It's my first time going on a trip with my boyfriend. I overhear him on the phone with his friend as they discuss how he's going to deflower me.

"Grayson, you should be able to have your way with Summer this time, right?"

"Don't even talk about that. She's so conservative—I've said and done everything, yet she refuses to budge!"

I lower my hand instead of knocking on the door. I stand outside the room and listen as he continues.

"Come off it. We've given you so many ideas in the group chat, haven't we? Have none of them worked? And didn't you guys get a room yesterday? You should've just brought sedatives. Think about how easy it would've been if you could've just knocked her out!"

Grayson Hale snaps, "I forgot, alright? Besides, who would've known there'd be two beds in the room? She insisted on sleeping separately, too. I sneaked onto her bed in the middle of the night when I saw she was asleep. She woke up just as I was about to take off her clothes and kicked me off!"

My blood runs cold. My hands tremble as I reply to my boss' message. "I accept headquarter's decision to transfer me."

"You should've packed sedatives on this trip. You could've knocked her out and done whatever you wanted to her."

Those words were spoken by Harry Lawson, Grayson Hale's best friend. He was no stranger to me.

Grayson's helpless voice sounded. "Don't piss me off. I wanted to bring some, but I forgot."

"Oh, man. No wonder Summer always says you can't be trusted. So, what do you plan to do next? Change your target, or stick with Summer?"

Grayson scoffed. "I'm not giving up until I get her. There's no way I'll fail. Anyway, we'll talk later. She's coming back soon. Just send whatever brilliant ideas you have into the group chat."

As soon as he ended the call, I knocked on the door.

I entered the room and saw his uneasy look. As I packed up my luggage, I teased, "Why do you look like you're sweating bullets? Were you plotting something?"

He embraced me from behind and nestled his head against the crook of my neck. "Come on, babe. You know I'd never misbehave. I was just missing you because you were out for some time."

I slowly pried his arms away. "Alright, you should start packing up. We have a ride to catch."

Right then, Grayson grabbed my hand. "Chill, babe. Don't you think we should extend our vacation a couple more days?"

He seemed convincingly genuine. I would've agreed if I hadn't overheard his conversation with Harry.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We've got this big project at the company—if it goes well, I'll finally buy you that game console and those sneakers you've been eyeing."

He couldn't have been more excited at my words, enveloping me in another hug. "You're the best, babe. I'll start packing, then."

I gave a cold laugh, knowing this trick would work on Grayson.

This trip had actually been a last-minute plan.

He, who usually couldn't be bothered to leave the house and relied on takeout, suddenly showed up to pick me up after work on Friday. He was dragging a suitcase, his face full of excitement as he proclaimed he would take me on a trip.

He was bouncing with excitement, but I was full of questions.

I had expressed how busy I had been at work lately, and he was well aware of that.

The weekend was coming, and I had planned to take the time to rest. But when I saw Grayson looking pitiful, telling me he wanted me to relax on the trip, I softened and agreed.

However, I didn't expect that it was his "think tank" that came up with the idea.

…

"Summer, you've finally figured it out!"

When I returned to work, my boss, Newt Hendrix, looked at me with delight. "Career is much more reliable than relationships, Summer. I'm thrilled that you're willing to accept the transfer order."

Newt had berated me countless times because I had passed up several promotion opportunities in order to spend more time with Grayson.

On a normal day, Grayson was a very romantic and thoughtful person. He knew exactly how to make me happy.

We had rarely fought when we were dating, but there was one thing that bothered me.

He had always been too casual and eager when it came to matters of intimacy. He was constantly pushing for more.

I had been more conservative and believed we should wait until marriage. No matter how much he begged, even threatening to break up, I never gave in.

I could be a bit slow to catch on, too. During university, I was busy with studies and part-time jobs. After graduation, everything was about work, so I never really thought about it deeply.

It wasn't until I overheard Grayson and Harry's conversation that I realized the situation had been more complicated than I had thought.

