When Finn left, he forgot his phone on the bar.

The screen lit up. I glanced over and saw a message from Amanda.

[Who were you glaring at? In a rush to prove your loyalty to your perfect little girlfriend?]

[You're so ungrateful! Who was the one who took you street racing in the garage to blow off steam when you screwed up that deal for the family and the Old Man punished you?]

I reached out, picked up the phone, and unlocked it. The password hadn't changed. It was still my birthday.

I opened his chat with Amanda.

The chat history was endless. They talked every single day.

[Ordered you a whole box of sexy lingerie. Extra small, to make you look bigger. So you won't feel so insecure.]

[You should stuff your bra first, flat-chest.]

[You didn't send anyone to mess up my turf today. Guess you've grown up?]

[Count your lucky stars. Consider it a mercy from me!]

It was all meaningless nonsense, but Finn replied to every single message.

If not instantly, then only a few minutes later.

He met every provocation, engaged in every argument.

It was charged, fiery, and full of life.

My chat log was buried at the bottom of a long list of contacts.

The day before yesterday, I had sent him a picture of the pasta I'd made.

[The pasta I made today turned out great. I'll make it for you when you get home from work.]

He never replied. I scrolled up.

A song I'd shared, thinking he'd like it. Photos I'd taken of the sunrise and sunset from our window. I had even sent a simple [I miss you a lot tonight].

All of it had gone unanswered, without a single word in response.

His time was too precious. He was always in meetings, at social functions, handling disputes, settling turf wars.

He was so busy he barely had time to look at his phone, only to steal a quick glance now and then.

I never complained. I only hoped that these little pieces of my day might help him unwind.

I just never imagined that his few moments of downtime were spent on Amanda. On arguing.

To maintain a connection he always claimed was "so damn annoying."

Outside the window, the night waves crashed against the rocks, churning up a ghostly white foam.

The beautiful scenery reminded me, strangely, that he and I had also met by the sea.

I was working a night job at the docks to pay for my tuition, so tired after moving cargo that I could barely stand.

I looked up and saw a man sitting on a large rock, smiling at me.

It was a bad-boy smile, but it made my heart pound.

I had thought it was fate's gift to me. Looking back now, I was so naive.

The door opened and Finn returned. He saw the phone had been moved and his steps faltered for a second.

"So you went through my phone. Now you can relax, right?"

He sounded casual, almost righteous, as if there was nothing wrong.

As if my ignored messages, their heated exchanges, and the heart I had so carefully offered him were all insignificant.

In that instant, I understood. In his heart, my feelings, my disappointment, were never enough to make him panic.

I didn't answer him.

His brow tightened, and his voice took on a harder edge.

"Are you still angry about that condom? You know what kind of psycho she is. You know how I operate."

He walked over, pulled out his phone, and held a video up for me to see.

"She planted it herself. It's all on the hallway security camera."

He was waiting for my reaction, for me to be the understanding girl I'd always been.

To close the video, curl up in his arms, and admit that I had been overthinking things.

But I just stared into his eyes, my voice calm. "Understood."

He let out a cold scoff, snatched the phone back, and hit play.

On the screen, Amanda did indeed slip the small square into his suit jacket as she passed the coat rack.

"See? Satisfied?"

"I didn't do anything. Chloe, it's been seven years. You don't even have that little bit of trust in me?"

"Yeah."

"So let's break up."

He froze, not quite processing it, as if he had misheard.

After a long moment, he threw the phone onto the sofa, his eyes filling with furious red veins.

"What more do I have to do to make you happy? You're the only woman I have. I've given you the title, you can use my cards whenever you want, I've given you the best protection."

"Chloe, what more do you want? This angst of yours is suffocating me!"

"What do you think our problem is?! Just say it! What do you want? Just ask!"

Just as I was about to speak, Mia burst through the door, her face pale.

"Finn, Amanda… she's downstairs in the lobby playing strip poker with some of your guys. One piece of clothing for every lost hand. Right now…"

"She's down to her lace underwear. No one can get her to stop."

Finn's face instantly darkened. He was in such a rush he didn't even spare me a glance before turning to leave.

His jacket was still draped over the sofa. He didn't even grab it.

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

See? This is the problem.

She will always be the one he drops everything for.

And I will always be the one left behind.

The next morning, Finn pulled me out of bed as if nothing had happened.

"Chloe, get changed. The weather's nice today. Let's go for a walk on the cliffs."

His face showed no trace of the previous night.

It was as if the sight of his back, rushing out of the room without even a jacket, had just been a dream.

"And don't worry, Amanda definitely won't be bothering us today."

He paused, then said with absolute certainty, "I've arranged for some new thrills to keep her busy. Deep-sea diving gear, a speedboat, and a few bodyguards to keep her entertained, so she won't get bored and crash our day."

He had even anticipated her boredom. How considerate of him.

The path to the top of the cliff was rugged. Finn walked ahead, occasionally turning back to steady my arm.

