Chapter 2

I gasped, my mind going completely blank. I stared blankly at Caleb's face.

I desperately searched that familiar face, hoping to find a hint of a joke.

But there was none.

He was dead serious.

"What do you mean?"

My voice squeezed out of my tight throat.

"My mother is being insane, and you're going along with it?"

Caleb didn't budge. He shot me a fleeting glance.

"It’s not insane."

"I just thought about it seriously."

"Thought about what?!" I practically screamed.

"Your mother is right."

Caleb shifted his gaze from me to Chloe, who was sitting quietly on the sofa.

"My mother also prefers girls like Chloe. She’s the type you marry and settle down with."

Suddenly, I felt like a massive joke.

Five years together. We had moved from a cramped studio to a two-bedroom apartment.

Because of his demanding tech job, he was always busy.

I had learned to cook all his favorite meals. Every single day, I managed my own job while essentially playing his live-in maid.

And now he was telling me I wasn't the "settling down" type.

I looked over at Chloe.

She sat there, looking docile, harmless, and innocent.

It was the same act she had pulled since childhood. She was always the one who needed protection, the one favored by everyone.

But I never expected that this time, she would want my boyfriend.

"Chloe, say something," I demanded, looking at her.

"Do you honestly think this is reasonable?"

Chloe looked up, her eyes instantly brimming with tears.

Then, she spoke.

"Jo, you're so smart. You have everything."

Her voice was soft and weak, as if she were the victim here.

"You have a great career, you're gorgeous... you can find a better man whenever you want."

"But I'm different. I've been useless since I was a kid. I don't know how to do anything, and my social circle is so small. If I lose Caleb, I might never meet anyone this good again."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing onto her knees.

"Just let me have Caleb. That way, Mom won't have to worry about me anymore."

"Jo, you love me the most, right?"

Right.

Since childhood, I had given up everything for her.

If she liked my new dress, I gave it to her.

If she wanted the pen our dad bought me as a reward for getting straight A's, I gave it to her.

Because of her weak health, I wrote her essays, did her chores, and took the blame for her mistakes. I gave her everything.

But this was a human being.

This was my boyfriend of five years.

"Chloe, do you even hear yourself?"

I stared at her fake tears.

"He is your sister's boyfriend. We are about to get engaged. You can't just—"

"That’s enough!"

Helen slammed her wine glass onto the table, splashing red wine everywhere.

"Joanna! Your sister is literally begging you. What more do you want?"

Helen stood up, glaring at me aggressively.

"Caleb already agreed. The man has no objections, so why are you making a scene? Stop acting like you're the victim here."

"He is MY boyfriend!"