Chapter 2

Nathan left looking somewhat defeated, while his Samoyed trotted beside him, chest puffed out, looking like the happiest dog on earth.

I almost laughed out loud.

He just couldn't communicate like a normal human being, could he? He had to pick a fight and get chewed out just to feel satisfied.

On my walk home from work, my phone buzzed with a notification on SnapChat.

Nathan: [Don't read into this. I only added you so we can track my dog's recovery.]

Me: [Understood.]

Nathan: [Since you did the exam, you need to see it through to the end.]

Me: [Got it.]

Nathan: [I'm extremely busy and don't have time to bounce between different clinics. Yours might be small, but it's licensed. It'll do in a pinch.]

Nathan: [How was I supposed to know you were the director, or that you'd be the one handling my appointment?]

Me: [Yes, yes, absolutely, Mr. Reynolds. I get it. You had zero hidden motives. I'd never be vain enough to think you drove all the way to my clinic, specifically requested me, and deliberately picked a fight just to get my attention.]

Me: [I know. Complete coincidence.]

The chat went completely silent, but the "Typing..." banner at the top of the screen lingered for ages.

Even after I got home, it was still stuck on "Typing..."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I tossed my phone onto the bed and laughed until tears streamed down my face.

I slept like a baby that night.

Growing up, my life was hell.

Truth be told, being able to stand where I am today is entirely thanks to Nathan—or rather, the fat check his mother cut me.

I had gotten accepted into an elite Ivy League university, but my dear, loving parents tried to secretly alter my application choices just to keep me trapped locally.

I was within an inch of never making it out.

The payoff his mother handed me was like a lifeline dropped straight from heaven. It practically glowed with holy light, so much so that it made the haughty sneer on the wealthy socialite's face look almost charming.

In my mind, it wasn't even a difficult choice. It was an absolute no-brainer.

I took the check without a shred of hesitation, calmly enduring her utterly disgusted stare.

From that day on, I left my hometown behind and headed out on my own to build a future.

Nathan and I didn't date for very long, but if you counted from the beginning, we had known each other for fourteen years.

I've never had a sweet temper, and I certainly never cared about coddling others.

To put it bluntly, I was selfish.

Nathan, on the other hand, treated me unimaginably well. I had never met anyone who could tolerate me the way he did. No matter what crazy thing I did, he backed me unconditionally.

Yet, I didn't hesitate for a single second when the money was handed to me. To avoid any mess, I didn't even bother to give him a proper goodbye.

Sometimes I thought that I was probably the heartless ex in some romance novel, the cruel first love who crushed the pure-hearted male lead.

Calling myself his "first love" was too generous; I was just a callous bastard.

Someone like me deserved to be loathed by everyone. My only real purpose was to catalyze the male lead's character growth, serving as emotional seasoning for him and his future heroine.

Not that I gave a damn.

Even if people pointed at my back and cursed me for being cold-blooded and ungrateful, so what?

I got what I wanted.