Author: Momo Chan

My husband, Ethan, had a “girl best friend.” They were so close they slept in the same bed, shared ice cream cones, the whole nine yards. I asked them to keep some distance. He just got annoyed. “If something was going to happen between us, it would have happened a long time ago. Can’t you just trust me?” Fine. So I went and got myself a “guy best friend.” 1 The night Ethan, once again, didn’t come home and stayed out with Hailey, I was surprisingly calm. He showed up around noon the next day, carrying takeout from my favorite brunch spot. He saw me and, for once, actually offered an explanation. “We haven’t all hung out in a while,” he said. “We had too much to drink, so we just crashed at a hotel. But we didn’t share a bed this time. I slept on the floor.” He made sure to emphasize that last part. The last time this happened, we’d had a massive fight. I accused him of having no boundaries for a married man and insisted on confronting Hailey. Hailey was a girl he’d grown up with, part of his tight-knit group of neighborhood friends. She was a “girl,” but she acted like one of the guys—loud, boisterous, and overly familiar with everyone. I’d seen her, more than once, plop down on one of the guy’s laps, laughing and joking, sharing drinks without a second thought. At first, Ethan had been patient, explaining their dynamic. But eventually, he got tired of it. “If something was going to happen, it would have happened a long time ago, and you wouldn’t be the one I married,” he’d snapped, before slamming the door and leaving. The funny thing was, his friends all tried to reassure me. “That’s just Hailey,” they’d say. “We’ve known her forever. She’s just like that. Ethan sees her as a little sister.” A little sister? She was twenty-five. The whole thing made my skin crawl. I told him if he couldn’t learn to keep his distance, I wanted a divorce. After that, Ethan did keep his distance from Hailey, for a while. But the result was that Hailey would take every opportunity to make passive-aggressive comments to me in public. “See, Amelia? I’m not sitting next to Ethan.” “Ethan, you should probably skip the after-party. We wouldn’t want to make Amelia mad.” “He’s not the old Ethan anymore, is he? Got a leash around his neck now. I wouldn’t dare get too close.” She always said these things when I was around, creating a tense, awkward atmosphere. Over time, I gained a reputation for being petty, jealous, and unreasonable. And that’s when my relationship with Ethan started to turn cold and distant. I snapped back to the present, looking at the takeout containers in his hands. It used to be my favorite food. Now, it just looked bland. Ethan noticed my coolness. He put the food on the table and wrapped his arms around me, his voice a soft, placating murmur. “Honey, you’ve been wanting to see that new movie, right? I’m free today. Let’s go. I heard it’s really good.” I had been looking forward to that movie for months. The day it came out, I’d asked Ethan to go with me. He’d said he was busy. A few days later, I saw Hailey’s post on social media. A picture of two movie tickets. She wasn’t in the photo, but the hand holding the tickets was unmistakable—long, elegant fingers, with Ethan’s wedding ring on the fourth one. I could smell the faint scent of Hailey’s floral perfume on him. I stiffened and pulled away. “No, thanks,” I said, my voice flat. I went back to packing my suitcase. “Amelia.” Ethan’s voice was sharp with anger. He saw what I was doing and grabbed my arm. “Are you going to pull this ‘running away from home’ crap again? I already told you, there’s nothing going on between me and Hailey.” “I know,” I said, calmly pulling my hand away. “You’re just friends.” He seemed taken aback by my response. His face was a mixture of frustration and awkwardness. He dropped his hand. “Then what’s this all about?” “I’m going on a business trip,” I explained. He looked even angrier. He stared at me for a long time, searching my face for any sign of a lie, of the usual hurt and anger. But there was nothing. My expression was completely neutral. Because I just didn’t care anymore. Who he saw movies with, who he spent the night with, who he went on dates with… Whatever. 2 Seeing that I wasn’t angry seemed to make Ethan even angrier. He was convinced I was just giving him the silent treatment, and in a misguided attempt to make things right, he pulled out his phone to buy movie tickets. I watched him frantically scroll through the app. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “That movie’s not in theaters anymore,” I said softly. His fingers froze on the screen. For a second, I saw a flash of different emotions cross his face—shock, regret, frustration. The silence in the room was heavy and suffocating. The food on the table was getting cold. I bent down, placed the last item in my suitcase, and zipped it shut. … After that day, Ethan’s attitude toward me did a complete 180. He was suddenly incredibly attentive. During my trip, he called me every morning and every night, asking when I’d be back. I told him. The day I flew home, I saw his car as I walked out of the airport. A sleek, black Bugatti, parked at the curb. He got out as soon as he saw me and walked over, taking my suitcase from me as if it was the most natural thing in the world. But when we got to the car, I saw Hailey in the passenger seat. She had her legs propped up on the dashboard, her arm hanging out the window. She saw me and gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. “Hey, Amelia! Just hitching a ride. I’ll give you your seat back in a minute…” She said it with a playful grin, but she didn’t move an inch. Ethan put my suitcase in the trunk and came back around. He saw me just standing there, and his voice was a little strained. “She was just in the area, so I’m giving her a lift. She gets carsick, so I let her have the front seat for this part of the ride.” During one of our previous fights, I had brought up the fact that Hailey always hogged the front seat whenever she was with us. Before I could say anything, Hailey leaned her head out the window, her eyes crinkling in a smile. “Thank god Ethan was nearby. I was in the middle of nowhere, couldn’t even get an Uber. You can check our group chat if you don’t believe me…” The group chat. Their little neighborhood clique. I wasn’t in it. “And of course,” Hailey continued, “if he’d left me stranded, I would have just told on him to my godparents!” She playfully punched Ethan in the chest, then seemed to remember I was there and pulled her hand back, winking at me. “Sorry, Amelia, it’s just a habit. I don’t mean anything by it…” Since my last blow-up with Ethan, Hailey had transitioned from being openly touchy-feely with him to being performatively touchy-feely, always with a little show of “holding back” for my benefit. As if it was my petty jealousy that was forcing her to keep her distance. But if she was really trying to keep her distance, why was she still spending the night with him, going on solo “dates”? And I could see the challenge glinting in her eyes. This little performance would have infuriated the old me. But now… I couldn’t be bothered. When Ethan told Hailey to get out of the car, I just waved my hand dismissively and opened the back door. “It’s fine. I’ve got a friend with me anyway. We can just sit in the back.” “A friend? Where?” Before Ethan could react, someone called my name. I turned and saw a tall, handsome guy with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, dressed in a flamboyant, colorful outfit, jogging toward us with a suitcase. “Amelia!” he whined, catching his breath. “That’s not cool. I just went to grab my bag, and when I turned around, you were gone.” He latched onto my arm, pouting. “I don’t know anyone here. You have to take care of me.” 3 Both Ethan and Hailey stared at the scene, stunned. Ethan recovered first. He pulled me away from the guy. “This is your ‘friend’?” he asked, his voice laced with displeasure, his brows furrowed so deep you could lose a coin in them. “That’s right,” the guy said, cheerfully extending his hand to Ethan. “I’m Amelia’s bestie, Leo.” He shook Ethan’s hand, then casually put his suitcase in the trunk and hopped into the back seat. “Come on, Amelia!” he called, waving me over. I started to get in, but Ethan stopped me. “Honey,” he said, his voice low and tight, “it’s not appropriate for you to be sitting so close to another man.” I could almost hear his teeth grinding. “We’re just besties,” I said, confused. I glanced at Hailey, still firmly planted in the passenger seat. Ethan was speechless. … Leo and I chatted the entire way home, which made the front of the car feel unusually quiet. It wasn’t that Hailey wasn’t talking. She was usually a chatterbox, always filling the car with stories from their childhood, the latest neighborhood gossip, a constant stream of inside jokes that I could never be a part of. But today, no matter what she tried to talk about, Ethan’s responses were short and clipped. The thirty-minute drive was over in fifteen. After dropping them both off, Ethan opened the passenger door for me. “You can sit up front now.” I just looked at him, then settled back into my seat. “I’m fine back here,” I said coolly. “I’m tired. Let’s just go home.” I closed my eyes. The sound of the car door slamming was much louder than usual. 4 Ethan was still fuming when we got home. I had just taken off my shoes when I saw him sitting in the living room, smoking. The red glow of the cigarette illuminated his face, casting it in shifting shadows. “What’s the deal with that guy?” he asked, taking a long drag and then stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray. I looked at him, my voice calm. “He’s my bestie.” “A six-foot-tall guy is your ‘bestie’? Amelia, you were with him on this trip, weren’t you? For days, alone with him…” He was getting more and more worked up. He kicked my suitcase. That’s when I lost my temper. I unzipped the suitcase and glared at him. “My business partner was either going to be a man or a woman. He’s a great guy, easy to get along with. What’s wrong with being besties?” “Everything is wrong with it! He’s a guy! Guys can’t be ‘besties’!” “Oh really? So you can have a ‘girl best friend,’ but I can’t have a ‘guy bestie’?” My words left him sputtering. I had never seen so many different expressions on his face at once—shock, annoyance, frustration. Finally, he managed to grind out, “Hailey is different. We grew up together. If something was going to happen…” “And Leo and I are different too,” I cut him off, my voice firm. “Can’t you just trust me?” 5 Ethan was sulking. He gave me the silent treatment for days. A few days later, his parents invited us over for dinner. At the table, they could sense the tension between us. “Ethan,” his mom said, her tone gentle but firm, “Amelia moved all the way here for you. You have to treat her right.” Ethan and I had met in college. I was an only child, and the plan had always been for me to move back home after graduation. But for him, I had stayed. Hearing his mother’s words, Ethan’s expression softened. As we were leaving, he reached for my hand. “Amelia, I…” Before he could finish, an arm was thrown around his neck. “Ethan! It’s been too long. Let’s all hang out!” It was Hailey. Once again, shamelessly draped all over him. But this time, instead of smiling back at her, Ethan pried her arm off and glanced nervously