyler.