Whatever love remained inside me disappeared.
“You’re right, Brendan. Nobody forced me,” I said, taking a deep breath. “We are completely finished.”
Brendan gave a dry laugh.
“Don’t be ridiculous over a small prank.”
“We are done,” I repeated with absolute finality.
“You’re ending us over this?” he yelled, his tone turning angry. “After everything I’ve ever done for you?”
“What exactly did you ever do for me?” I asked back softly.
He answered instantly.
“I gave you a prominent place in my social life.”
Once, those words would have made me feel grateful. That night, I finally understood how little I had accepted from him.
“You never gave me a place, Brendan,” I said coldly. “You simply turned me into an emotional punching bag to avenge another woman.”
He slammed his fist against the door.
“Do not bring Scarlett into this conversation.”
It had always been about Scarlett.
I removed the silver necklace he had given me on our first anniversary and slipped it through the mail slot.
“Just leave, Brendan,” I said quietly.
“You are going to deeply regret this decision, Chloe!” he threatened before walking away.
My parents arrived early the next morning to help load my boxes into their truck.
My father immediately noticed the bruise on my arm.
“Did Brendan cause that?” he asked softly, his eyes filled with worry.
I nodded.
He asked nothing else.
My mother found my silver dance shoes sitting on top of the trash bin.
“Aren’t you going to pack these away?” she asked gently.
“I never want to see them again,” I admitted.
She closed the box and handed it back to me.
“Then we will buy new ones someday, but next time you will dance purely for yourself.”
That night, we stayed at a hotel near the airport because I couldn’t handle another night alone in Pasadena.
At ten thirty, an unfamiliar number called.
“Chloe, please don’t hang up,” a woman’s voice pleaded as soon as I answered.
Scarlett.
I almost ended the call, but she quickly continued.
“I knew Brendan held a grudge, and I knew about some of his petty tricks, but I swear I had no idea about the fake blood donation.”
“How comforting,” I replied sarcastically. “So you only approved of the minor humiliations.”
Scarlett went quiet.
“You have every right to hate me.”
“You aren’t important enough for me to waste my energy hating you,” I answered honestly.