at me. Hailey noticed, too. She clicked her tongue. “Oh, is Amelia here?” she said, her voice dripping with mock surprise. She took a dramatic step back, right into the arms of a group of their friends who had just arrived. “Ethan, you’re back and you didn’t even say anything in the group chat! If Hailey hadn’t seen you, you would have gotten away with it!” “Yeah, man, everyone’s here. Come out with us!” They all started trying to convince him. I could see he wanted to go. But unlike before, he didn’t just agree. He looked at me, asking for my permission. Everyone noticed. Even though we were married, his friends had always treated me like an outsider. Partly because I wasn’t from their world, and partly because of Hailey… When I was around, they couldn’t fully relax. “You want to go with them?” Ethan asked tentatively. The air grew thick with unspoken expectations. Hailey was practically pouting, shooting looks at her friends. Everyone was waiting for my answer. They didn’t want me to come, but they wanted me to let him go. So I gave them what they wanted. I pulled my hand from his, my voice calm and gentle. “I’ll just get a cab home, then.” No one said a word. The silence was deafening. Finally, Ethan spoke, a mixture of relief and guilt in his voice. “Okay. I’ll… I’ll be home early.” He gave me a reassuring look. I just smiled and walked out of the yard. As I walked away, I heard someone say, “Dude, what’s up with Amelia? She’s not jealous of Hailey anymore? She’s actually letting you hang out with us?” 6 It was 11 PM. Ethan wasn’t home. I hadn’t called. Because I was out with Leo. We were at the city’s hottest nightclub with a group of friends. The pounding music was a welcome distraction. We found a big booth and the drinks started flowing. After a few rounds, the person next to me pointed across the room. “Whoa, check out what’s happening over there.” Everyone turned to look, me included. And I saw them. Ethan and his little clique. Seven guys, one girl, their table littered with empty bottles. Ethan was in the middle, looking down at his phone. Then, Hailey snatched the phone out of his hand, swung her leg over his lap, and straddled him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held up a bottle of tequila. No one else seemed to think this was weird. In fact, they all stood up and started cheering. “I think they’re playing ‘Never Have I Ever.’ She has to feed him a shot, mouth-to-mouth.” “That girl is wild! A minute ago, they dared her to take off her bra, and she just whipped it out and hung it on some guy’s neck.” “I’ve seen one girl with seven guys before, but not like this.” Everyone was laughing. Except me. Because I watched as Ethan put his phone down. And as everyone cheered, he let Hailey, her mouth full of tequila, lean down and press her lips to his…

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Part 1 My boyfriend, Leo, had been pulling crazy hours at work lately. I missed him, but I was also proud of how hard he was working. I’d just finished packing up some of the chili I’d made, planning to surprise him at the office, when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Leo. “I have a girlfriend. Please delete my number. Thanks.” For a second, I almost laughed. That idiot. Points for loyalty, I guess, but… why was he sending this to me? I typed a single question mark and hit send. A moment later, I saw it. The dreaded red exclamation point. “Message Not Delivered.” He’d blocked me. My boyfriend has a girlfriend, and it isn’t me. So… who the hell am I? My temper, which has the fuse of a firecracker, went off. I immediately dialed his number, my thumb jabbing the screen. Before I could even launch into my tirade, a syrupy sweet female voice answered. “Hello?” There was actually another woman with him. For a split second, my brain short-circuited. I couldn’t believe it. Leo was the type of guy who practically wore a sign that said “TAKEN.” He kept a professional distance from everyone, even his male colleagues. And now some woman was answering his phone? “Where’s Leo? Put him on,” I said, my voice cold and tight. A condescending little laugh came from the other end. “Oh, you’re looking for Leo? He’s a little… busy right now.” “Put. Him. On. The. Phone,” I repeated, practically shouting into the receiver. “Listen, honey,” she cooed, “a little self-respect goes a long way. Chasing after a man with a girlfriend is just… desperate, you know?” Then she giggled and hung up. If I was angry before, now I was furious. I grabbed my keys, stormed out of my apartment, and peeled out of the parking garage, heading straight for his downtown office. If this jerk thought he could cheat on me, he had another thing coming. He was about to find out what “consequences” really meant. It was just after 9 p.m. The city lights reflected off the sleek glass of the Hayes Tech tower. The entire building was dark except for the top floor—his floor. The lobby was empty aside from Frank, the night security guard, who looked up in surprise. “Ms. Miller! Here to pick up Mr. Hayes?” I didn’t answer, just strode past him and into the elevator, jabbing the button for the penthouse level. The ride up was eerily silent, but as the doors slid open on the top floor, I could hear the low murmur of voices. I stormed toward his office, the words of my accusation already forming on my lips, and burst through the door. And stopped dead. The room was full. His entire executive team was gathered around the conference table, looking at blueprints and charts. A dozen pairs of eyes swiveled to stare at me, their conversation cut short. My throat went dry. But even in my shock, my eyes scanned the room and landed on her. Tucked away in a corner chair, almost out of sight, was a woman who looked completely out of place. She was wearing one of Leo’s blazers, and a smug, knowing smile played on her lips as she looked at me. “Chloe? What are you doing here?” Leo asked, surprised. He jumped up from his seat and started toward me. He must have seen the thundercloud on my face, because his expression shifted from surprise to alarm, and he quickened his pace. But he was too late. The woman from the corner shot out of her chair, moving to intercept him. She physically planted herself between us. “Excuse me,” she said, her voice dripping with fake politeness. “We’re in a private meeting. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She smiled and gestured toward the door, a clear dismissal. I gave her a look that could freeze fire and ignored her completely. My eyes went past her, locking onto Leo. “Do I need to leave, Leo?” “Of course not,” he said, sidestepping her with a move so agile he could’ve been a ninja. He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away. The hurt in his eyes was instant. “Chloe? What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice low and cautious. “Nothing. Finish your meeting,” I said, my tone flat. Leo glanced back at his team, then gently tried to guide me further into the office, toward the empty chair next to his. As we passed the woman, he didn’t even give her a second look. “Leo, who is this woman?” she interrupted, her voice sharp with indignation. “This is a confidential company meeting. It’s hardly appropriate for her to be here.” Leo finally stopped and frowned at her as if just noticing she existed. “Jessica? What are you still doing here?” Her smile faltered. “I… I was staying to help you with the meeting, Leo.” “Help me with what? My executive assistant isn’t even required to be here tonight. You’re her assistant. What are you doing in this room?” His tone was sharp, and it didn’t sound like an act. So, this woman had been sitting in his office for who knows how long, and he hadn’t even realized it? The other people in the room exchanged confused glances. “Leo, I…” Jessica’s eyes welled up, and her voice trembled. “This whole floor was empty except for your office. I was scared being out there alone, so… so I waited in here for you.” An assistant’s assistant. And she was calling him “Leo” and “waiting for him.” Yeah, something was definitely up. I crossed my arms and shot a pointed look at Leo. He seemed to feel the heat of my glare and stood up a little straighter. “Chloe, I swear, I have nothing to do with her. My dad made me give her a job here as a favor to an old neighbor.” Then he turned back to Jessica, his voice turning to ice. “Jessica, you said you had nothing to do after hours, so you offered to cover my assistant’s duties tonight. If you’re here to work, then go do your actual job. And stay out of places you don’t belong.” He waved a hand dismissively, gesturing for her to get out. Jessica looked stunned that he’d humiliate her in front of everyone. She stood frozen for a second before pointing a trembling finger at me. “Then what about her? She doesn’t belong here either! Why does she get to stay?” Leo gave her a dead-eyed stare. He didn’t bother explaining. He just said one word: “Out.” The color drained from Jessica’s face. She turned on her heel and fled the office. “I didn’t even notice she was in here during the meeting,” Leo explained quietly, pulling me into the seat beside him. I just nodded, telling him to get back to work. His team, to their credit, pretended like my dramatic entrance was a totally normal occurrence and resumed the meeting. An hour later, when everyone had finally packed up and left, I pulled out my phone and placed it on the desk in front of Leo, the screen showing our one-sided, blocked conversation. “Explain,” I said. My initial rage had cooled into a frosty calm, which was somehow worse. Leo’s eyes widened as he read the text. He put a hand on my shoulder, his expression deadly serious. “Chloe, just wait here. I will handle this.” He walked briskly out of the office. I was right behind him. I saw him spot Jessica by the elevators and stride over to her. He didn’t raise his voice. He just held out his hand. “Give me my phone back.” Part 2 Jessica flinched at his cold tone. She wobbled slightly, then slowly pulled his phone from her pocket, holding it out with both hands. Her eyes were wide and pitiful, trying for a wounded, doe-eyed look. Leo snatched the phone from her, immediately navigated to his blocked list, and his face turned a shade of thunderous purple I’d never seen before. I stepped closer to see what was wrong. Oh. My. God. It wasn’t just me. His blocked list was a who’s who of our social and professional circle—all female. I recognized the names of several CEOs and project managers from companies he partnered with. “What gives you the right to touch my phone?” he seethed, his voice dangerously low but loud enough to make the few remaining department heads poke their heads out of their offices. “I left it charging on my desk.” Jessica physically recoiled, her victim act going into overdrive. “Leo, I… I was just trying to help you.” “Help me? You were trying to help me go bankrupt,” he shot back, his hand shaking slightly as he scrolled through the list of blocked contacts. I knew how hard he’d fought to build his company from the ground up. Blocking the CEO of a major client wasn’t just rude; it could be catastrophic. Just as I was about to step in and try to calm him down, my own phone started buzzing. And it didn’t stop. One by one, texts came in from mutual friends and business acquaintances—the same women he’d just unblocked—asking me what the hell was going on and why Leo was suddenly