A text message notification from Grayson snapped me out of my daze. "Harry and the gang are having a barbecue tonight. Join us."

"I can't. Swamped at work."

"Oh, come on. Take this opportunity to meet my other friends, will you? You've only met Harry so far. I want my friends to meet my future wife," he said through a voice message, his tone earnest as ever.

I was intent on turning him down, but a thought struck me. This could be a great opportunity to learn about his "think tank."

"Okay, then. I'll be there."

After work, I received an address from Grayson and took a cab there.

When I arrived, I saw him waiting for me at the entrance, with a woman wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

Upon seeing me, she approached me before he did and sized me up with interest. Then, she turned to him and remarked, "Not bad. No wonder you're so into her. I suppose she's a good match for you."

Of course, she didn't forget to introduce herself. "My name is Luna Hills."

Grayson took my hand, though his other hand remained firmly holding Luna's.

"Lulu and I are childhood friends. Quick, come on in. Lulu doesn't like the cold."

Luna casually draped her arm over Grayson's shoulder, laughing and chatting as if she were the one dating him.

The moment I entered the restaurant, six pairs of eyes locked onto me. Their gazes were full of scrutiny, making me uneasy and uncomfortable.

Luna stood to my right. "Everyone, it's time for you to meet Grayson's darling."

As soon as those words were said, the atmosphere lightened up. I knew it wasn't to welcome me, though. It was more out of respect for Luna.

Grayson introduced me to his six friends, and aside from Harry, this was my first time meeting any of them.

It was clear that Luna was the center of the group, and she always seemed to harbor a subtle hostility toward me.

Every time I tried to speak, she couldn't wait to interrupt me, while the others, including Grayson, only responded to what she said.

I was left sitting there, ignored and stuck between wanting to say something and staying silent.

Normally, I would have made a scene, but today I just felt bored and couldn't be bothered to say a word.

"You're a tough one, aren't you, Summer? Grayson is the only unexperienced man left in our friend group, and you're not helping him either."

That was what Harry said in the middle of our meal. How inappropriate.

I turned to Grayson, only to see him keeping his head down and quietly eating.

Then came Luna's bright voice. "Be nice, dude. We don't wanna scare a smoke show away, do we?"

Grayson broke into a chuckle. "A smoke show? Not even you call yourself that, and you're the one who's actually deserving of that title."

As he spoke, he poured her a glass of orange juice, his movements smooth and skilful.

She held the glass and let out a flirtatious laugh. "Hey, what are you doing? Your darling is sitting right there."

The others observed my reaction, while Harry pursed his lips, looking scornful.

Luna continued to wear a smile as she said, "Hey, Grayson's darling? Don't mind him. We grew up together, and he's practically used to looking after me."

Grayson chimed in, "That's right. You can't be mad over something so trivial, right? There isn't a rule that says you can't have friends while in a relationship."

When Grayson was with me, he was clumsy, careless, and couldn't seem to do anything right. Even the simplest tasks would end in disaster.

Once, I asked him to pour me a glass of water, and he ended up dropping the mug and breaking it.

I used to say he was unreliable, and over time, I stopped asking him to do anything at all. It turned out he was capable of being thoughtful and attentive, just not with me.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "You guys are such overthinkers. I'd barely said a word, yet you think I'm mad. How interesting."

When I stood up, the chair screeched against the floor.

"I have work to do, so I'll get going first. Just text me how much I need to pay for this meal."

Ignoring Grayson's hostile gaze, I pushed open the door and left. He wanted to come after me, but Luna stopped him.

"Ignore her, Grayson. The more you let her have her way, the more she'll act up in the future. Just give her time to cool off."

The others laughed and echoed, "She's right. No one knows women better than a woman. Just listen to Lulu, Grayson. She's always got the best ideas for you, after all."

Obedient as he was, he didn't come after me.

When I returned home, I sat before the laptop, dazed, for a long time.

Grayson had used my laptop, and little did he know, his messaging app was still logged in.

