When Chester and I first got together, he made me a promise. He said that as long as I never brought up breaking up during our fights, I could act out as much as I wanted. I could test him, push his buttons, and he’d never walk away. Once, in a fit of rage, I tore up an expensive piece of art he’d painstakingly collected. He just stood there, watching me with a soft smile. “It’s fine, Nicola,” he said. “I can always commission another one.” Another time, I took apart a massive, intricate Lego set he’d spent weeks building, piece by piece. All he did was sigh with gentle resignation. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll build another one just so you can tear it down.” But when my hand brushed against a scruffy, faded stuffed animal sitting in the back of the closet, Chester’s entire demeanor shifted. In a split second, the warmth drained from his face. He lunged forward, locking his fingers around my wrist with a grip so tight it made me gasp. Seeing my pain, his grip softened slightly, but his eyes remained hard. “Nicola, I told you. Not this. Anything but this.” I knew what it was. It was the last thing Lila had left him before she packed her bags, threw him away, and moved to London. I had been there through everything—from the cramped, damp studio apartment we shared when he had nothing, to the sprawling suburban estate we lived in now. And through every single move, he brought that stuffed animal with him. He claimed he kept it as a monument to his own humiliation, a reminder of how he’d been abandoned when his family went under. But he didn’t realize that every time his gaze drifted toward it, his eyes softened with a quiet, aching longing he couldn’t quite hide. The scissors slipped from my fingers, clattering onto the hardwood floor. Suddenly, all the fight drained out of me. I felt incredibly, deeply tired. I didn’t want to play my part in this self-deception anymore. I was done pretending. … As the scissors hit the floor, Chester let out a breath so quiet I almost missed it. He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and reached for the stuffed animal, locking it away inside the heavy safe in the corner of his study. “I’m sorry, Nicola,” he murmured, turning back to me. “If you don’t want to see it, I’ll keep it out of sight.” I had never paid attention to the combination of his safe before, but tonight, the numbers clicked in my mind. His phone passcode, the keypad locks on every apartment we’d ever rented… they all used the same sequence. August second. 0802. I remembered then. That was the day Lila’s flight departed. The day she walked out of his life. Before I could spiral further, Chester wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me close. “Nicola, let’s go look at wedding dresses tomorrow,” he whispered, his breath warm against my neck. “I’ve contacted a few of the top designers. They do different styles, so you can choose whatever you want.” I instinctively reached up, resting my hand on his forearm, and felt the raised, uneven texture of a scar through his sleeve. A bite mark. Left by Lila. Their college romance had been legendary—loud, messy, and incredibly public. Lila had a volatile temper. During one of their screaming matches, she had bitten down on his arm so hard it drew blood, leaving a permanent mark. Shortly after that, Chester’s family went bankrupt. Lila wasted no time cutting ties with him and flying across the Atlantic. Later, when Chester told me about it, there was a dark, obsessive edge in his eyes. “You can do whatever you want to me, Nicola. Just never tell me you want to break up.” Even after he built his empire and could easily afford the best cosmetic procedures, he never got rid of the scar. He said he needed to look at it to remember how people kicked him when he was down. He wanted to prove them wrong. I sighed, turning around in his embrace to look him in the eye. “Chester… do you still love her?” He denied it almost instantly, his voice sharp with defensiveness. “How could I still love her? I’m not a masochist.” But as he spoke, his thumb brushed repeatedly against his pinky finger—a nervous tic he only had when he was lying. Right then, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He grabbed it like a lifeline, his eyes darting away to hide the sudden panic. He pressed the phone to his ear. It was his college roommate, Tyler. “Hey, Chester. I figured I should let you know. Lila’s coming back to town tomorrow. A bunch of us are throwing her a welcome-back dinner. Up to you if you want to show.” At the mention of her name, Chester went completely still, his gaze turning hollow. It took him several seconds after the line went dead to look back at me. Neither of us said a word. The silence stretched until my throat felt dry. “Didn’t you say…” My voice cracked, a small, pathetic catch in my throat. “Didn’t you say we were going to look at wedding dresses tomorrow?” I was grasping at straws, hating myself for it. I thought, If he chooses me tomorrow, I can keep playing the fool. I can pretend none of this matters. Chester remained silent for a long time, and with every passing second, my heart sank a little deeper. “Nicola,” he finally whispered, his voice laced with a quiet plea. “I just need to know why. I need to know why she really left back then. I promise you, there’s nothing between us anymore. I want you to come with me.” I closed my eyes. He hadn’t even seen her yet, and he was already searching for an