Chapter 2

My hands froze over the clothes I was packing.

I turned around to face Savannah, my mind a mix of absolute confusion and blistering rage.

"Filthy things? What the hell did I hide from you?"

From the day we met until now, I had never hidden a single thing from her. My devotion to her had always been transparent and pure.

Even now, when she chose to betray me and marry Justin, I had accepted it with dignity and was ready to walk away. What right did she have to throw mud on my name?

"Savannah, say it plainly right now. What did I ever hide from you?"

Savannah suddenly grew hysterical, her face contorting with blame and sheer hatred.

"Look into your own conscience, Tyler! Fifteen years ago, the night of Justin's birthday party, why did my dad suddenly show up out of nowhere?"

"Besides you snitching to him, I can't think of a single other explanation!"

Fifteen years ago, when I saw Savannah drifting further and further down a destructive path, I had tried to talk sense into her countless times.

At first, she claimed it was just harmless fun, something to bring excitement to her boring high school life.

Later on, she started treating me like a nagging old woman, telling me I disgusted her and that she didn't need a boy her own age acting like her controlling father.

So, out of spite, on the night of my own birthday, she publicly confessed her feelings to Justin and officially became his girlfriend.

Heartbroken, I chose to let her go and step aside.

But I had never once thought about ratting her out to her family.

I only found out about what happened after Justin had already dropped out of school and left town.

I never dreamed that she had pinned the entire blame on me all these years, convinced that I had ratted them out purely out of petty jealousy.

Yet, if she had suspected me all this time, why had she stayed by my side for so many years?

"Savannah, please, let's just drop it. It's been so many years. Time heals everything," Justin chimed in softly.

"Tyler's actions back then were understandable. He loved you, and jealousy just clouded his judgment for a second. It wasn't really his fault!"

He made it sound like he was defending me, but every single word hammered another nail into my coffin, confirming my supposed guilt.

A surge of fury rushed straight to my head. It was this little bastard stirring the pot all along. I rolled up my sleeves, fully prepared to beat the living hell out of him.

The next second, the pathetic coward squeezed out a few crocodile tears, his face crumpling into dramatic remorse.

"Tyler, Savannah only said those things because she cares about me too much. Please, be the bigger man and forgive her."

"It's really all my fault. I loved her too much. I couldn't bear the agony of missing her anymore, so I traveled thousands of miles back just to see her. I never intended to ruin your relationship."

"If it weren't for me, the two of you would have tied the knot long ago after your fifteen-year relationship. It's all on me. I shouldn't have come back. I'll leave right now, and I'll never bother you two again!"

Justin made a dramatic show of turning to leave. Savannah panicked completely, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as if they were about to be torn apart forever.

"You can't leave, Justin! We went through so many obstacles over all these years just to finally be together!"

"If anyone is leaving, it's Tyler! He was the one who tore us apart in the first place, forcing us to endure fifteen miserable years of longing before we could reunite!"

A crushing wave of defeat washed over me.

I never imagined that the girl I had cherished and protected since childhood would buy into someone else's lies so effortlessly, viewing me as such a vile, despicable human being.

Closing my eyes, I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

Twenty years of devotion couldn't stand against Justin's twisted words.

Accepting that reality hurt far worse than any punch to the gut.

My hands moved faster, packing the rest of my things. It was time to put a final, absolute end to this chapter of my life.

"You don't need to kick me out. I'm leaving. And I'm putting this condo on the market immediately."

Savannah froze. When she snapped back to reality, her eyes were filled with smug condescension and mockery.

"Tyler, I had no idea you were this petty. Now you're resorting to threats?"

"Do you honestly think that threatening to sell the condo and leave me homeless is going to make me crawl back to you?"

"Let me tell you something: I am currently the hottest rising star in the industry! The studio executives held a high-level meeting and confirmed that they're going to pour all their resources into promoting me and me alone. My A-list breakthrough is right around the corner!"

"Meanwhile, you'll always be nothing more than a pathetic cockroach plotting behind people's backs, never amounting to anything in your life."

"Besides, I'm sick of this crappy place anyway. It's small, it's cheap, and it doesn't even come close to matching my status as a future superstar. You want to break up, right? Fine! We're done! Get the hell out! When I'm at the top of the world, don't you dare come crying and begging on your knees, because I won't look back!"

Every word was designed to cut deep, leaving no room for reconciliation. Not that I wanted any.

A cold smirk crossed my face as I shattered her delusion. "Do you really think the studio is going to back someone who pulls cheap stunts like this? You better start worrying about your PR crisis first."

"You might not care about your reputation, but the company sure as hell cares about theirs."