blocking them. In the business world, even a polite “what’s going on?” is a serious accusation. I shot a venomous glare at Jessica, then turned back to Leo. “Fix this. Now,” I said through clenched teeth. I walked to the other side of the floor and started damage control, texting and calling people back. Thankfully, my family has a good reputation in the city, and people were willing to listen. Combined with Leo’s professional track record, his story of his phone being “compromised” was believable. It especially helped when I mentioned that the mystery person had blocked me, too. More than one person subtly warned me to watch my back with “that other woman” around Leo. By the time I had smoothed things over, my own anger had settled into a cold, hard knot. Even though Leo was on my side, this whole mess was a huge red flag that needed a serious explanation. I took a few deep breaths and walked back to the main area. This time, there were two police officers standing with Leo. Leo was talking to them, his face a mask of controlled fury, while Jessica stood nearby, trembling and looking at him in disbelief. “Leo, you… you called the cops on me?” she stammered. When he refused to even look at her, she turned to the officers, grabbing one by the arm. “Officers, we’re friends! It was just a prank! We have a great relationship, you can’t arrest me!” The cop gently removed her hand from his arm, his expression a mix of pity and exasperation. “Ma’am, it’s not a prank when you cause actual damages by misusing private property.” “We are not friends, and it wasn’t a joke. She’s a new employee,” Leo cut in, his voice like steel. “Frankly, officers, I’d like you to investigate this fully. I suspect she was deliberately trying to sabotage my company.” Hearing that, Jessica’s face went white as a sheet. She bit her lip, her eyes swimming with tears as she looked pleadingly at Leo. When he continued to ignore her and instead walked over to ask me how my calls went, she finally broke. “Leo, I just thought that you should be more careful!” she cried out. “You have a girlfriend now! You need to keep your distance from all these other women. I was just trying to help you!” The tears finally spilled over, a single, perfect droplet tracing a path down her cheek. It was a masterful performance—just enough to look tragic, not enough to look messy. Too bad for her, Leo wasn’t the audience. “What do my contacts have to do with you?” he snapped. “You started by blocking my girlfriend. You weren’t trying to help me keep my distance; you were trying to make me die alone. And this?” He pointed to a name on his phone. “This is Ms. Albright. She’s the same age as my mother. Does she also need you to ‘help’ me keep my distance?” He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. “I am your boss. You do what I tell you to do, and nothing else. Do you not have the most basic professional decency?” He then turned to the police. “Officers, my phone contains sensitive trade secrets. For a brand-new employee to steal it and use it to cause this much damage… I want her investigated thoroughly.” I just stood there, stunned. I had come here ready for a fight over a cheating boyfriend, and instead, I’d found… a delusional, self-sabotaging stalker. Part 3 I never thought Leo would actually call the cops. It was extreme, but it also erased any doubt I had about him and Jessica. This woman was a threat, and he was treating her like one. My presence, standing firmly by Leo’s side, seemed to be the final straw for her. She wrenched away from the officer and lunged toward us, pointing a finger in my face. “What about her? Why does she get to be in the office? If you have a girlfriend and have to cut me off, why are you protecting her?” “Are you insane?” Leo shot back, his patience gone. “Can you not tell she’s my girlfriend? Did you miss the ‘My Chloe ❤️’ contact name? Stop playing games.” Jessica shrank back behind the officers, finally looking truly scared. The police tried to de-escalate, asking if a private settlement was possible. Leo was resolute. “Absolutely not. She sent that message to my girlfriend. That’s a declaration of war. I’m not letting it go.” Because Leo refused to back down, the officers took Jessica into custody. As they were leading her away, she made one last pathetic attempt. She clutched the blazer she was still wearing and looked at Leo with pleading eyes. “Leo, I’m cold. Can I please borrow this jacket?” Leo glanced at the jacket. “It’s not mine.” Just then, his head of design, who had been shamelessly watching the drama unfold from his doorway, popped out. “That’s mine! It’s from AllSaints! I must have left it on the chair next to Leo’s. You can give it back now, I’m cold too.” Jessica’s face contorted with rage. She ripped the jacket off and threw it at the designer, then shot one last, hate-filled glare in my direction before being escorted away. I almost had to laugh. A wannabe homewrecker tried to take me on and ended up getting herself arrested. What a night. Later, Leo explained everything. Jessica was the daughter of some old neighbors who had moved out of state a decade ago. They had recently moved back and reconnected with his parents. When they heard Jessica was looking for a job, his dad pressured Leo into giving her a position. He’d barely remembered who she was. And on her very first day, she pulled this stunt. Part 4 “So, she’s some kind of long-lost childhood sweetheart?” I asked, rolling my eyes. Leo made a gagging noise. “God, no. Don’t even say that. She was the absolute worst. Every time she got into trouble as a kid, she’d play innocent and find a way to blame me, then finish it off with a tearful ‘it’s all my fault.’” He shuddered dramatically. “Seriously, I never wanted to see her again. I only hired her because my dad wouldn’t let it go.” As it turned out, Jessica didn’t face any real charges. She cried to Leo’s dad, who then yelled at Leo until he agreed to drop it and settle things privately. She was out of the precinct by the next night. I figured after a move that drastic—and that stupid—she’d finally get the hint and disappear. I was wrong. A few days later, I got an Instagram follow request from her. The app said she was a “suggested contact from Leo’s phone,” which was a nice little twist of the knife. I accepted out of sheer morbid curiosity. She immediately sent me a photo. It was a picture taken at a fancy restaurant, across a large, round table filled with people. I recognized Leo’s parents, and Leo himself. He was sitting next to the person taking the photo, smiling as he placed a piece of food into their bowl. He looked relaxed, caring, intimate. The photo was followed by a message: “Chloe, you don’t really think Leo loves you, do you? He’s always been in love with me. Tonight, our families are meeting to officially discuss our wedding plans.” After what happened last time, I wasn’t falling for it. If I hadn’t gone to his office that night, and if he hadn’t called the cops, that first text would have become a seed of doubt between us. I wasn’t letting that happen again. I didn’t feel the same rage as before. I just calmly dialed Leo’s number. It rang for a while before he picked up, the background noise suddenly muffled as if he’d stepped outside. “Chloe! Hey, what’s up?” He sounded happy, cheerful even. “Where are you?” He paused. We trusted each other, so I rarely asked him questions like that. “I’m at The Hawthorne Grill with my parents.” “Is Jessica there?” “Yeah, our families are having dinner together,” he said, completely matter-of-fact. Not a hint of guilt in his voice. I was silent for a moment. “Check your Instagram DMs,” I said, then sent him a screenshot of the photo and her message. “Is she sick in the head?” he exploded. “She wasn’t even sitting next to me! My niece was sitting next to me!” He sounded furious. A second later, he hung up, telling me to wait. A moment later, my phone buzzed with a screenshot he’d sent me. It was from his niece’s Instagram story—the same photo, but uncropped, clearly showing the little girl sitting next to him, beaming as he gave her a shrimp. “Chloe, you should come over here,” he texted. “We need to end this once and for all. This woman is a psycho.” “Are you sure? It’s a family dinner. I don’t want to intrude.” “Intrude? My parents love you! And if we don’t shut this down face-to-face, she’ll keep pulling this crap and try to ruin us.” He was panicking now. “Yes. You have to come. I’m sending a car for you right now.” Part 5 He was right. This needed to be settled. I changed into a sharp but elegant dress and headed out. The Hawthorne Grill wasn’t far, and twenty minutes later I was there. Leo was waiting for me at the entrance, still looking furious. I walked up and put a calming hand on his arm. He looked at me, his expression softening into pure relief mixed with desperation. “I’m so glad you called me,” he said. “What if you had been like one of those women in those crazy Reddit stories you made me read, and you just believed her and disappeared?” I had to suppress a smile. That was my fault. When we first started dating, I was worried he was too nice to spot a manipulator, so I’d made him read a ton of posts from the “Am I The Asshole?” subreddit. It seemed the main takeaway he got wasn’t how to spot a master manipulator, but a deep-seated fear that if he ever upset me, I’d just ghost him. He pulled me into a hug, then led me toward their private dining room. When we walked in, the room was buzzing with cheerful conversation. The moment Leo’s parents saw me, their faces lit up. His mom immediately called a waiter over to add another chair. “Chloe, honey! Come, sit right here next to me,” she said, patting the new seat she’d placed between herself and Leo. Across the table, I could see Leo’s little niece sitting exactly where he said she’d be. And next to her… was Jessica. When she saw me, her jaw dropped, and her face turned pale. “Leo, who is this?” a woman next to Jessica—who I assumed was her mother—asked, her voice dripping with disdain. “Why are you bringing outsiders to a private family gathering?” Leo’s mother’s smile tightened instantly. She patted my hand reassuringly before beaming at Jessica’s mom. “Oh, she’s no outsider,” she said sweetly. “This is my future daughter-in-law, Chloe Miller.” “Oh, so this is Leo’s little girlfriend,” the woman sneered, forcing a laugh. “You’ve certainly got him on a tight leash, dear. He can’t even have dinner with his parents without you showing up to check on him.” In one sentence, she painted me as some kind of controlling, psycho girlfriend. Normally, I’d show respect to an elder, but some people don’t deserve it. Leo had given me a clear green light on the way in: “If they give you any trouble, you let them have it. Don’t you dare hold back.” So I smiled, a bright, dazzling smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. I even gave Jessica a playful little brow-raise. “Oh, you must have me mistaken, ma’am,” I said, my voice as sweet as sugar. “It was your daughter who insisted I come. She sent me a lovely message saying you were all here tonight to discuss her and Leo’s wedding plans. I couldn’t let my boyfriend get taken advantage of, could I? I just had to come see for myself.” The table fell silent. Leo’s parents turned to look at Jessica, their expressions a mixture of shock and confusion. “What wedding plans?” his father asked, his voice dangerously low.

