Paid to Disappear on His Proposal Night - Chapter 2: Chapter 2
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Courtney marched over to Darryl, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, and unleashed her fury.
"June, shut your mouth! Newsflash—in a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker. Darryl stopped loving you ages ago. That makes you the pathetic cling-on here. If he weren't so damn nice—worried you'd crumble at the truth—he would've dumped your sorry ass months ago. You should be grateful he even let you play girlfriend this long!"
She crossed her arms, lips curling into a smirk. "And you actually have the nerve to ask why he didn't pick you? Get real, June. Marriage isn't some fairy tale—it's about status. Your parents? Struggling bakers peddling buns on street corners. And you? A starving artist with no steady paycheck. Meanwhile, my mom's a principal, and I pull in six figures. Who do you think makes sense for him?"
My chest tightened. I thought of my dad—owner of nine upscale restaurants, raking in millions yearly—who still geeked out over perfecting sourdough at 3 AM.
I locked eyes with Darryl. "Tell me straight—did you really look down on me because of my family?"
He shifted, then shrugged. "Courtney's not wrong. Your parents scrape by selling bread. And you? Chasing some pipe dream as a painter? Even when you land a commission, it's pocket change. I can't build a future on that instability."
Courtney draped herself over his arm, voice dripping honey. "Babe, today's our day. Don't waste another second on her."
Her squad piled on like a rehearsed chorus:
"Take the hint, June. No one likes a desperate ex."
"Seriously, it's embarrassing. I'd have left already."
Darryl jerked his chin toward the door. "We've got a party to start. Get out."
I opened my mouth—then froze. The pungent sweetness of durian hit me. Courtney strutted over with a box, plucked out a chunk, and fed it to Darryl. He chewed without flinching.
My stomach dropped.
For two years, I'd avoided my favorite fruit because he swore the smell made him gag. Once, I'd brought one home—he made me trash it unopened. "Eat it outside," he'd snapped. "Don't come back till the stench is gone."
Now? He was swallowing bites like it was nothing.
Courtney caught me staring and waggled the fruit tauntingly. "Want some? Too bad. Darryl bought this just for me." She shoved the rest into her mouth, chewing with exaggerated relish.
The anger never came. Just the hollow ache of realization: He'd never loved me. Not enough to bend, not like this.
"Enough!" Darryl grabbed my arm, shoving me toward the exit. "Get the hell out!"
"June, shut your mouth! Newsflash—in a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker. Darryl stopped loving you ages ago. That makes you the pathetic cling-on here. If he weren't so damn nice—worried you'd crumble at the truth—he would've dumped your sorry ass months ago. You should be grateful he even let you play girlfriend this long!"
She crossed her arms, lips curling into a smirk. "And you actually have the nerve to ask why he didn't pick you? Get real, June. Marriage isn't some fairy tale—it's about status. Your parents? Struggling bakers peddling buns on street corners. And you? A starving artist with no steady paycheck. Meanwhile, my mom's a principal, and I pull in six figures. Who do you think makes sense for him?"
My chest tightened. I thought of my dad—owner of nine upscale restaurants, raking in millions yearly—who still geeked out over perfecting sourdough at 3 AM.
I locked eyes with Darryl. "Tell me straight—did you really look down on me because of my family?"
He shifted, then shrugged. "Courtney's not wrong. Your parents scrape by selling bread. And you? Chasing some pipe dream as a painter? Even when you land a commission, it's pocket change. I can't build a future on that instability."
Courtney draped herself over his arm, voice dripping honey. "Babe, today's our day. Don't waste another second on her."
Her squad piled on like a rehearsed chorus:
"Take the hint, June. No one likes a desperate ex."
"Seriously, it's embarrassing. I'd have left already."
Darryl jerked his chin toward the door. "We've got a party to start. Get out."
I opened my mouth—then froze. The pungent sweetness of durian hit me. Courtney strutted over with a box, plucked out a chunk, and fed it to Darryl. He chewed without flinching.
My stomach dropped.
For two years, I'd avoided my favorite fruit because he swore the smell made him gag. Once, I'd brought one home—he made me trash it unopened. "Eat it outside," he'd snapped. "Don't come back till the stench is gone."
Now? He was swallowing bites like it was nothing.
Courtney caught me staring and waggled the fruit tauntingly. "Want some? Too bad. Darryl bought this just for me." She shoved the rest into her mouth, chewing with exaggerated relish.
The anger never came. Just the hollow ache of realization: He'd never loved me. Not enough to bend, not like this.
"Enough!" Darryl grabbed my arm, shoving me toward the exit. "Get the hell out!"
End of Paid to Disappear on His Proposal Night Chapter 2. Continue reading Chapter 3 or return to Paid to Disappear on His Proposal Night book page.