Part 2Three Years for a Lifetime

"So what if I've squeezed enough, and what if I haven't?"

I met his gaze provocatively. "Is Mr. Thorne offering to pay the difference?"

"Maya, three years later, and you're still as cheap as ever!"

He looked down at me from his towering height, those beautiful eyes freezing over with hostility.

His words were like a sword, twisting in my gut until my organs ached.

I scrutinized him through the hazy club lighting.

The man he used to be was like a beam of light—real, stubborn, standing firm in this unpredictable world.

Now, he was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his striking looks undiminished, but his eyes were like a bottomless abyss.

Looking at me now, there wasn't a single trace of the gentle affection he once had.

I twisted my wrist, forcing him to lean in closer.

"Flirting with another woman right in front of your fiancée... tell me, who's really cheaper?"

I fought him, "tooth and nail," just like I always used to.

Only, we used to whisper sweet nothings. Now, we were spitting razor blades.

Caleb seemed to snap back to reality. He violently shoved my hand away, grabbed a wet wipe from the table, and meticulously, repeatedly scrubbed his hands.

The humiliation was deafeningly clear.

I didn't want to stay a second longer. I exchanged a look with Julian, stood up, and prepared to leave.

But Caleb stepped into my path, blocking my exit.

"Serena, come here. I want to introduce you to someone."

He reined in his hostility and waved Serena over.

"Caleb, is there something special about this lady?"

Serena trotted over, taking small, delicate steps. She intimately linked her arm through Caleb's, leaning softly against him as if she had no bones.

Just as her name suggested, she looked sweet and adorable, clearly a girl who had been pampered her whole life.

"She's very special." Caleb directed his words to Serena, but his eyes were locked on me.

"This is the ex-girlfriend who dumped me for two million dollars. Maya."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

A massive wave of shame threatened to swallow me whole.

I kept my face perfectly neutral, quietly hiding my trembling hands behind my back.

Because tonight, I could hurt, I could laugh, but I absolutely could not show a single ounce of vulnerability.

"Is two million a lot? The jewelry set Caleb gave me cost ten million."

Serena's pale, manicured fingers lightly brushed the dazzling diamond necklace around her throat.

Matching earrings swung from her delicate earlobes.

"Ten million?! Eight figures!"

A chorus of gasps rippled through the crowd.

Followed closely by jeers and mockery.

Mocking me for giving up a handsome, billionaire boyfriend for a mere two million.

Crack—

From the crowd, came the sharp sound of an aluminum can being crushed.

Startled, I turned toward the noise.

Julian was casually tossing a mangled beer can between his hands, a dark, unreadable smirk playing on his lips.

I shook my head slightly at him, signaling him to stay calm.

Caleb suddenly let out a low, dark chuckle.

He pulled a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills from his jacket and casually tossed them into the air.

"Maya, I have plenty of money."

"But you. Don't. Deserve. It!"

The bills fluttered down like snow, landing on my face, my shoulders.

And scattering around my feet.

"With a boyfriend this amazing, you better hold on tight, little sister."

I forced a smile, enduring the onslaught of judgmental stares.

"Of course I will." Serena looked up at Caleb.

Her gaze met his, perfectly perfectly matching his look of adoration.

"Wow, so sweet, so romantic~"

"If you guys don't kiss right now, it's a crime against nature!"

I don't know who started it, but the chants of "Kiss! Kiss!" grew louder and louder.

Caleb suddenly hooked an arm around Serena's waist, dipped her back onto the sofa, leaned down, and kissed her.

The atmosphere hit a fever pitch.

Under the flashing lights, barely an arm's length away from me, they kissed passionately.

Around me, the crowd roared. But in my ears, there was nothing but dead silence.