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I was basically working as a professional girlfriend for two brothers at the same time. For the older one, Julian, it was all about seduction. I’m talking lace bodysuits, a fluffy little bunny tail—the whole nine yards. For the younger one, Caleb, it was the complete opposite. He wanted the good-girl act. For him, it was crisp white blouses and stockings, the picture of innocence. I was good at my job, really good. So good that I kept the two worlds completely separate. No one had a clue. Until one day, I got sloppy. A paparazzi photographer got a lucky shot. The next morning, this headline was all over the gossip blogs: “NYC’s Thorne Brothers Sharing a Girlfriend?” And when a furious Caleb came storming over, I was sitting right on his older brother’s lap, playing the part of a kitten who wanted cream. * 1 All the other girls in my line of work felt sorry for me. They knew me as Caleb Thorne’s girl, the one he kept in a gilded cage but never touched. “Sadie’s such a knockout,” they’d whisper over brunch. “Why is she with a guy as cold as Caleb Thorne?” “I heard he’s saving himself for his one great unrequited love. That’s why he never sleeps with Sadie.” “Poor girl. So young and basically living like a nun. How does she stand it?” Listening to them, I’d grab a napkin and dab at my dry eyes, playing along. It was true, Caleb never laid a finger on me. He paid me ten grand a month just to have dinner with him, go for drives along the coast, and make small talk. Honestly, it was the easiest money I’d ever made. But because I had so much free time, I did something a little…unethical for our profession. I picked up a second client. I kept it a secret, of course. I couldn’t let the other girls know I was breaking the rules. Right now, my friend Maya was hugging me, full of sympathy. “Sadie, this can’t be healthy for you. You should find a new guy. What about the older Thorne brother, Julian? He’s worth billions, single, and ridiculously hot. You should go for him.” “No way,” another girl, Chloe, chimed in. “I heard Julian Thorne already has a girl. She’s super mysterious, though. No one’s ever seen her. You don’t want to get caught in that mess.” I took a long sip of my iced tea, saying nothing. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Julian. “Come to the penthouse tonight. Be waiting for me.” I quickly typed back, “Okay.” Yeah, about that mysterious girl Julian was keeping… that was me, too. * 2 Julian was nothing like his brother. He was pure, unrestrained energy, a force of nature who loved to push every boundary. When I got to his penthouse, I slipped off my black trench coat, revealing the little fox costume I had on underneath. I’d even made a pair of fuzzy ears on a headband to complete the look. Julian’s eyes darkened, his breath catching in his throat. He slowly undid the buttons on his shirt, then pulled off his leather belt with one fluid motion and beckoned to me with his finger. “Come here,” he rasped. I obeyed, settling onto his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck. “I made the ears myself,” I purred. “Do you like them?” His hand, hot against the fabric of my tiny skirt, tightened. “I love them,” he said, his voice thick. I took my chance, nuzzling against his neck. “I saw a new limited-edition handbag yesterday…” “Hmm, buy it,” Julian murmured, his focus elsewhere. His fingers traced lazy circles on my waist, sending shivers down my spine. As we kissed, he tugged sharply at my fluffy tail, pulling it off. He lifted my chin, his lips brushing against my ear. “Is my little fox a bad girl?” “What?” I asked, blinking up at him, feigning confusion. A slow grin spread across his face as his hand moved to the zipper on my skirt. “I think I need to investigate.” In the heated haze of the moment, with Julian holding me tight, I decided to push my luck. “I want to buy a condo downtown,” I whispered. “I’ll have my assistant send you the listings tomorrow,” he said, his eyes flashing with mock annoyance as he tightened his grip, making me gasp. “You little gold-digger. Stop thinking about money and focus on me.” Honestly, I didn’t want to be like this. Julian was good to me. He showered me with gifts, with affection, with a passion that felt real. I was dangerously close to falling for him. But then I found out the truth about my world. It turns out, I’m living in a book. A trashy, steamy romance novel. The Thorne brothers are the male leads, and their long-lost love is the heroine. I’m just the stand-in, the disposable placeholder they use while she’s away. The book said that when she comes back, the brothers will fight over her, tear the city apart for her. And because she’ll hate me, they’ll turn on me. They’ll lock me away, torment me, and eventually have me committed to a mental hospital where I lose my mind. In the end, the three of them live happily ever after. And me? I die alone on a cold winter night. Knowing all that snapped me right out of any romantic fantasy. My new goal was simple: make as much money as I could, as fast as I could. The heroine wasn’t due back for another year. If I hustled, working both jobs, I could save enough to disappear. Back in the penthouse, the mood was heating up again when my phone started buzzing relentlessly. It was like a fire alarm in the middle of a dream. Julian pulled back, annoyed. “Handle it.” I was about to silence it when I saw a string of frantic texts from Maya. “Sadie, you snake! How could you not tell me?” “We’re all out here struggling and you’re pulling double duty? Earning twice as much?” “And I felt SORRY for you! You’re living better than any of us!” I slowly typed a single “?” She replied instantly. “Don’t play dumb. I know you’re Julian Thorne’s girl too.” Julian was right there, shirtless and waiting. I didn’t have time to ask her how she found out. I just begged her, “Please, keep it a secret. I’ll explain everything later.” “Too late, Sadie. Everyone knows.” A cold dread washed over me. My heart started pounding in my throat. The next second, she sent me a link to a gossip blog. The headline was blaring: “NYC’s Thorne Brothers Sharing a Girlfriend?” * 3 My hand was shaking as I clicked the link. There were two photos. The first was me and Caleb at a quiet restaurant. He was feeding me a bite of his food, gently wiping my mouth with a napkin, his eyes full of a soft, protective look. The second photo was way more explicit. It was me and Julian, kissing on a rooftop balcony, me dressed as a Playboy bunny. Damn the paparazzi. They’d finally caught me, and my whole world was about to implode. Maya was still texting me. “Do they know? The brothers?” “No,” I typed back, my blood running cold. Maya: “Are you insane?! You need to run. Get out of there NOW.” Maya: “Julian might not have seen it yet, but my guy just told me Caleb already knows.” Just then, a message from Caleb popped up on my screen. It was only four words. “We need to talk.” I flinched like I’d been slapped. Caleb looked gentle, but his anger was terrifying. Over on the bed, Julian was getting impatient. He reached out, pulling me back into his arms. “Are you done? Because it’s my turn now.” He took my hand and guided it down his chest, over his rock-hard abs, and lower. “Sadie,” he whispered, his voice a low growl. “Help me take these off.” But with my life on the line, who had time for foreplay? I pulled my hand back. “Julian, not tonight.” “I just got a call,” I lied, my mind racing. “My sister is sick, she has a high fever. I have to go take care of her.” I scrambled away from him, grabbing my trench coat. “Next time. I promise, we’ll do this next time.” Julian stared at me for a long moment, the fire in his eyes slowly dying out. He sighed, then grabbed his car keys. “I’ll drive you.” “No, you don’t have to—” I started to say, but just then, the doorbell buzzed. Through the intercom, a voice, cold and devoid of any emotion, echoed through the room. “Julian? You home?” It was Caleb. * 4 The second I heard Caleb’s voice, I dove behind the couch like a cornered animal. Julian opened the door. Caleb’s tone was sharp, cutting straight to the point. “Brother. Do you know a woman named Sadie?” “I do,” Julian said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe with a smug grin. “You can call her your future sister-in-law. Why, you know her too?” A cold, sarcastic smile touched Caleb’s lips. “I do. And you can call her your future sister-in-law.” The silence that followed was so thick I could feel it pressing down on me. My heart was hammering against my ribs. “What the hell are you talking about?” Julian demanded. “You haven’t seen the news?” Caleb said, pulling out his phone and tapping the screen a few times before holding it up for Julian to see. “To put it simply, your girl and my girl… are the same person.” The world stopped. I didn’t hear what they said after that. I was already sneaking toward the service exit at the back of the penthouse. I had to get away from these two psycho brothers. Once I was out, I ran. I just ran, my mind already calculating my next move. The handbag and the condo were gone, obviously, but over the past year, I’d managed to save up a few hundred thousand dollars. It was enough for me and my sisters to live on for a few years. It was a shame, though. I was so close to my goal. As the penthouse grew smaller in the distance and no one seemed to be chasing me, I started to relax. I kicked a stray pebble on the sidewalk out of frustration. “Two rich idiots,” I muttered. “Can’t even keep their own business private, and now I’m the one paying for it.” Just as the words left my mouth, a cold hand closed around the back of my neck, fingers hooking onto my necklace. Caleb was standing in front of me. He advanced, forcing me backward until my back hit a lamppost. His voice was dangerously soft, laced with a chilling amusement. “Tell me, Sadie. Was it fun? Having one brother who’s so easy to fool, and another who’s so easy to please? Playing us both like that?” I tried to bolt in the other direction. But Julian was there, blocking my path. He was wearing just a white dress shirt, a fresh red scratch mark—one I’d made earlier—visible on his neck. He was slowly, deliberately, rolling up his sleeves. His expression was unreadable. “Sadie,” he said, his voice low and steady. “I suggest you start explaining. Right now.” I was trapped. Leaning against the lamppost for support, my palms sweating, I forced myself to look calm. “I was working two jobs. Is that a crime?” I shot back. “When you hired me, neither of you said I couldn’t freelance.” Caleb almost laughed, a humorless, terrifying sound. He reached for my wrist. “Do I really need to spell out the basics of professional ethics for you?” But he never touched me. Julian stepped between us, his jaw tight. He shot me a look so cold it froze me to the spot. I couldn’t meet his eyes, staring instead at our long shadows stretching out under the streetlight. Caleb was about to say something else when his phone rang. In the dead silence of the street, the voice on the other end was perfectly clear. “Caleb, it’s me. I’m back. I just landed at JFK.” “I tried calling Julian, but he didn’t pick up. Can you let him know for me?” Well, what do you know. The leading lady was back a year ahead of schedule. Caleb was so engrossed in the call that I saw my chance. I ducked under his arm and ran. He was too busy talking to catch me. As for the other one, I risked a quick glance over my shoulder. Julian was still standing in the same spot. His head was slightly tilted, his hand slowly tracing the scratch on his neck. The lamplight cast a shadow over his face, making his expression impossible to read. He wasn’t going to chase me. Not anymore. His real love was back. Who had time for a substitute? I figured as long as I stayed away from her—Clara—I could probably avoid the tragic ending from the book. It was almost 10 PM when I got back to the children’s home. The younger girls were already asleep. I handed an envelope stuffed with cash to the director, Mama Elena. This was a private home for abandoned girls. Some were sick, some came from families who couldn’t afford them, and some were there simply because they weren’t boys. This home was the only family I’d ever known. Mama Elena was my mother. She was everyone’s mother. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with a serious heart condition that required emergency surgery. The cost was astronomical. I gave her every penny I had, but it wasn’t enough. That’s when Caleb Thorne found me. * 5 He’d just stared at my face for a long time, a polite, unreadable smile on his lips. “Sadie,” he’d said. “You look a lot like a girl I care about.” “I have a business proposition for you. Are you interested?” The deal was simple: I’d be his companion for dinners and social events. In return, he’d pay me ten thousand dollars a month, with a one-year minimum contract. I had no reason to say no. His assistant gave me a dossier on the real girl, Clara. It had everything: her favorite foods, her allergies, her fashion sense, her pet peeves. I was told to memorize it. Be the perfect copy. But I messed up on our very first dinner. He’d ordered a feast. I helped myself to the shrimp scampi four times. With each serving, the look on Caleb’s face grew darker. Finally, he lifted my chin with his fingers, pointing at the shrimp. “Sadie,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “Your performance is off tonight.” “No matter how much she loves a dish, she would never take more than three helpings.” His voice was light, but his words were heavy. “A poor performance means a pay cut, you know.” He docked me five hundred dollars, just like that. My heart ached. Later, when Mama Elena’s body started rejecting the transplant and she needed expensive anti-rejection drugs, I begged Caleb for an advance. He just smiled that placid, terrifying smile. “Sadie, it’s a bad habit to ask for more than you’re given. *She* would never do that.” He wouldn’t give me the money, and I was desperate. So when Julian Thorne offered me a hundred thousand a month, I said yes without a second thought. With Julian, there were no rules. He never mentioned Clara. And I pretended I didn’t know who she was. Now, holding the thick envelope, Mama Elena tried to give it back. “Sadie, you’ve given this home so much over the years. You paid for my entire surgery. I can’t take any more from you.” I gently pushed it back into her hands. “There are so many other girls to take care of. Please, just keep it. And don’t worry about me, I have my own savings set aside.” I gave her a tight hug. “Besides, Mama Elena… I have to go.” “I’m moving to Los Angeles. I don’t think I’ll be back for a few years.” In New York, the Thorne brothers could ruin me with a single phone call. I needed to be far, far away. I booked a flight for three days later. In that time, neither of the brothers contacted me. But Maya did, full of gossip. “Man, there’s a real difference between us stand-ins and the real thing, huh?” she said over the phone. “Did you see the fireworks over the Hudson last night? It went on for over an hour. Cost millions. I heard Julian Thorne set it up to celebrate Clara’s return.” I suddenly remembered a conversation I’d had with Julian. I was lying exhausted in his arms, and he was toying with a lock of my hair. “Sadie,” he’d asked, his voice rough with sleep, “besides money, is there anything else you like?” I thought for a moment. “Fireworks,” I’d said. “The kind that light up the whole sky.” He hadn’t seemed satisfied with that answer. He buried his face in my neck, and after a long pause, he mumbled, “Okay. Next time, I’ll set off a fireworks show over the Hudson for you.” Right. A man’s promise. The fireworks happened, they just weren’t for me. “Sadie? You listening?” Maya was still talking. “And tonight, Caleb Thorne is throwing this massive welcome-home party for her at The Plaza.” “She gets what she wants, and you get what you need! You’re leaving for LA, so I’m throwing you a going-away party!” Maya texted me an address. I figured it would be nice to see her one last time before I disappeared. So I went. But the moment I walked in, I knew something was wrong. The party was… huge. Way too fancy. Way too many people. And there, in the middle of the glittering ballroom, stood Clara, dressed in a stunning gown of blue, sparkling diamonds. On either side of her, like two sentinels, were Caleb and Julian Thorne. All three of them turned and looked directly at me. I froze, pulling out my phone. A new text from Maya had just come in, a second too late. “OMG WRONG BALLROOM NAME! That’s Caleb’s party for Clara! DON’T GO IN! So embarrassing!” She sent a new location. “Come here instead! All the girls are waiting. Don’t be jealous of her fireworks, I got you sparklers!” I cursed Maya a thousand times in my head. I knew she was a mess, but this was a new level of incompetent. I kept my head down, trying to back out unnoticed, but it was too late. Clara was already walking toward me. She held a glass of champagne, a brilliant, practiced smile on her face. “You must be Sadie,” she said, her voice smooth as silk.

