Chapter 2

I opened the passenger door, only to see a Polaroid photo of Scarlett and Trevor hanging from the rearview mirror.

Sitting right there on the leather passenger seat was a pair of men's socks.

I didn't even need to guess whose they were.

Scarlett walked around to the driver's side, watching me closely with a smirk, waiting for my inevitable explosion.

In the past, the mere mention of Trevor’s belongings in our space would trigger a massive argument where she'd scream at me until I broke down.

This time, I didn't say a single word.

I quietly shut the passenger door, opened the back door, and sat in the rear seat, fastening my seatbelt.

Scarlett’s face dropped instantly. "What? You don't have anything to say?"

I looked at her blankly. "Say what?"

Scarlett inhaled sharply, forcing words through gritted teeth.

"I just thought that photo looked nice, so I hung it there."

"And the socks—Trevor forgot them after our trip. I left them there so I could give them back next time."

"Don't start acting like a jealous, petty child. Try acting like a real man for once."

"Okay," I murmured softly.

None of this mattered to me anymore.

Scarlett stared into the rearview mirror, trying to see if I was faking it. After a beat, she said:

"Even though Trevor and I shared a tent, nothing happened."

"I told you not to hike up because I didn't want you getting hurt."

"Besides, Trevor is younger than you, and we were at high altitude. I was worried he couldn't handle things alone if an emergency happened."

"He's just my coworker, Logan. Don't go imagining things."

I nodded along like a supportive bystander. "Right. You're just coworkers doing what coworkers do."

"Nothing happened between you two."

Once, whenever Scarlett and Trevor did something inappropriately intimate, I would get upset, and she would always weaponize these exact words to shut me up.

She made me feel like I was insane. Now, I was handing them right back to her.

Her face flushed crimson with rage. "Logan! Don't play dumb with me! I know that tone!"

"I already explained everything! What are you still sulking about?"

"Have I been indulging you too much lately?"

I knit my brows. "Why are you screaming? I literally told you I believe you."

"Unless... you don't even believe yourself?"

"SLAM!"

Scarlett smashed both palms against the steering wheel, screeching, "Get out! Get the hell out of my car!"

"Do you even care about me anymore?! I don't want to look at your face!"

I frowned, unbuckled my belt, and stepped out. The woman was utterly unhinged. She forced the ride on me, and now threw a tantrum kicking me out.

Before stepping away, I reached into the front seat, snatched my scooter keys off the console, and walked over to my moped.

I rode for a couple of miles, catching glimpses of her car tailing me in my mirrors.

I took a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway and lost her completely.

She was toxic. When I asked questions, she called me petty. When I stopped caring, she yelled that I was heartless.

How had I been blind to this drama queen for so long?

Popping out of the alley, I arrived at my usual spot.

My grill cart was chained to a lamppost, all my equipment locked inside.

This would be my last shift. Once I sold off my remaining supplies, I was heading home.

Years ago, Scarlett said she fell in love with this scenic mountain town. So, I packed my bags and followed her here.

My sudden departure had sent my grandfather—the patriarch who raised me and groomed me to run the family empire—straight to the hospital in rage.

My parents even threatened to cut all ties with me.

For Scarlett, I endured it all in silence.

Local wages here were too low to support her expensive shopping habits.

So, I swallowed my pride, learned the art of wood-smoked barbecue, and built a street-food cart from scratch just to pay her bills.

All of that devotion shattered three days ago on that snowy mountain peak.

I had risked my life climbing that trail at night. When I made it halfway up, all I heard was her voice telling me to turn back—followed by Trevor's flirtatious laughter in the background.

On my way back down the mountain, a pack of wolves stalked me. I barely escaped with my life.

Waking up the next morning in a local clinic, bruised and bandaged, I received that photo from Trevor.

Lying in that cold hospital bed, I finally saw the truth. And I told her: "We are done."

Right then, my phone had buzzed with an incoming call from my grandfather.

"Logan... I saw the local news. They said a young man nearly got torn apart by wolves on the hiking trail last night."

"The silhouette looked like you. Are you alright, son?"

Hearing the trembling, aged voice of the man who raised me, tears spilled down my cheeks uncontrollably.

I had thrown away my family, my fortune, and my pride for a woman who treated me like garbage.

I thought I was fighting for true love. It turned out I was just a lovesick clown in her twisted circus.

I laughed through my tears. When Grandpa worriedly offered to fly his private jet out to check on me, I stopped him.

I promised him I would be back home in a few days to take over the family business, just as he always wanted.

Grandpa broke down in tears of relief. He asked what would happen between Scarlett and me.

I told him: "We walk our separate paths. Forever."