Chapter 2

But this time, I let him sleep on the couch without even giving him a thin blanket to cover himself.

Damien sneezed from the cold, and I pretended not to hear.

Shortly after, Damien suddenly sat up and vomited all over the floor. The stench permeated the air. I cast a disgusted glance before turning and heading upstairs.

In the morning, while I was still dreaming, I heard a loud bang on the bedroom door.

Damien came in, lifted the covers, and climbed into bed. With his eyes closed, he didn't forget to order me, "I threw up last night. Go clean it up."

His tone was casual, even more entitled than if he were commanding a maid.

He hadn't showered, and I couldn't stand the reek of alcohol on him. I immediately got out of bed and stood far away at the edge. I said to Damien, "Let's break up."

Damien kept his eyes closed, only letting out an ambiguous cold snort from his nose.

Breaking up was a big deal, and I wanted to make things clear so I could go on that blind date with Grandma Stone's grandson.

So I nudged Damien's shoulder and repeated, "I want to break up. Do you agree?"

Damien's face was full of impatience as he forced his eyes open, glaring at me angrily. "What the hell are you doing this early in the morning? If you've got nothing else to say, shut up and stop bothering me. I'm trying to sleep."

I stubbornly asked, "So, does this mean you agree to break up?"Damien smirked coldly, his eyes filled with contempt as he looked at me: "Have I ever been with you? That's hilarious, you're talking about breaking up with me."

I stared at Damien in shock. Once the filter of his heartlessness was torn away, I realized just how despicable this arrogant and domineering man truly was.

To think I had spent ten years by the side of such a man.

How laughable.

Since Damien had put it that way, I couldn't be bothered to bring up that pathetic proposal. I only uttered one word: "Fine."

I didn't make a fuss or argue. As for Damien, I'd deal with packing up his things after he left.

I took a shower and headed out.

As for the vomit in the living room, I couldn't care less about cleaning it up.

While I was having breakfast at a food stand, Grandma Stone called. Her tone was delighted yet tinged with disbelief.

"Melody, are you really willing to marry my grandson?"

I made a sound of agreement, then jokingly mentioned my current situation: "As long as he doesn't mind that I just broke up with my boyfriend."

Grandma Stone responded with great gusto: "Mind? What's there to mind? He's still an unmarried old man in his thirties, a whole decade older than you. As long as you don't mind him, it's all good."I am twenty-five now, which means Grandma Stone's grandson is already thirty-five.

But that's not really old.

I can accept this age, so I asked, "When do we meet?"

Grandma Stone slapped her thigh, "Today. Bring your ID, we'll meet at the courthouse."

I was stunned, unable to believe it would happen so quickly. But Grandma Stone insisted today was the most suitable day. The reason she was matchmaking me with her grandson was because she felt my attributes and personality were the best fit for him.

It sounded absurd, but my life was already such a mess that I didn't mind doing something crazy.

When I returned to the mansion, it was still quite early, not even 11 o'clock yet.

Damien was already up, smoking on the terrace with a sour expression. Seeing me return, his first words were, "I told you to clean the living room. Why didn't you do it? If you can't even handle such a small task, why am I keeping you around?"

Not wanting to argue with Damien, I said, "Why don't you hire a housekeeper? I won't be doing these chores anymore."

Damien frowned, "Melody, what do you mean? Are you giving me attitude because of what happened yesterday?"

I said, "No, I'm not. It's just that I'm about to..."Moving out — these words were drowned out by Damien's angry voice.

"Melody, don't be so stubborn. My patience has its limits. It was just one broken promise, I never said I wouldn't marry you." He finished, looking at me with a mix of smugness and anticipation.

I knew he was waiting for me to ask him when he would marry me.

In the past, when I was willing to play along, I would always follow his lead.

But now, I didn't want to play along anymore.