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The day my dad got out of prison, the first thing he did was try to sweet-talk my mom. “Brenda, look,” he said, his voice low and coaxing. “I’m not gonna get mad. You just gotta tell me the truth. Did you… see anyone while I was away? You know I wasn’t an angel before I went in. It’s no big deal. Four years is a long time. A woman’s got needs. I can handle it.” Hearing those words, my blood ran cold. I rushed over, ready to run interference for my mom, to whisper in her ear to deny everything, no matter what. I’d seen what happened to Mrs. Henderson down the hall. After she confessed to her husband that she’d had an affair, you could hear the screaming through the thin apartment walls. We’d see her later with bruises she tried to hide with cheap concealer, a haunted look in her eyes. My dad was an ex-con. He was ten times more brutal than Mr. Henderson could ever dream of being. In that life, my mom listened to me. She denied everything. But years later, she turned on me, her face twisted with resentment. “This is all your fault, Jenna,” she spat. “You and your bright idea to keep my mouth shut. Now I’m stuck here, miserable, while the men I was with are all doing great. One of them owns his own construction company! But no, I get to live with the guilt, tied to a damn jailbird for the rest of my life!” In her rage, she shoved me. We were on the balcony of our eighth-floor apartment. She pushed me right over the edge. Later, she told the police I’d jumped. That I was being cyberbullied over some boy at school and couldn’t handle it. Now, I’m opening my eyes, and I’m back. Back on the day he came home. I don’t step in to save her. Instead, when my dad turns his questioning eyes on me, I stutter and look at the floor. “Mom… Mom told me not to tell anyone about the uncles who came over,” I mumbled. “I don’t know anything else.” 1 “Jenna, tell me straight. While I was gone, did any other ‘uncles’ come by to see your mom?” His voice, rough and familiar, pulled me back from the void. His face was too close, his breath smelling of stale cigarettes. I knew, with a jolt that made my heart hammer against my ribs, that I was back. He had just started his interrogation, and this time, it was aimed at me. “Jenna? What’s wrong with you?” he pressed. “Did they, or didn’t they? Just tell me.” I took a shaky breath and delivered the line I’d prepared in a past life. “Mom told me not to tell anyone about the uncles who came over,” I whispered. “I don’t know anything else.” His eyes narrowed. “What did they do? Did they… hug your mom or something?” I pretended to think hard, my expression blank, giving him just enough to keep him digging. “They came over for dinner a lot. They brought us groceries. One of them used to hold my hand and say he was gonna marry me when I grew up.” His jaw tightened, a muscle twitching in his cheek. The look on his face had already turned dark. He asked more questions, but I just shook my head and clammed up, playing the part of the scared, confused kid. I didn’t want my mom to have any reason to blame me later. He handed me a crisp hundred-dollar bill. A reward. As I watched him sink into the sagging armchair, his expression shifting from suspicion to barely contained rage, the reality of my second chance finally sunk in. I clutched the money, my gaze turning to ice. This time, Mom, you’re on your own. Let’s see how you handle this. 2 That night, I lingered by their bedroom door. Just like before, I heard my dad’s voice, slick with fake understanding. “Brenda, I’m serious. I won’t get mad,” he was saying. “You know that whole assault charge was bogus. That girl just got pissed I wouldn’t pay her what she wanted. So, if you did something… I get it. Four years is a long time. You must’ve been lonely, right?” My hands started to tremble. This was the exact moment. In my first life, I’d heard this and burst in, making up an excuse to get my dad out of the room before desperately convincing my mom to keep her mouth shut. I’d used the story of Mrs. Henderson to scare her straight. No one else knew the full extent of the beatings, but my bedroom window had a direct view of theirs. My mom, terrified, had heeded my warning. The next time my dad tried to bait her, she’d flown into a rage. “Rick, what the hell is wrong with you?” she had screamed. “You think because you screw around, I do too? I was too busy trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table to even think about another man! Maybe if you weren’t such a scumbag, you wouldn’t assume everyone else is!” He’d actually believed her. After that, no men came around. To make up for his suspicion, and maybe his guilt, he actually cleaned up his act. He got a steady job, stopped running around, and for a few years, things got better. We even bought a house. I thought I’d made the right choice. Then, just before my high school graduation, she snapped. “You must be so proud of yourself, Jenna,” she’d sneered. “Making sure your perfect little family stayed together. Did you ever stop to think how miserable I was? The men I was with are all successful now. And what do I have? A lifetime of regret with an ex-con. This is all your fault. You ruined my life!” And then she pushed me. This time, there would be no rescue. Let her learn for herself what Mrs. Henderson already knew. 3 Without me bursting in, my mom’s voice trembled under my dad’s persuasion. At first, she denied it instinctively. “Rick, what are you talking about? I would never do something like that.” But he kept at it, a master manipulator weaving threats and promises together. “If you did, just tell me. We’ll put it behind us and move on. But if I find out on my own… well, you know what happens then.” A few seconds of silence, and then she broke. “Oh, Rick,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. It was like you said, I was so lonely… but it was more than that. I was all alone with two kids, trying to make ends meet. The pressure… it was too much. They helped us. I don’t know how I would’ve survived without them. You… you really forgive me?” The air went still. A full minute passed. My mom’s voice rose in panic. “Rick? Honey? What’s wrong? You said you’d forgive me if I told the truth.” My dad’s voice was low and heavy, thick with suppressed fury. “‘They’? So it wasn’t just one. Who were they? How many? Tell me everything, and then I’ll forgive you.” 4 She was in too deep to stop now. “Three,” she whispered. “Two you know—Mark and Leo. The other one… his name is Eric.” “And how did you manage that, with the kids around?” he pressed. She hesitated. “When they were at school… they’d come to the house. Sometimes we’d get a hotel room. But they always gave me money, Rick! It wasn’t for free! I was doing it to provide for the kids…” Her voice trailed off. “You’re not mad, are you? You promised you’d forgive me. Now that you’re back, I’ll cut them all off. I swear. It’ll just be us.” He didn’t answer. The silence stretched on again, heavy and menacing. Then, his voice came, cold and demonic. “You really think I can just ‘move on’ after you let not one, not two, but three different men in our bed? You forget why I went away? You forget what I did to that bitch who accused me?” My mom finally understood. She’d walked right into his trap. “You were lying,” she choked out. “You were tricking me! You bastard, Rick! You’re a monster!” CRACK. The sound of his hand hitting her cheek echoed through the door, followed by his cold, cruel laugh. “I knew you couldn’t keep your legs closed. But three of them… that’s impressive. You know, I’ve always wondered about Kevin. Tell me the truth, Brenda. Is he my son? Or does he belong to one of them?” 5 I froze outside the door. This was new. I never knew my dad had suspected Kevin wasn’t his. My brother, Kevin, was two years younger than me and spoiled rotten by my mom. He treated me like dirt, always using my mom’s favoritism to his advantage. He was there, on the balcony, the night she killed me. He didn’t push me, but he didn’t stop her, either. And when the police questioned him, he backed up her story, telling them I jumped. He and my mom were a united front. I hadn’t seen him since I came back, but now, hearing my dad’s suspicion, a memory surfaced. Leo. Every time Leo came over, he wasn’t just all over my mom; he was all over Kevin. He’d slip him twenty-dollar bills, buy him new sneakers, treat him like a prince. I never got a thing. Mark and Eric couldn’t have cared less about us kids. A cold certainty washed over me. Kevin was Leo’s son. I had to tell my dad. Someday. Another sharp crack from inside the room. “I said, is Kevin my son!” “Rick, you’ve lost your mind in there!” my mom shrieked. “You get out and you immediately accuse me and your son? You can doubt me, but not Kevin! You were there when he was born, you watched him grow up! Who else’s would he be? You were the one cheating back then, not me!” 6 Her denial was fierce, but my dad just went quiet again. I was about to walk away when I heard his voice, dead and flat. “Take off your clothes.” “What? Rick, what are you doing?” I heard the distinct sound of a leather belt being unbuckled. “Rick, don’t you dare,” my mom pleaded, her voice shaking with fear. “Even if we’re married, this is assault! It’s illegal!” He just laughed, a sound devoid of any humor. Then came the sickening thwack of the leather. “After you’ve been with God knows how many men? You think I still want you? Don’t flatter yourself,” he sneered. “I recorded everything you just said on my phone. You call the cops, it’s a he-said, she-said domestic dispute. And what happens when I send this little recording to all your friends and family?” Another lash, and she screamed in pain. “Rick! How could you hit me? I’m calling the police!” “You think I’d let you?” he growled. “You’re never calling anyone again. If you even try, I’ll kill Kevin.” That did it. The fight went out of her. She started begging, sobbing for forgiveness. “Rick, please, I’m sorry! Kevin is your son, he’s your son, I swear! If you have to doubt someone… then fine! I’ll tell you the truth! Jenna isn’t yours! She’s Leo’s daughter!” 