Chapter 2

The smile froze on my face. The cheering in the room died down instantly.

My expression went cold. I took a few steps closer to him.

"What did you say? Not compatible? In what way?"

Tyler avoided my eyes, stammering without giving a straight answer.

"Chloe, why are you making a scene and putting him on the spot?" At that moment, my other roommate, Hailey, suddenly stepped up. "Tyler never said he liked you. You’ve been the one throwing yourself at him this whole year. He said you're not compatible just to spare your feelings. Did you really want him to humiliate you by saying he doesn't like you at all?"

"Hailey, this is between Tyler and me. Who gave you the right to speak?" My relationship with Hailey had always been rocky. Even though we shared an apartment, we barely spoke.

Hailey loved to brag about being a rich girl with a wealthy family. Everything she wore and used was high-end luxury.

Others couldn't tell, but I knew her so-called designer bags and clothes were all high-quality replicas from DHgate. None of them were real.

"You—" Hailey’s face flushed with anger. She wanted to snap back, but Gaby quickly pulled her away.

I let out a cold laugh and turned my attention back to Tyler. "Tyler, you owe me an explanation today."

I wasn’t some pushover. I wasn't going to let him reject me without a clear reason after a year of leading me on.

Seeing that I wouldn’t back down, Tyler finally grimaced and said, "Chloe, I never liked you. You were the one who kept clinging to me. I thought about giving it a try, but I realized we come from different worlds. We really aren't compatible."

"Different worlds?" I laughed out of pure anger. "You don't like me? Tyler, I chased you for a year. Why didn't you say you didn't like me a year ago? Why didn't you say so when you accepted all my expensive gifts? Why didn't you say we weren't compatible when I got you front-row tickets to your favorite band? Or when I paid for your entire class to celebrate your birthday? Saying we're 'not compatible' now is just pathetic."

My chest heaved with rage. I felt completely played.

Over the past year, he had accepted every single gift I gave him. He spent my money without a single hint of guilt. I had naturally assumed we were practically together, just waiting for a formal title.

I never expected he was just leading me on and treating me like a fool.