Ryan drove the others from our table to a nearby dessert place, just as he had promised.
He didn’t ask me about Arthur.
He didn’t ask about the confession either.
He didn’t even bring up the way my hands had trembled when I picked up my purse.
That restraint made me feel oddly safe around him.
At one point I stepped away to the restroom and splashed cold water on my face until my heartbeat finally steadied.
That was when I heard a familiar voice from the next stall.
Chloe.
Maybe the system’s earlier unbinding had glitched something, because when I got close enough, I could hear the conversation inside her head as clearly as if it were happening right beside me.
“Honestly,” Chloe said with a laugh, “Arthur is way easier than you made him sound. I just had AI generate a problem and he was already hooked. And Zoe knitting a scarf? That’s so embarrassing. The difference in IQ between people really is brutal.”
Then the system’s voice answered.
“To be fair, Arthur already had feelings for you, so of course it was easy. That’s why he’s such a high-value match. And Ryan has high favorability toward you too, but he wasn’t selected because Arthur and you are a more ideal pair.”
Chloe sounded pleased. “Good. Because if not for the cash reward, I was actually thinking of going after Ryan at the reunion. He’s rich now. But then he stood up and said he liked Zoe. What is wrong with him?”
The system replied, “That’s just him trying to make you jealous. We detected strong feelings on his side for you. Quite a lot, actually.”
Chloe laughed. “I knew it. So he’s the anonymous sponsor too, right?”
“Exactly. See? You’re so smart.”
I stood frozen in the restroom, every muscle turning cold.
So even Ryan liked Chloe?
And Arthur, after all of this, still liked Chloe too?
The system that had ruined three years of my life was now helping her ruin hers more efficiently.
I didn’t wait to hear more.
I walked out.
As soon as I turned into the hallway, I saw Arthur leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed.
He must have been waiting for Chloe.
He straightened when he saw me.
“So someone confesses to you and you’re already so excited you’re leaving with him?”
I tried to walk past him.
He caught my wrist.
“I’m reminding you out of old times’ sake,” he said tensely. “Do you really believe everything a guy says just because he claims to like you? Are you that stupid? If a trafficker told you he loved you, would you go with him too?”
I looked at him.
My eyes suddenly burned.
“So in your mind,” I asked quietly, “I’m not worth liking. Is that it?”
He froze.
“That’s not what I—”
“Arthur,” I cut in, “I’m not stupid because someone likes me. I’m stupid because I spent three years liking someone who never respected me.”
He stared at me like I had slapped him.
His chest rose and fell once. Hard.
Then, almost angrily, he said, “Didn’t you hear what I said in there? I told them I have a girlfriend. If you would just come back and apologize, you could have what you’ve always wanted.”
Yes.
I had heard the implication in every word.
But hearing it now felt less like fulfillment and more like insult.
I pulled my wrist free.
“I don’t want it anymore.”
At that moment, Chloe came out too, all bright lipstick and perfectly styled hair.
“Arthur, were you waiting for me?”
He didn’t answer.
I kept walking.
Behind me, Ryan’s voice sounded from the end of the hall.
“Zoe?”
He must have come back from the car.
Arthur’s face darkened again.
I didn’t look back.