7 Outside the door, the world tilted. A wave of rage and nausea washed over me, so intense I nearly passed out. It didn’t matter if it was this life or the last one. When backed into a corner, she would always, always throw me to the wolves to save her precious son. Was I even her daughter? At this point, I didn’t care whose DNA I had. What mother could be this cruel? Fine. If she wanted to play that game, then the gloves were off. I remembered now. The way Mark, another of her lovers, used to stare at me, his eyes lingering too long. How he’d find excuses to touch my hand. My mom saw it. And instead of stopping him, she’d smiled at him like she was showing off a prize pig. “Our Jenna, she’s only a pre-teen, but she’s already blossoming, isn’t she?” she’d cooed. “Some boy is going to be very lucky one day.” Mark’s eyes had lit up. “Well, I’m too old to be that lucky boy,” he’d chuckled, his gaze slimy. “But you know, when she’s legal, maybe I could be her first… show her the ropes?” My mom had giggled. “Of course! What a lucky girl she’d be!” She wasn’t just my mother. She was my pimp. “What? Jenna is Leo’s daughter?” My dad’s roar snapped me back to the present. I didn’t wait to hear more. I ran out of the apartment and found Kevin playing video games on his phone at the park across the street. “Kevin, come quick!” I yelled. “Dad is beating Mom!” 8 He shot up and started running, but I grabbed his arm. “Wait! We’re just kids, we can’t stop him! Call Uncle Leo! He’s the only one strong enough!” He didn’t question it. He frantically dialed Leo’s number, then sprinted toward our building. I let him go first, staying a few steps behind. When Kevin kicked open the bedroom door, we both froze. Well, I was less shocked. I’d seen a naked, beaten woman before. It was just my mom this time instead of Mrs. Henderson. Kevin, however, looked like he’d been struck by lightning. When he finally found his voice, he launched himself between them, shielding my mom. “Dad, what are you doing to her?” he screamed. “You abandoned us for years, and now you come back and do this? She raised us by herself! Are you crazy?” My dad’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. “She cheated on me, you little brat! Now get out of my way before I take this belt to you, too!” But Kevin stood his ground, glaring at our father with pure hatred. If I hadn’t been betrayed and murdered by my mother, maybe I would have done the same thing. But now, I just watched, cold and detached. I saw the belt rise, ready to fall on my brother. My mom shrieked. “Rick, he’s your son! If you touch him, I’ll never forgive you! He’ll grow up, and you’ll get old. You think he won’t make you pay for this?” For a second, my dad hesitated. Kevin seized the opportunity. “That’s right! You hit me, and you’re a dead man when I’m older!” Big mistake. My dad had spent four years in a place where threats were the only language spoken. He brought the belt down hard. Kevin screamed, a high-pitched wail of pain. “It hurts!” A sick sense of pleasure bloomed in my chest. Good. That was a tiny bit of payment for the agony of my fall. But it wasn’t enough. Not even close. I glanced at my watch. Leo should be here any second. The real show was about to begin. A minute later, Leo burst through the front door, his face pale with panic. “Jenna, where’s your brother?” I pointed silently toward the bedroom. “You better hurry. Dad’s hitting him, too.” His eyes went wide with fury, and he charged into the room. “Rick, you son of a bitch, stop!” 9 I followed him to the doorway and watched his face go from rage to stunned disbelief. He’d expected a fight, not this. Not Brenda, naked and bleeding on the floor. His eyes lingered on her body for a second too long, a flicker of something—pity, desire, anger—flashing across his face before he flushed a deep red. My dad saw it too. His rage intensified. “What’s the matter, Leo?” he sneered. “Does it hurt to see your whore getting what she deserves?” Leo tore his eyes away and saw Kevin cowering on the floor. He rushed over, putting himself between them and my father. “Rick, have you lost your mind? I’m calling the cops! They’ll lock you up again!” He pulled out his phone, but my dad’s belt lashed out, sending it flying across the room. “Go ahead, call them,” my dad challenged. “Brenda already confessed everything. Sleeping with my wife while I was locked up, making me raise another man’s kid. You really want to call the cops? Don’t you have a wife and kids of your own, Leo? You ready for that scandal?” Leo froze, his face ashen. He glanced at my mom, who just sobbed and hid her face. There was no point in denying it. He tried to cut his losses. “Rick, don’t be crazy,” he said, his voice strained. “Jenna’s not my kid.” My dad watched him, a predator enjoying the game. “So you admit you were sleeping with Brenda?” Trapped, Leo’s demeanor shifted from fear to defiance. “Yeah, I was. So what? She was all alone, struggling. I felt sorry for her. And you—you got no room to talk, man. Look in the damn mirror before you start pointing fingers at her. You think a woman is gonna stay faithful for four years to a piece of trash like you? Get real.” My dad was momentarily stunned by his audacity. Then, with a roar, he swung the belt at Leo. “You sleep with my wife in my house and you dare to lecture me? You made me raise your daughter for ten years, you bastard!” 10 Leo glanced at me in the doorway, and a look of relief crossed his face. As long as my dad thought I was his daughter, Kevin was safe. His secret was safe. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I stepped into the room, my voice clear and cold, cutting through the chaos. “Dad,” I said, meeting his wild eyes. “I’m not Uncle Leo’s daughter.” I let the silence hang for a beat, then turned and pointed a steady finger at my brother. “He is.”

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The HR manager told me to pack my things. I was being laid off. I smirked, looking him dead in the eye. “Does my dad know you’re firing me?” HR slid a paper across the desk. “The layoff list for the Security department just came down. Your dad’s on it.” I laughed. “Well, does my mom know?” He glanced at me. “We’re downsizing Janitorial, too. She’s on the list.” I leaned back in my chair, letting out a cold huff. “And I suppose my grandpa, the esteemed man at the front desk, has been informed of this momentous event?” HR tapped the last list. “Head of the chopping block for the Doorman staff. Your grandpa’s name is first.” … 1 There we were, three generations of my family, lined up like ducks in a row on termination day. The entire office was staring, their faces a mixture of pity and morbid curiosity. “They all got laid off? That’s their whole family’s income, gone in one day.” “So tragic. But honestly, who does that? You’d think a normal family would know not to put all their eggs in one basket. Now the whole carton’s smashed.” “Wait, isn’t that Mason guy dating Chloe, the VP? She’s really firing her boyfriend’s entire family?” A chubby guy with glasses chimed in, “Please. Mason had it coming. He’s a total mooch, and not content with that, he brought his whole family to leech off the company too.” “And on top of that,” he added, lowering his voice, “he had the nerve to piss off Julian. And everyone knows Julian is the one Chloe *really* cares about. It was only a matter of time.” Just then, Julian’s voice cut through the whispers. “Oh, Mason, buddy. I tried to talk Chloe out of it. I really did. I told her your family was struggling and that this was a bit extreme.” Julian, looking sharp in an expensive custom-tailored suit, shot me a look of pure triumph. “But what could I do? She insisted on defending my honor. Said she had to get rid of you all.” He leaned in, his voice dripping with false sympathy. “You’re not mad at me, are you?” I scoffed. “Cut the act, Julian. You know you threw yourself down those stairs to frame me.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “So what if I did? What does it matter if there’s security footage? Chloe refuses to even look at it.” “It’s just how it is, Mason. She believes whatever I say. I’m the one she’s always cared about. We’ve known each other for twenty years. You never stood a chance.” 2 Julian’s arrival only fueled the office gossip. The comments got louder, and meaner. The most vicious was Stacy, Chloe’s best friend. She’d always hated me. “Mason, if you had any self-respect, you would have bowed out ages ago. Look at you. Your family, your education… what part of you can even compare to a man like Julian?” Her round-faced friend nodded eagerly. “Exactly. Julian and Chloe are childhood friends. He’s an Ivy League grad from a family of academics. And your family is…?” She let out a derisive snort, scanning the four of us with utter contempt. My mom’s face went rigid with anger. She was about to let loose when my dad put a hand on her arm. “Let it go,” he murmured. “This is good for him. A little humiliation might finally knock some sense into him and stop him from being Chloe’s doormat.” My mom nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re right.” Stacy wasn’t done. “Mason, you should take a good long look in the mirror. Chloe is rich, she’s beautiful. Did you really think she would ever be serious about a leech like you?” That was the last straw for my grandpa. “Hey! You watch your mouth, young lady! Who are you calling a leech?” Before Stacy could answer, a sharp voice cut in from behind me. “He’s talking about your grandson, you useless old man.” 3 I turned. It was Chloe. Julian arched an eyebrow at me, then smugly wrapped his arm around Chloe’s waist, pulling her close in a clear display of victory. Chloe looked at my grandfather with her usual air of imperious disdain. “You’ve been fired. Don’t you dare cause a scene in my company, you old fossil.” My grandpa was so stunned by her vulgarity that he started wheezing. My parents rushed to his side, patting his back. “Dad, don’t listen to her. She’s not worth it.” I stepped in front of my grandpa, shielding him. “You can say whatever you want about me, Chloe. But you don’t talk to my grandfather like that.” My dad’s anger flared. “That’s right! You can insult my son, but you will not insult my father!” My mom crossed her arms. “And you can’t insult my son, either!” Chloe threw her head back and laughed, a high, sharp sound. “Oh, is that right? Did I hurt the beggars’ feelings? Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me you’re *not* mooches?” Her eyes swept over the four of us. “A janitor, a security guard, a doorman, and a ‘Director’ I appointed out of pity. You have the nerve to deny you’re leeches? Your entire family should be on your knees, thanking me for my charity.” “Now you listen here, young lady,” my mom snapped back. “That’s not right. If it weren’t for my—for my son busting his ass in the project department, drumming up clients, this ‘charity case’ of a company would have gone bankrupt years ago!” Chloe doubled over with laughter. “Oh, ma’am, are you serious? You think this company runs because of *your son*?” “What kind of connections does Mason have? Do you really think he’s the one who got Isabella Sterling, the heiress to Sterling Enterprises, to personally come in and sign that contract?” My mom snorted. “Why not? She happens to be very fond of—” My dad shot my mom a look, a silent signal to hold back. Seeing my mom fall silent, Chloe pounced. