Chapter Two

Donald's POV 

I couldn't help but feel sad, wondering what I'd done to deserve her treating me like this. “Rose, why are you doing this to me?” I moaned.

“Oh, please get over yourself will you?” She snapped, sounding harsher than she ever had towards me. Lowering her voice, she hissed. “In case you've forgotten, we're just a contract couple…nothing more and nothing less so please stop whining about it.”

For a moment, I was stunned silent unable to believe that she could throw that in my face…not after all we've shared. “Rose, I'm sure you didn't mean that…right?” My voice held a tinge of hope ringing in it as I waited for her to dispel my doubts.

Her mocking laughter was clear through the speaker. “Oh, darling, I meant every word I said. I never loved you and I think it's high time you let that sink in.”

She hung up shortly after, leaving me to stare at the phone in bewilderment.

What the hell?

After what happened, I had to come to the realization that I was the only one invested in this relationship and I was hanging on to dead weight.

If after everything I've done, the sacrifices…she could open her mouth to tell me she didn't love me then there's nothing else I could do.

Maybe it is time to give up on the marriage and terminate the contract.

This was clearly a loveless union, one I couldn't stomach much longer.

With that resolve in mind, I went to bed even though I tossed and turned agonizing over my decision. The next day, Rose reached out to me to my surprise while I was at work.

She wanted to apologize for her behavior last night and also for the fact that she forgot my birthday and she wanted to make up for it.

I wanted to be petty and ignore her but when she double texted, telling me that she had a gift for me to make up for it, I caved in.

I see good if she was treating me to a post-birthday dinner and a gift then she must really be sorry and wanted to make up.

Out of curiosity, I asked her what the gift would be or for her to give me a hint.

She replied straight away,” Actually, you know that stuff you've wanted so much but they were out of stock? That's what I got for you.”

I wrapped my brain thinking of what she was talking about but then clicked….the watch!

Not just any watch but an Original Coupe watch that I absolutely loved. 

Instantly, I grew excited agreeing to her little plan. I was so happy that I could barely wait until my shift was over and then I rushed down home.

I must have broken about seven traffic laws in my haste to get home but I didn't care. The pounding in my chest didn't stop until I turned onto my driveway.

Checking my wristwatch, I noticed I was a couple of minutes late.

Of course, Rose wasn't here yet.

I got in and it didn't even look like she had been home in the past couple of hours I tasted around actually but I decided to go have my shower and freshen up I came downstairs ten minutes and she was nowhere to be found.

I shot off a text to her. 

D: I'm home, Rose. Where the hell are you?

It had a double tick, which showed that it had been delivered but she didn't respond.

I kept refreshing my inbox and emails, waiting for a response but nothing ever popped up.

Bored and exhausted, I scrolled through social media mindlessly.

Rose was friends with David on social media, so it might stand to reason that I would see some of his posts but I never expected to see the latest one.

It was a photo of David, all dressed up and ready to go out. He looked as handsome as Heather but that was not what made me pause mid-scroll…it was the watch on his wrist that caught my attention. 

I zoomed in and my haunch was proven correct. It was the exact same watch that Rose had sent me a picture of earlier promising it was my birthday gift that was sitting pretty on his hand.

He captioned it, “A gift from the best woman I know.”

To others, the picture might have looked innocent but to me, it felt like the deepest level of betrayal.

I closed the app, slamming my eyes close. I wished I could burn that image off my brain but even while my eyes were closed, I could still picture the watch on his wrist and it hurts just as badly.

While I'd been scrolling, an hour had passed much to my chagrin and instinctively I knew that Rose wasn't coming.

She was too busy with her boy toy anyway.

Flopping back on the bed, I stared at the ceiling deep in thought. I analyzed my feelings and behavior towards Rose and I realized that deep down, I had also suspected that there was something fishy about her relationship with him but I guess I didn't want to confront that fact.

I stayed up a little longer, working on my laptop so my workload for the next day wasn't as hectic…which was an excuse since I was trying to wait up for Rose.

When it clocked 11, I had no choice but to shut off my laptop and go to sleep since I had work the next day.

It took me longer than I expected for me to fall asleep, my brain torturing me with images of things that Rose and David could be up to at this given moment. However, I knew that it was nothing I could do to change the fact that I had already lost her.

To my surprise I didn't feel pain or anger or disappointment, any of the other things I expected to feel instead what I felt was a strange sense of peace washing over me….almost like I had found my freedom and now it was time to enjoy it.