I had intended to work on my project proposals, but the non-stop chattering of the group chat took my focus away.

Luna: "Just listen to me, Grayson. Don't contact her for now, and let her come to you. You can't always let her have her way."

Harry: "She's right. You can't indulge your woman. You must wear the pants in your relationship."

Luna: "Remind me, why were you so dead set on Summer back then?"

Grayson: "Easy. She's an orphan."

Luna: "Right, an orphan. She has no support and therefore, can only rely on you. You're smart, Grayson."

Harry: "Damn. I should've thought of that. Next time, I'll date an orphan, too."

I kept scrolling through the chat history, and that was when I realized I had been Grayson's target from the very beginning.

All those moments that once made my heart flutter, when I thought he was protecting me—they were all Luna's ideas, carefully planned and orchestrated by Harry and his team.

That included the tests he put me through after we started dating.

Like the time he called me on the day of my grad school interview, claiming he had been in a car accident. It was just to make me skip it and find him.

Or when I wanted to stay in Jimfield after graduation. He said he didn't want a long-distance relationship, pressuring me to stay with him.

And of course, when it came to matters of intimacy. I was especially resistant when it came to that, so Luna came up with a plan for him to use.

"Smooth her in with some dirty jokes. She'll get used to it and eventually say yes."

No wonder Grayson had been so bawdy with me during our entire relationship. It was just one of the many tactics they had woven into this carefully constructed illusion.

I scrolled through the chat history repeatedly, my emotions shifting from disbelief to disgust, and then from disgust to numbness.

How could one be this deceitful? How could he do this to me? On what basis?

The man I used to love was nothing but a rotten egg. It seemed I had known nothing about him.

I was repulsed by him, but also at my old self for ever falling for him.

I gathered every gift Grayson had ever given me, and one by one, I destroyed them—smashing what could be smashed, tearing up what could be torn, wiping away every trace of our memories together.

In the end, I lay in bed, quietly wiping away my tears.

I was thankful that I chose to stay in the company dormitory instead of moving in with Grayson. I was even more grateful that I had principles, or I would've become just another helpless lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

On my way out to work two days later, I found Grayson squatting at my door. He held a bag containing breakfast and carefully glanced at me.

"Babe, are you still mad? I'm sorry I overlooked your feelings the other night."

I raised a brow, wondering what kind of trick he had up his sleeve this time. What brilliant idea had the "think tank" come up with this time?

Faced with my silence, Grayson persisted with his thought-out explanation. "Babe, I'd been thinking the whole night. I admit I've been careless and have always overlooked your feelings. Will you forgive me?"

I didn't want him to notice anything off, as I was determined to get to the bottom of their tricks.

Reluctantly, I let out a sigh. "I got it. I need to get to work, so we'll talk after that."

I sat at my desk, turned on my laptop, and went through Grayson's messages. Yesterday, Luna proposed a new idea in the group chat.

Luna: "I've got another idea, Grayson. Didn't that prude say she'll wait until marriage? Why don't you just propose to her, then? An orphan like her will always long to create a family of her own.

"Just coax her, and when she's all up in her emotions, she'll say yes to anything you ask."

Grayson: "But I don't plan on marrying her yet."

Harry: "Propose, bro, not marry her. It's just a front. The main objective is still getting the job done, right? And there's a lot to take care of when it comes to marriage.

"It's impossible to propose today and get married tomorrow. You can just drag it out."

Grayson: "It's her birthday in another four days. I'll have a go, then."

Just as I was wondering what had gotten into Grayson for him to be the one to apologize first…

In the past, I had always been the one to give him an out before he would back down.

When I looked at his new text message, I pursed my lips.

"Babe, it's your birthday soon. I've prepared a big surprise for you, so be sure to look forward to it."

Not only was my birthday in four days, but it was also the day for me to leave this city.

Of course, I wouldn't let Grayson, who had carefully prepared a surprise for me, feel disheartened. Instead, I would reciprocate a great gift to him and his "think tank."