"You can’t refuse," he interrupted, his tone demanding. "You’re coming with me. I thought Amira was your friend too."
"I thought she was your ex," I said, the bitterness slipping out before I could stop it.
He scoffed. "So? Does that mean I should cut ties with her? We’re friends. I can’t disregard her by not attending her party."
I stared at him in disbelief. Yesterday, he had no issue shoving me aside for Tia, and now he was adamant about attending his ex’s party out of respect. The hypocrisy was suffocating.
He sensed my frustration but continued, oblivious to how his words stabbed at me. "I’m going to treat you well tonight to make up for yesterday," he said as if that would fix everything. "I’ve pushed aside some work for the day because of that, so you have to attend."
"I don’t—"
"Try to look your best," he cut in again, dismissing my words. "I’ll come pick you up by 7 p.m."
I clenched my jaw, and he smirked—a half smile I didn’t return. He turned to his car, rummaged around, and came back with a small bag. "Here," he said, handing it to me. "A little present for your birthday."
I took the bag hesitantly, opening it to find a scarf—delicate, with soft fabric and intricate designs. It was beautiful, but all I could feel was the weight of his manipulation.
"Please, wear it tonight," he said, his eyes gleaming. "I want all my friends to admire you."
It’s always about him. I bit back a sharp retort. He wanted me to impress his friends, the same ones who barely acknowledged me. I was just another accessory to him.
I sighed, my patience running thin. "I’m sure Tia won’t mind since they already like her, right?"
Skyler’s brows furrowed. "Tia? Why bring her up now?"
"You were with her yesterday—"
"Yes, yes," he said, cutting me off. "She invited me to the Maldives to celebrate an accomplishment of hers. You know we haven’t shared good moments for ages. I couldn’t turn her down."
"You did it at the expense of my happiness and lied—"
"I didn’t lie," he snapped. "Forget about it. I apologized already." Without another word, he pecked my cheek, a gesture so empty it made my skin crawl and walked back to his car.