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue? Don’t tell me you were actually going to say the great Isabella Sterling signed that deal because of your son?” 4 Looking at Chloe’s face, it was like seeing a stranger. Julian was her childhood friend, and ever since he’d returned from overseas, he’d made it his mission to make my life a living hell. It started the day he arrived, when he walked into my office and declared, “I think I’d like this office.” I knew then he was trouble. “If you want it, you have to earn it,” I’d told him. “This is the Project Director’s office. Can you bring in investors? Can you even manage a project?” Before he could respond, Chloe had stepped in, linking her arm with his. “Mason, don’t you dare look down on him.” “Julian isn’t like you, from a family of uneducated blue-collar workers. He’s a top graduate from a university abroad, from a highly respected family. He has connections and resources overseas you can’t even dream of. He’ll do a better job than you ever could.” I’d raised an eyebrow. “You really think so?” “Of course!” she’d snapped. “Julian is the company’s new good luck charm! He just got here and he already landed a massive deal with Sterling Enterprises. You know, only the biggest multinational corporation on the planet.” I almost laughed. “A good luck charm? Him? That project was my—” “Oh, stop it, Mason,” she interrupted. “Don’t tell me that old story about how your department’s ‘all-nighters’ landed the client. In the seven years I’ve been VP, Sterling Enterprises has never given us the time of day.” At that, Julian had smirked. “Hey, isn’t your dad one of the security guards here?” “And your grandpa’s the doorman, your mom’s a janitor—oh! Speaking of which, since your mom’s on staff, why don’t you call her up here to clean my new office?” Even Chloe hesitated. “Julian, that’s Mason’s mom. Maybe that’s going too far—” He just ruffled her hair. “Sweetheart, you’re too kind. That’s how people take advantage of you. Fine. If making his mom clean is in poor taste, Mason can do it himself.” Chloe didn’t spare me a second thought, didn’t care one bit about my dignity as her boyfriend. She and Julian flirted right in front of me while I was on my hands and knees cleaning. “Julian, look,” she’d cooed, presenting him with a lavish gift box. “A little something to celebrate you joining the company.” He opened it to reveal a Rolex. “Wow, Chloe. This is way too much.” “You deserve it,” she said. “You landed us a billion-dollar deal on your first week.” Meanwhile, I was scrubbing the floor. Chloe shot me a glare. “Hurry it up. Don’t hold up the transition.” That was just the beginning. Even after I moved offices, Julian wouldn’t let up. He’d intentionally “bump” into me during meetings, spilling scalding coffee on my hand and then playing the victim. Chloe never once asked if I was okay. She’d rush to his side in front of everyone. “Julian, are you hurt? Meeting’s adjourned, I’m taking you to the hospital.” He locked me in a supply closet overnight to “teach me a lesson” for his own manufactured slights. He made my grandpa park and wash his car every single day, treating him like a valet. He made my mom clean his office a dozen times a day, always finding some new speck of dust to complain about. He ordered my dad around like a personal servant. Every time I tried to talk to Chloe about it, she’d dismiss me. “Mason, you’re being too sensitive. They’re just doing their jobs. They get a paycheck, they should do the work.” “You’re only like this because you’re poor. It’s made you paranoid. You always assume the worst of Julian.” Then came the annual company gala. Chloe gave a heartfelt speech about the man who had stood by her all these years, who helped her achieve her dreams. Everyone, including me, thought she was talking about me. I was getting ready to stand up. But the name she called was Julian’s. I watched them embrace under the spotlight as the entire company laughed at me. From that day on, I was a joke. They called me “the clown” and “the simp” to my face. The last straw was a few days ago. Julian cornered me on the stairs. “If you don’t break up with Chloe,” he sneered, “I’ll make her kick you to the curb.” And then he just… threw himself down the flight of stairs. As always, Chloe didn’t investigate. She didn’t listen to my side of the story. She demanded I get on my knees and apologize to him. I refused. So she had HR fire my entire family. After so many humiliations, I was numb. The love I once felt for her had curdled into something else entirely. Pity, maybe. 5 Seeing us silent, Chloe continued her tirade. “What’s the matter? Nothing to say? Finally realize what pathetic losers you are?” My grandpa couldn’t take it anymore. “Of course not! It’s because of my—” My dad stopped him. “Dad, not yet. Let’s see how far she takes this.” Chloe took our silence as agreement. She tapped her designer heel on the marble floor. “Your entire family eats my food, wears clothes paid for by my salary. You should have learned your place as my dogs.” Stacy chimed in. “Exactly! Being Chloe’s dogs is the best thing that ever happened to you.” “Chloe,” I said through gritted teeth. “Don’t push it.” *CRACK.* Her hand slapped across my face, the sound echoing in the silent office. “Who do you think you are,” she hissed, “to speak to me like that?” That did it. My mom was fiercely protective. The second she saw me get hit, she lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of Chloe’s hair. “You dare touch my son? I have had it with you!” My mom slapped Chloe right back, just as hard. Stacy tried to pull my mom off, but I shoved her away. Julian rushed forward. “Mason, you’re such a mama’s boy! You’re just going to stand there and watch your mom attack Chloe?” My grandpa shot Julian a withering look. “And you, young man. Of all the things to be, you chose to be a homewrecker.” Julian’s face turned beet red. Chloe, reeling from the slap, looked at me in disbelief. “Mason! You’re really going to let your mother do this to me?” She glared at my mom. “You’re a fired janitor and you have the audacity to lay a hand on me? This isn’t over.” I stepped in front of my mom. “She did nothing wrong. If you have a problem, you take it up with me.” A slow, cruel smile spread across Julian’s face. “Mason, I told you. You can’t win against me.” Chloe’s face was a mask of hatred. “Don’t you dare act tough now, you leech. Ganging up on me with this old hag.” My dad and grandpa just stared, their eyes wide with a strange kind of awe. “Fine,” Chloe said, regaining her composure. “I’ll give you one last chance. I can forgive your mother. You can even stay. If you get on your knees, right now, apologize, and sign this document disowning your entire family. Then I’ll consider letting you take over your mother’s old job. You can stay and scrub the company toilets.” 6 “That’s—that’s just inhuman!” my grandpa sputtered. Julian sneered. “Shut your mouth, old man. Your doorman job is gone. You keep barking, and I’ll make sure you’re blacklisted from every security firm in the city.” My dad’s eyes widened in mock horror. “Wow, you can do that?” Julian puffed out his chest. “I’m the man who landed the Sterling Enterprises deal. Even Isabella Sterling listens to what I have to say.” I started clapping slowly. “Bravo. A truly masterful performance.” “But I have to ask,” I said, my voice dangerously calm. “You’re firing us. Does Ms. Sterling know about that?” For a fraction of a second, Julian looked nervous, but he quickly recovered his swagger, adjusting his tie. “I don’t need to report the firing of a few nobodies to Isabella Sterling.” “That’s right,” Chloe said. “Julian is the Vice President of this company now, the hero who saved us with the Sterling deal. If he doesn’t like you, he can fire you. Does he need to pick a special day?” “Who do you think you are, that we’d need to clear it with Ms. Sterling?” She looked at me. “Mason, kneel to Julian, sign these papers, and I might keep you around.” “Yeah, Mason,” Stacy added. “Don’t be an idiot. Chloe’s company is about to go public thanks to this deal. Don’t throw away your meal ticket. Besides, you’ve knelt before. It’s not like your knees have much value left.” Chloe shoved a document into my hand. It was a legal form to formally sever all parental ties. “This is your last chance, Mason. Disown them, and I’ll still consider marrying you.” 7 I looked at the document. Then I looked at her. And I started to laugh. Under Chloe’s expectant gaze, I took the papers and ripped them into a hundred tiny pieces. I looked at her stunned face and realized, with blinding clarity, that I had been a fool. I had been in love with a monster. “Chloe,” I said, my voice steady and clear. “Remember this moment. Today is the day that I, Mason Hayes, am breaking up with you. And you will live to regret it.” I turned my back on her. Behind me, my dad, mom, and grandpa all gave me a simultaneous, triumphant thumbs-up. For the first time ever, Chloe saw me fight back. For the first time, she looked… scared. “Mason!” she yelled after me. “If you walk out that door today, don’t you ever think about coming back!” “None of you will ever work in this building again!” “Hilarious,” I called back over my shoulder. “We quit.” Julian rolled his eyes. “Go on then. Plenty of people are desperate for your jobs. Go eat out of a dumpster. It’ll save you some money.” As I walked out, I saw Chloe’s confident mask crumble. She stumbled slightly, shocked that I had actually left. Stacy rushed to her side. “Don’t worry, Chloe,” I heard her say. “He’s a total simp. He can’t live without you. Besides, I did some digging. His family’s broke. They don’t even have a house, they were living in the staff dorms. Now that they’re fired, where are they going to go? I guarantee you, he’ll be back tonight, on his knees, begging for your forgiveness.” “You’re right,” Chloe said, her voice regaining some of its strength. “He’ll be back.” 8 The second we were out of the building, my grandpa clapped me on the shoulder, his eyes shining. “Well done, grandson! You finally made all the crap we put up with these past few weeks worth it.” My mom sighed in relief. “Your grandma was right. The only way to cure a simp is to let him get his heart broken. If we had tried to intervene, you would have just accused us of trying to ruin your life.” My dad nodded. “Your grandmother is a wise woman. You see things clearly now? You’re really over Chloe?” I looked at them, my family. “I’m so sorry. I dragged you all through hell because I was an idiot. But I see it now. I’m done. I’m never going back to being her doormat. Tonight, when we get home, I’m calling the Sterlings. It’s time to move forward with the marriage arrangement.” Tears welled up in my grandpa’s eyes. “Oh, son. I’m so glad to hear you say that.” We walked around the corner of the building. Lined up along the curb was a fleet of black Escalades. A row of men in sharp, black suits stood waiting. As we approached, they all bowed in perfect unison. “Mr. Hayes. Sir. Ma’am. Young Master Hayes. Welcome back.”

