When I got back to Jason’s place, it was dead quiet, and he still hadn’t come home by the time night rolled around.
“Typical. He never valued me as a partner,” I sighed.
I decided not to bother worrying about where Jason was. I could guess he was probably with Maddie again. And of course, there was always proof to back that up.
A mate of Jason’s just uploaded a photo and tagged both him and Maddie. They were at the bar, and I could see Jason hugging Maddie from behind, grinning at the camera.
I didn’t flinch, but the caption his mate wrote made my stomach churn.
“Real love is first love. Cheers to you, bro.”
I gave a bitter smile. I knew Maddie was Jason’s first love, and now they were flaunting it so openly, it pissed me off. Some of Jason’s mates commented on the post.
[For real, Jason’s hooking up with Maddie again?]
[Leveling up, bro! She’s way better than your girlfriend.]
[Girlfriend? LMAO, she’s just Jason’s fling!]
[Not just a fling, she’s a total gold digger, LOL!]
[But funny how a gold digger’s into cheap shit!]
I couldn’t believe Jason’s mates thought of me like that. They’d been so nice when Jason introduced me to them.
I let out a long, frustrated sigh, logged out of my account, but then Maddie dropped a comment too.
[You mean Ava? Yeah, she looked like a parasite!]
My blood boiled at the sight. She was the one acting like a parasite in our relationship, always calling Jason whenever we were together.
“They’re such a pain!”
Then a new comment popped up, making my head spin. Jason replied to Maddie’s comment with a laughing emoji. I couldn’t help but feel hurt by it.
“Does Jason also think I’m a parasite or a gold digger like they say?” I muttered.
Sadness gnawed at my heart. I’d told myself not to care, but it still hurt. Jason’s attitude cut deep.
A message notification popped up on the screen.
[Ava, can you help me out with decorating the ballroom?]
It was from my college mate. Decorating had always been my thing. I’d even done part-time event work during uni.
It wasn’t exactly interior design, but it was close, and making things look beautiful always made me happy.
I replied quickly and agreed to help. Keeping busy was my way of dealing with the heartache Jason was causing. If he was off with Maddie, I might as well focus on my own stuff.
The next day, I went to the hotel ballroom my friend mentioned. It was for a birthday event, and I thought it would take a day or two. But my friend ended up asking me to help for a whole week.
During that time, I barely heard from Jason and chose to ignore his messages. Some nights, I stayed at my friend’s house because I was too tired after working.
When I got home that night, I thought Jason wasn’t there. But he was, sitting on the couch with his arms crossed. When I walked in, he gave me a cold stare.
“You ignoring me?” he asked.
“I’m tired, Jason!” I snapped, glancing at him before walking past.
Jason stood up and grabbed my hand. “You said we should talk if something’s up. What’s this? You’ve been avoiding me for days just because I spent time with Maddie,” he said.
“Is a week not enough for you to get that I’m pissed?” Jason asked, his tone sharp. “Come on, Ava, stop acting like a child.”
I sighed heavily and pulled my hand away. “Aren’t you sick of pretending like this?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve already made it clear you’re back with Maddie. So why even bother with me?” I said, fuming. “Look at your mate’s post! Just look at that!” I yelled.
“Oh, come on. It was just a joke between mates,” Jason said, hands on my shoulders. “Ava, listen to me. You’re the only one I love right now,” he added.
I gave him a sarcastic smile. “Then why did you stay quiet when your mates called me a parasite and a gold digger?”
“What’s the issue?” Jason said, shrugging it off.
“What? Jason, do you think of me like that too?” I asked, my voice shaking.
Seeing my watery eyes, Jason sighed and looked at me with annoyance. “Oh, God! Isn’t that why you went out with me in the first place? You’ve enjoyed everything I’ve given you, right?”
My eyes burned, and my heart felt stabbed. His words hurt so much, especially since all he ever gave me were cheap things I never even asked for.
I looked away, fighting tears, and sighed deeply to calm myself down.
“Whatever. I need a break!” I pulled away, but Jason grabbed my hand.
“Ava, stop being a pain! We need to talk and clear this up!” he snapped, his face flushed with anger. Even his neck veins were sticking out.
“You mean the Maddie drama?” I asked, smirking sarcastically.
He closed his eyes again and sighed. “Alright, forget about it. Tomorrow, I want you to stay home. Don’t go anywhere,” he ordered.
“Why should I stay home? I’ve got work, don’t bother me!” I snapped, bouncing off to my room and slamming the door shut.
“Shit! Ava, you’ll regret it if you don’t listen to me!” Jason yelled.
I ignored him and decided to sleep. Another job awaited me tomorrow.
The next morning, Jason wasn’t home. I didn’t care and headed to work to decorate for an engagement ceremony.
It turned out the ceremony was for Jason and Maddie. That’s why he told me not to go out.
I watched them walk in, hand in hand. Jason’s mates were there too, smirking at me.
“Isn’t that Jason’s girlfriend?”
“You mean the gold digger? Haha!”
“Yeah, she should know her place!”
“What a pity, having to watch your boyfriend get engaged to someone else!”