But he was completely distracted.

Messages from Amanda were coming in one after another.

[These bodyguards are so dull. I'm bored to death.]

[The diving spot is okay, but the sharks are too small.]

[When are you done with your thing? Get back here and race the boat with me.]

He typed back with one hand while making small talk with me.

"Tired? Want to rest at that pavilion up ahead?"

But his eyes were glued to the screen most of the time.

I walked behind him, staring at his hair, which was being tousled by the sea breeze.

I suddenly remembered our first year together.

The first time we walked by the sea, he also walked in front, but he would reach his hand back to take mine, saying, "I'm afraid you'll get lost."

The warmth of his palm was so strong then; once he held on, he never wanted to let go.

I don't know when it started, but one day he stopped holding my hand, stopped replying to my messages instantly.

I had always thought that passion fades in any long-term relationship.

But that wasn't true. His passion had only cooled for me.

For Amanda, it was still scorching hot.

We were barely halfway up the path when his phone started vibrating insistently.

It was Amanda, her voice a wailing accusation mixed with sobs.

"Finn! What kind of crappy speedboat did you get me? I took it out and hit a reef! My leg is cut! Get your ass over here and save me!"

Finn stopped walking, his features instantly tensing.

Mia, who was following us, hurried forward.

"Finn, why don't I have the guys at the dock check on her?"

But another friend with us spoke up. "Boss, Amanda's always been the dramatic type. It's probably nothing serious."

"Yeah, boss, I can go down to the dock and keep an eye on her if you want. This thing today… you've been planning it for a long time."

He was silent for three full seconds.

In those three seconds, a gust of wind shot through my thin dress, chilling me to the bone.

He turned around and looked at me, a deep, long look.

"Chloe, I'm going back to the dock. You go on ahead to the clifftop and wait for me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Mia started to remind him, "But today is supposed to be the propo—"

He was already running back down the path, his face etched with worry. He didn't hear her at all.

The only sound left on the path was his hurried footsteps.

Mia walked over to me, looking as if she had been holding something in for a long time and had finally decided to let it out.

"Chloe, there's a secret. I think you have a right to know."

"Do you know why Finn went to so much trouble to pursue you in the first place?"

The wind whipped across the cliff, so cold it felt like it was seeping into my bones.

"It was just a bet."

"Amanda bet him, 'If you can get that good girl to fall for you, I'll call you Daddy from now on.'"

"No one expected you two to last this long."

"Amanda regretted it later, but you know her temper. She'd rather die than admit she was wrong. So she and Finn just kept at it, their fights getting worse and worse, but neither of them could ever cut the other off."

I just stood there, motionless.

Until the loose stones at my feet rattled in the wind.

So that's what it was.

Seven whole years.

I was just a ridiculous bargaining chip, a pawn in their private games.

They used me to see who would win, used a living, breathing person to prove who was better.

I suddenly wanted to laugh. What was laughable was that I had been so serious, for seven whole years.

"But he really was going to propose to you at sunset on the cliff today."

"The flowers, the ring, the whole setup… he supervised all of it himself. He kept it a secret from you for almost two months."

I gazed out at the distant blue horizon, saying nothing.

"Are you still going to go up?"

"Yes."

Our entanglement began at a harbor.

Since it started by the sea, let it end completely on this sea cliff.

I walked the rest of the way alone, at the very front of the group.

As I neared the edge of the cliff, I saw the lavish scene.

White balloons were tied between two seaside pines, and the ground was covered in white roses flown in from Europe. In the light of the setting sun, they looked as if they were stained with blood.

A giant floral arch stood at the very edge, closest to the sea, draped with delicate fairy lights and pure white chiffon.

The view from the cliff was stunning, and the proposal scene was beautiful.

A few friends who had arrived early were already there. As soon as I appeared, they started whistling.

"The star of the show has arrived!"

"Here's our leading lady!"

Finn appeared. "Chloe, I'm back!"

He ran to me, panting heavily, but his eyes were shining with an unusually bright light.

It was a light I hadn't seen in his eyes for a very long time.

A light mixed with nervousness, anticipation, and even a bit of boyish anxiety.

He pulled the velvet box from his sea-sprayed jacket and snapped it open.

Then, he dropped to one knee.

"Chloe."

"It's been seven years. Thank you for walking these seven years with me."

"I know I haven't been good enough, that I've put you through a lot. But please believe me, from this day forward—"

He looked up, his eyes faintly red.

"I will use my life, my everything, to love and protect you without reservation."

"Will you marry me?"

His guys and our friends behind him erupted in a deafening cheer.

"Say yes to the boss!"

"Marry him!"

Everyone's eyes were focused on me, including the man before me, the man I had loved so seriously for seven years.

Right now, he was kneeling on the cliff's edge, holding a priceless pink diamond, his head tilted slightly up, his eyes full of devotion.

I opened my mouth. My voice wasn't loud, but the sea breeze carried it clearly to everyone's ears.

"Finn."

"I—"