Katherine's POV:
Cameron clinched the championship in racing and had planned a celebration at the Public House.
I arrived a bit late, and as soon as I stepped inside, I caught wind of the team talking about me.
“Cameron, are you really going to marry Ms. Katherine?”
I abruptly halted, my ears straining to catch every word from the booth.
Just an hour earlier, I had asked him that same question while we were still tangled in sheets.
He’d been on such a high after his victory, caught up in the moment, and had laughed off my question with a kiss. No real answer, just distraction.
Now, I held my breath, anxiously awaiting his reply.
Cameron chuckled lightly, a dismissive tone in his voice, “Marry Katherine? No way. My relationship with Katherine is just… experience.”
Just experience? Those words echoed in my mind. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
I felt a bit lost and before I could make sense of it, Cameron leaned back in his seat, rubbing his neck.
My heart raced at the thought of being discovered, and I ducked into a corner to stay out of sight.
“Just experience?” someone asked exactly what I was thinking. “For what?”
Another team member, Rex, laughed first. “Not for what, for who. Obviously, this is all because he’s been chasing Marilyn for so long. Before Ms. Katherine showed up, Marilyn and Cameron were like the king and queen of racing! They had an incredible synergy on the track, winning championship after championship!”
What the hell was he talking about? Who the heck was Marilyn? I clenched my fists, barely stopping myself from storming over there and demanding answers.
Though, with the way my chest tightened painfully, I wasn’t sure I could even move at the moment.
Rex kept going, clearly enjoying himself. “Five years ago, Cameron confessed his feelings to Marilyn but got flat-out rejected. Apparently, she wanted someone with experience!”
Another chimed in. “So, Cameron decided to practice with Ms. Katherine, huh?”
“Practicing love and getting some 'bedroom experience'!”
The table erupted in laughter.
Cameron didn’t deny a single word... He even started laughing along with them, relaxed, entertained like they were swapping harmless stories instead of reducing my life to a joke. And what did I do?
I stood there, feeling humiliated and furious. My chest tightened as if someone had wrapped a fist around my heart.
My hands trembled as I pulled out my phone and searched for Marilyn’s name.
In an instant, a flood of news articles popped up on my screen.
Each one featured photos of Ms. Marilyn and Cameron together.
The headlines all proclaimed how they were the perfect couple, a match made in racing heaven, meant for each other.
I stared at their intimate gestures—holding hands, embracing—and a sharp pain shot straight through my chest.
Meanwhile, the conversation continued on the other side.
“Marilyn’s coming back to town soon, Cameron,” someone said. “So, are you planning to break up with Katherine?”
I tightened my grip on my phone and held my breath without realizing it. Then I heard his reply. “Break up? Well, it has been five years since I started dating Katherine. She’s spent her best years with me and I don’t want to hurt her directly.”
How could he speak so nonchalantly, as if he was throwing me away like garbage.
Five years reduced to a burden he didn’t feel like dealing with.
Rex threw an arm around Cameron’s shoulders teasingly. “You’re not seriously thinking about juggling two relationships, are you?”
This led to another round of laughter, light and carefree, while my heart felt like it was being carved open.
I leaned against a wall in the corner, my mind involuntarily drifting back over the last five years with Cameron.
I’d met him at the racing club.
He fell for me at first sight and pursued me fiercely, swore I was the one.
Before long, we were officially a couple.
Though I was five years older than him, we had harmonized well across the board for the past five years. At least I thought we did.
But upon turning thirty, my family urged me to consider settling down.
I didn't want an arranged marriage. I wanted to marry him. Just him. So, I started testing the waters.
Every time I brought up the subject of marriage, he’d casually shift the topic.
Tonight’s probing was sparked by an interview he did after winning the championship.
A reporter had asked him, “Mr. Cameron, after winning three years in a row, what do you have to say?”
Standing on the podium, he looked down at me and replied, “I want to thank our team coach, Ms. Katherine! She’s there for every race, my lucky charm.”
The reporter then asked, “You’ve been dating Ms. Katherine for five years. Any plans to tie the knot?”
He confidently answered, “As long as Ms. Katherine is willing, I can propose at any time.”
I believed him. I thought he wasn’t against marrying me. It gave me hope, and that hope led us straight into bed.
Afterward, wrapped in sheets, I pressed him, “Cameron, you said if I wanted, you could propose anytime. Is that true?”
He had paused, his face momentarily frozen.
But I instinctively brushed it aside.
He countered, “You want to get married?”
“My family is pressuring me to settle down through an arranged marriage,” I complained playfully, hoping to get a reaction out of him. When he didn’t respond, I continued. “Cameron, what about us getting married?”
He still didn’t give me a clear answer, just leaned in to kiss me.
I thought it was because he loved me so much, but looking back, his lack of a definitive response was mere avoidance.
I felt stupid for not seeing it sooner. Even dumber was the fact that I had planned to propose to him in a week.
On his birthday.
I’d meticulously arranged every detail of the venue over a month ago.
The bouquet was filled with sunflowers, his favorite.
The tablecloth was in his lucky color, gold.
The drinks were his preferred champagne.
Even the engagement ring was designed by his favorite artist, Avery.
I remembered when the staff handed me the ring; they were astonished when they learned my intention.
“Ms. Katherine, isn’t it traditionally the man who proposes?”
“Whoever’s in a hurry should take the initiative,” I replied with a smile. “Besides, who said proposals are only for men?”
The more I reminisced, the more foolish I felt.
Yet after five years of love, I needed proper closure.
Wiping away my tears, I took a moment to compose myself and freshen up in front of a mirror not far away.
Then I turned and confidently walked over to Cameron’s table.
“Ms. Katherine!”
Someone and called out, loud enough to alert everyone.
I pretended not to notice, pulled out a chair, and sat down next to Cameron.
“What’s got everyone so happy?” I asked, feigning curiosity. “What are you all chatting about?”
The group suddenly looked awkward, caught off guard.
Rex chuckled nervously, “We were just talking about you and Cameron, admiring how lucky he is in both love and career!”
I turned my gaze to Cameron, “Oh really?”
Cameron paused, then broke into a smile, wrapping his arm around me affectionately. “Of course. Katherine, they all know how great you are to me. They envy me for having such a wonderful girlfriend.”
The deception among friends and Cameron’s calm lies sent chills through me.
“Well, if I’m so wonderful,” I said playfully stroking his chin, “when are you planning to marry me?”
A few people choked on their drinks, Rex took a sip of his drink to cover his laugh while Cameron just smiled.
“Why do you bring that up now?” he asked. “There’s no rush.”
“Don’t you worry I might run off with someone else someday?” I asked innocently.
“You won’t!” he said confidently. “Because you love me. I’m irreplaceable!”
Irreplaceable? I could laugh in his face, but this was what I created, huh? He felt secure enough not to cherish me, joked about me behind my back, and play around with the idea of choosing between me and this Marilyn.
I forced a smile. My decision was already made and I wouldn’t let myself be made out the fool.
Midway through the party, I excused myself from the Public House.
Since Cameron viewed me as merely a practice partner in pursuit of another woman, proposing to him suddenly felt pointless.
It was unnecessary for us to continue anymore.
I dialed Douglas’s number.
“Hello.” His. deep voice came through the receiver.
I wiped away tears at the corner of my eyes and replied seriously, “Mr. Douglas, I’ve decided to accept your proposal.”