excuse to justify her betrayal. These past five years with him… what a sad, exhausting joke they had been. The next morning, Chester woke up before me, which was rare. I opened my eyes to find him standing in front of the full-length mirror, trying on jackets. He looked sharp, effortlessly handsome. Seeing me wake, he offered a warm, rehearsed smile. “Morning. I picked up those pastries you love from the bakery down the street.” But before I could even sit up, his attention drifted back to the mirror. “Nicola, what do you think of this tie? Does it clash with the suit? Maybe the charcoal gray is better? I don’t want to look too casual, but I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard either.” His voice was tight with an anxious, eager energy—like a teenager getting ready for a first date. I didn’t say anything. Sensing my silence, Chester caught his reflection, realizing how transparent he was being. He cleared his throat, sat on the edge of the mattress, and cupped my face in his hands. “Hey. Don’t overthink this, Nicola. I just want her to see how happy I am with you. I want her to see what she lost.” I gently pushed his hands away, telling him I needed to get dressed. If he had looked around the room for even a second, he would have noticed my packed suitcase tucked discreetly beside the vanity. But he didn’t. His mind was entirely consumed by the ghost of his past, finally flesh and blood again. In a way, it was a relief. I wasn’t like Chester; I had no appetite for dramatic, lingering tragedies. We needed to see Lila. Chester needed to look his past in the eye so he could finally understand his own heart. And if his hatred for her was just the inverted edge of love… then I would walk away for good. Chester was a wire of pure tension as we stood outside the private dining room at the restaurant. The moment the door swung open, his hand on my waist tightened so hard it bruised. Inside, sitting right at the center of the table, was Lila. She looked up and gave us a soft, knowing smile. For a second, the room seemed to lose its sound. It was just the two of them, staring at each other across a vast, invisible canyon of years and unresolved pain. Finally, someone broke the silence. “Chester! Man, you actually showed up. You never come to these things. And this must be your fiancée? Wow, she’s gorgeous!” I smiled politely, offering a nod, which seemed to snap Chester back to reality. He grabbed my hand, though his eyes never left Lila. “Yeah. This is Nicola. My fiancée. We’re getting married soon.” Whether by design or sheer coincidence, the only two empty seats left were right next to Lila. As we sat down, the casual chatter resumed. “Lila, you used to be such a tomboy in college. Living abroad has made you so soft and elegant.” Before Lila could reply, Chester let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Well, you have to be soft to please wealthy men, right? Not everyone has the patience to put up with her old temper.” A tense silence fell over the table. Tyler tried to smooth things over quickly. “So, Lila, what did you end up studying over there? Was grad school fun?” Chester swirled the wine in his glass, his voice dripping with venom. “Yeah, what did you major in? Did you take a masterclass in how to vanish overnight without a word?” The entire room went dead silent. Hoping to break the agonizing tension, I quietly raised my glass. “It’s wonderful to meet you all. Let’s make a toast.” The others eagerly raised their glasses in relief, but neither Lila nor Chester moved. Lila’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She hesitated, then slowly reached for her wine. But before her fingers could close around the stem, Chester snatched the glass out of her hand and downed it in one swallow. Avoiding my eyes completely, he grabbed her by the wrist. “Aren’t you allergic to alcohol?” he snapped, his voice tight. “Or were you planning to make a scene and blame it on my fiancée?” They stared at each other. Chester seemed desperate to mask his protectiveness with cruelty, sneering down at her. “Besides, you can see how beautiful and sweet Nicola is. You don’t even compare to her. You walked away so easily back then—why are you back? Couldn’t find a richer target over there? Or did you run out of fools to ruin?” Lila couldn’t take it anymore. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she let out a choked sob before covering her face and fleeing the room. Chester didn’t look after her. Instead, he frantically started piling food onto my plate, his movements frantic and erratic. Beneath the table, I could see his other hand clenched into a fist, his veins bulging with strain. Finally, with a sharp clatter, he threw his fork down and bolted out the door. The room fell into an awkward, suffocating silence. I was left sitting there with a table of strangers staring at me. Even though I had prepared myself for this exact scenario, a sharp, physical pain bloomed in my chest. I gathered my purse, forcing a polite, empty smile to preserve whatever dignity I had left. “Excuse me, everyone. I’m not feeling very well, so I think I’ll head home. Have a wonderful evening.” As I reached the quiet of the hallway near the elevators, Chester’s voice echoed from around the corner. “Lila! Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to walk out on me?” he roared, his voice thick with years of accumulated rage. “I am not the broken kid you threw away anymore!” Lila’s response was a desperate, tearful plea. “Then why do you still care? If you hate me so much, why did you take that drink for me? Just like you used to!” “How could I not care!” The words tore out of Chester instantly, raw and unfiltered. Then, a heavy, suffocating silence fell between them, broken only by Lila’s quiet sobbing. Finally, she spoke, her voice cracked and small. “Chester… I was wrong. I made a mistake. Can we… is there any way we can start over?” Chester’s breathing hitched, heavy and ragged. Standing in the shadows of the corridor, I waited with her for his answer. I stood in front of the elevator, pressing the call button. The light lit up, went out, and lit up again. But no words came from Chester. Just a heavy, echoing silence. I smiled a tired, private smile. The elevator doors slid open. I stepped inside and didn’t look back. His hesitation was all the answer I needed. I had no desire to be a supporting character in their tragic romance. I was opting out. Back at the house, I walked through the rooms, looking closely at the place I had called home for five years. I was just reaching for my suitcase when the front door burst open. Chester rushed in, his face pale with anxiety. “Nicola, why did you leave on your own?” I kept my voice perfectly flat. “It’s fine, Chester. We need to—” “Chester.” A soft voice cut me off. Lila stepped out from behind him, a small, tentative smile on her face. “I guess you really didn’t forget what we promised in college.” Chester looked deeply uncomfortable as Lila walked past him, running her fingers over the back of our sofa before sitting down. “The hardwood floors, the cream-colored linen, the massive windows… it’s exactly how I pictured it.” Watching her admire the space, I felt a sudden, bitter urge to laugh. I remembered when Chester’s company was preparing to go public—the most chaotic, high-stakes months of his career. Yet, he had insisted on personally designing this house, supervising every detail of the construction. Now I knew why. This was Lila’s dream home. Chester frowned, stealing a tense glance at my expression before turning to Lila. His voice was forced and stiff. “It’s just a standard layout from the design firm. A coincidence.” The smile froze on Lila’s face, a flash of resentment darting through her eyes. “And taking that drink for me? Was that a coincidence? You, who never show up to alumni dinners, showing up tonight of all nights… is that a coincidence too? Chester!” She stepped forward, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me anymore.” Chester froze, completely rigid. After a moment of paralyzed shock, his eyes darted to me, but he didn’t push her away. A profound, icy irritation flared in my chest. I pointed toward the door. “As of this moment, I am still the tenant of this house. If you two want to play out your college drama, do it somewhere else.” Lila pulled back, her eyes locking onto mine. Before I could react, she let go of Chester and dropped to her knees right in front of me on the hardwood floor. “Nicola, please,” she sobbed, looking up at me. “You saw him tonight. He doesn’t hate me—he’s just blinded by the pain of the past. Please, let him go. Let me have him back. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for what I did to him!” I stepped back, disgusted by the theater of it all. “Lila, whatever history you two have is none of my business. And Chester isn’t a piece of property I can just hand over to you.” I looked up at Chester, who was staring down at Lila with a complicated, agonizing expression. “I’ll say it one last time. Both of you, get out.” Chester closed his eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. He stepped around Lila, reaching out to grasp my hand. “Lila, I told you at the restaurant,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “I’m marrying Nicola. She’s the woman I want to build a life with. What happened back then… it’s over.” Lila shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face as she screamed at him. “Chester! You still haven’t said it! You haven’t said you don’t love me! Say it! If you can look me in the eye and say you don’t love me, I’ll disappear forever! But you can’t, because you still care!” Chester’s hand in mine was shaking violently. His eyes were bloodshot as he forced the words through gritted teeth. “I don’t love you anymore, Lila. From this moment on, there is only Nicola.” Lila stared at him in utter disbelief. Then, letting out a shattered cry, she scrambled to her feet and ran out of the house, leaving the front door wide open. Instantly, Chester’s hand twitched in mine. His body leaned toward the door, his instincts screaming at him to follow her. I tightened my grip on his hand, holding him back for just one second. “Chester,” I said, my voice dead calm. “If you run after her tonight, we are completely over.” Panic flashed in his eyes. “She just got back to the city, Nicola. She has no one else here, and she’s hysterical. I’m afraid she’ll do something stupid! Let me just make sure she’s safe, and I’ll explain everything when I get back, okay?” Without waiting for my reply, he pulled his hand from mine and ran out into the night. The heavy front door slammed shut behind him. I stood in the quiet foyer, feeling absolutely nothing. I turned around, walked into the bedroom, and picked up my suitcase. Chester. That was the third time you chose her. And it was your last.
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