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My lease was up after three years, and my landlord refused to renew. I was scrambling to find a new place, which is a nightmare in this city. My best friend, Maya, saw the apartment listing online and was furious on my behalf. “This landlord is a total psycho,” she grumbled, scrolling through the pictures on her phone. “You offered to pay more, and you’ve kept the place spotless. Why is he so desperate to rent to someone else?” Impulsively, she stabbed the “call” button on the listing, planning to mess with him a little. But when the call connected, we both froze. The voice that answered was my boyfriend’s. 1 Maya had him on speaker. A familiar “Hello?” came through the phone. The voice was quiet, but it hit me like a lightning bolt. It was my boyfriend, Leo. I couldn’t believe it. I reached out to stop Maya, but my hand hovered uselessly over the screen. We just stared at each other, stunned. “Hello?” he said again, a little louder this time. Maya recovered first. Clearing her throat, she pinched her nose to disguise her voice. “Hi, are you the landlord for apartment 1204 at The Goldcrest?” “Yes, I am.” She shot me a look, then continued, “I saw your listing online, and I—” “Sorry,” he cut her off, “the apartment’s already taken. Someone put down a deposit.” He hung up. Maya shot up from the couch and threw her phone onto the cushions. “Holy crap! The apartment you’ve been renting for three years… the landlord is Leo?” she exclaimed. “This is like something out of a bad movie!” 2 The shock started to wear off, replaced by a cold, sinking feeling. I opened my utility app and pulled up the account for my apartment. Under “Account Holder,” it read: L. Hayes. Next, I called the building management office and asked for the owner’s name for my unit, pretending I needed it for a renter’s insurance claim. “The owner is Leo Hayes,” the woman on the phone confirmed cheerfully. I slumped onto the floor, the strength draining out of me. I leaned against the side of the bed, motionless. When I first signed the lease, the landlord had to reschedule at the last minute. I had a conflict and couldn’t make the new time, so Leo offered to go and sign the paperwork for me. I never once saw the owner’s information. Later, when I saw the name on the utility bill, I’d even joked with him about how common his name was. Looking back, I felt like the world’s biggest idiot. He was collecting rent from me, his girlfriend, for an apartment he owned. He was using me to pay his mortgage, while also crashing at “my” place whenever he wanted. It was a flawless setup, and I had been completely clueless. Maya’s words cut right to the bone. “That’s some next-level scheming. He’s got you paying off his mortgage, and he gets to live there for free. Girl, you’re not his girlfriend, you’re his sugar mama.” 3 My phone buzzed. It was a text from Leo, sent ten minutes ago. [Hey, I’m off work. On my way to pick you up so we can go apartment hunting.] He’d been telling me for weeks that he was about to be sent on a work trip for the better part of a month. He was worried I wouldn’t have time to find a place and move before he left. He kept pushing me to find something quickly so he wouldn’t have to “worry about me” while he was gone. It wasn’t concern. He was just in a hurry to get me out so he could get his next tenant in. A hot wave of anger washed over me. I almost called him right then and there to confront him. But Maya stopped me, a frown on her face. “Doesn’t this seem weird to you?” she asked. “You offered to pay more rent, and he still said no. Why do you think that is?” The answer hit me like a punch to the gut. He already had a new tenant lined up. And he was about to break up with me. The rental listing wasn’t for just anyone. It was for her. The girl he was cheating on me with. 4 In Leo’s car, I took Maya’s advice and tried to act normal, like nothing had happened. “You know,” I said casually, “I heard the apartment across the hall from me just went up for rent. Maybe I should just take that one. It would save me the trouble of moving everything.” I watched his face closely. I didn’t miss the flicker of panic in his eyes. “But you’ve always complained about the noise in that building,” he said, trying to sound reasonable. “This is a great chance to find a quieter place.” A sarcastic smile touched my lips. “I’ve lived there for three years. I’m used to the kids upstairs running around. It’s like a white noise machine at this point. I’d probably have trouble sleeping without it.” He chuckled, but it sounded forced. “What are you, a masochist? Don’t get attached to a bad situation. Come on, let’s find you a better place. It’s so loud, I swear the mom upstairs is always screaming at her kids whenever we’re trying to have a moment. It’s not exactly a mood-setter.” His words were like poison, every syllable a lie. I dug my fingernails into my palms, trying to keep my composure. 5 Leo and I met in college. He pursued me for a year before I finally agreed to go out with him our sophomore year. He was a local; I was from a small town a thousand miles away. I’d always assumed we’d break up after graduation. But then I landed an internship at a top ad agency right here in the city. It was a dream opportunity. I told him the good news, and he was ecstatic. “That’s amazing!” he’d said. “You can stay here! We don’t have to break up!” He helped me search for an apartment. Since he knew the city, I trusted his judgment. He was the one who sent me the link to the apartment I ended up renting. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with it when the realtor showed it to us. The walls were paper-thin. You could hear every stomp and crash from the family upstairs. I told Leo I thought we should keep looking, but he was unusually insistent. With all the other places we’d seen, he’d been the picky one, finding fault with the lighting, the amenities, the security. But this place, despite the obvious flaw, he loved. He argued that for the location and the price, it was the best we’d find. “If it weren’t for the noise,” he’d said, “the rent would be way higher.” At the time, it made sense. I was on a tight budget, and it really was a good deal. So, I took it. Looking back, I finally understood why he was so determined for me to live in that specific apartment. 6 The real estate agent showing us apartments today was the same woman from three years ago, a friendly, middle-aged local who owned her own small agency. After three hours of looking, I hadn’t liked a single place. No matter how much Leo tried to sell me on them, I found something wrong with each one. He was starting to get frustrated. “What exactly are you looking for?” he asked, his patience wearing thin. “Your lease is up in a week.” “If I can’t find anything, I’ll just crash with Maya for a while,” I said calmly. “I’m not in a rush. I want to find a place I actually like.” He frowned. “But we’ve seen all the suitable listings this agency has.” “Then we’ll find another agency,” I said with a shrug. Leo’s jaw tightened. “The agent has spent all afternoon with us. You can’t just ghost her now. That’s not right.” The agent quickly jumped in. “It’s no problem at all! We have plenty of other options. We’ll take our time. The right place will come along.” I looked at her then, really looked at her, and then back at Leo. A strange thought popped into my head. They looked alike. They had the same eyes. 7 The next day, I was sitting in a coffee shop waiting for Maya when I noticed a striking, long-haired girl at the table next to me. She was on the phone with a real estate agent, scheduling a time to sign a lease. After she hung up, she stood to leave and collided with Maya, who was rushing in with a coffee in each hand. The girl’s white dress was now covered in latte. Maya’s phone clattered to the floor, the screen shattering. I rushed over to help Maya apologize. The girl was surprisingly gracious and didn’t make a fuss. I insisted on getting her Venmo to pay for the dry cleaning. Back at our table, while I was sending the money, I casually said to Maya, “Why were you in such a hurry? You wrecked your phone.” As I opened the Venmo app, a little red dot appeared on my Instagram icon. A new story. I tapped on it instinctively. It was the girl from the coffee shop. [Found my new place! Ready for some sweet cohabitation adventures ~] The location tag was unmistakable: The Goldcrest. My building. Just then, Maya’s voice, loud and sharp, broke through my daze. “Oh my god! You are not going to believe what I found out!” she exclaimed. “That real estate agent? She’s Leo’s mom!” “This whole family is running a goddamn romance scam on you!” 8 After our apartment hunting trip, that crazy thought about the agent wouldn’t leave me alone. To check it out, I’d asked Maya’s mom to pay a visit to the real estate agency. Maya’s family was also local, and her mom could talk the ear off a statue. She could get a stranger’s life story in five minutes flat. Maya chugged a glass of iced tea, not even pausing for breath. “So, my mom went in pretending to be a buyer,” she reported. “She and the agent hit it off, started calling each other ‘sis.’ The agent even pulled out her phone and showed my mom pictures of her son. I showed my mom a picture of you and Leo, and she said, yup, that’s him. The agent’s son is Leo.” I’d been with Leo for five years, and I’d never met his parents. He told me they were business owners who lived out of state, in Arizona. He said they rarely came back, and he always flew out there for the holidays. And he did disappear for a few days every Christmas, always returning with some turquoise jewelry or a bag of local coffee for me. I never had a reason to doubt him. How many of his stories were lies? On a sweltering summer day, a chill ran down my spine. 9 “So then,” Maya continued, “my mom starts gushing about what a catch her son is and asks if he has a girlfriend, saying she has a niece who would be perfect for him. My mom is a master bullshitter. She invented a whole fake niece on the spot, from a super-rich family, and you could see the agent’s eyes light up.” Maya rolled her eyes. “And guess what she said? She said her son has a great job, owns his own place, drives a nice car, makes six figures, and has a great personality. The only thing missing is a girlfriend.” I laughed, a bitter sound. “Owns a place and a car, sure. Six figures is a stretch.” “Totally! Six figures my ass. He wishes.” He’d bought a used BMW his second year of work. The apartment was a small one-bedroom in a mid-rise building. He was a software developer at a mid-sized tech company. His salary was nowhere near “six figures.” His mom was really puffing him up to land a rich girl. 10 “So basically,” Maya said, her voice full of indignation, “you’ve been with him for five years, and his mom doesn’t even think you’re good enough for him. No wonder you’ve never met her.” My parents owned a small dermatology clinic in my hometown. It was a comfortable life, but nothing fancy. Leo must have told his mom about my family, and she’d written me off as not good enough. Leo was never serious about me. He was just keeping me around until something better came along. And instead of just breaking up with me, he and his mother were using me to pay his mortgage. And now, they were about to do the same thing to the next girl. 11 My phone vibrated, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was the girl from the coffee shop, accepting my Venmo payment. A second later, another message came through. [Hey, I saw your Instagram story. Small world! I’m the next tenant for your apartment!] I was stunned. I typed back quickly. [That’s crazy! When did you see the place?] [Last Sunday. The agent let me in. She said you were at work.] My lease wasn’t up for another week. He hadn’t even bothered to tell me he was showing the apartment. He just waited for me to be gone. He really couldn’t wait to get me out. She asked me a few questions about the apartment. [Can I ask you something privately? I loved the place, but is the noise from upstairs really bad?] I told her the truth about the thin walls. [Yeah, that’s what I was worried about,] she replied. [But my boyfriend really loves the location. It’s super close to his work. So I decided to take it.] I asked the million-dollar question. [Does your boyfriend work at the tech company nearby?] She confirmed it. I then asked her, trying to sound casual, if the agent who showed her the apartment was Leo’s mom. The answer she sent back was exactly what I expected. I didn’t need to ask anything else. I knew. Leo was her boyfriend. He and his mom were running the same scam all over again. 12 “Hello? Earth to Jane?” Maya said, waving a hand in front of my face. “What are you staring at? Did you hear a word I said?” I held up my phone and let her read the messages. Her eyes grew wider with every line. “No way! That girl from the coffee shop is Leo’s side piece?” she gasped. “And his mom showed her the apartment while you were at work!” I thought about it. “I don’t think she knows about me,” I said. “She seemed totally normal when she saw me. Leo probably told her he was single.” A thought occurred to me, and I quickly typed another message. [Have you signed the lease yet?] [Not yet, I’m signing it tomorrow.] [Don’t sign it!] I typed, my fingers flying. [Why not?] I sent her a picture of me and Leo, smiling together on vacation. Then, I typed out the truth, one word at a time. [Because he’s a liar.]

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My five-dollar Uber Pool pulled up, and it was a Rolls-Royce. The girl next to me on the curb tilted her head, her smile bright and breezy. “Oh my god, so random! This is my boyfriend’s car.” Before I could respond, the man getting out of the driver’s seat stole my breath. He was immaculate in a tailored suit, his aura cool and commanding. He gently helped the girl into the passenger seat with a tenderness that made my stomach clench. Then, the man’s assistant, who had been trailing him, caught my eye. He looked terrified. “Ma’am…” he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. “Where… where are you headed?” I waved a dismissive hand, swallowing the words that were on the tip of my tongue: *“To the hospital, for my prenatal appointment.”* When I finally spoke, I could hear the slight tremble in my own voice. “The airport. Just take me to JFK.” * 1 My voice was so soft, I wasn’t sure anyone heard it. In the front seat, the girl was already gushing, pulling on the driver’s hand. “See? This is much better. I told you not to make a special trip just for me. Wasting gas is just silly, and besides, five bucks is enough for a coffee from a street cart. Plus—” She spun around in her seat, grinning at me. “I bet you’ve never been in a car like this before, right? It’s like a little peek into how the other half lives, lol.” I managed a weak smile, my eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, on him. On Ethan. His handsome features were as composed as ever, his expression unreadable. He gave a noncommittal “Mm,” his long, elegant fingers scrolling through something on his phone. He looked like a man closing a multi-million-dollar deal. Meanwhile, my own phone screen was lighting up with a series of texts from him. *Summer is very innocent. Don’t scare her.* *Don’t worry. This doesn’t change your position as Mrs. Vance. And because of that, I don’t want the family knowing about Summer’s existence.* *Your parents’ company is still dependent on my family’s backing. You’re not going to do anything irrational, are you, Lila?* I turned the screen off. Snapped my phone shut. When I looked up, my eyes met Ethan’s in the mirror. He was calm, tapping a rhythmic, impatient beat on the steering wheel with his perfectly manicured fingers. His voice, when he spoke, was cold as ice. “The passenger in the back, please fasten your seatbelt.” I didn’t say a word. I just stared at the pink, glittery sticker on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat. ♡ Summer’s Seat ♡ I let the bitter tide of acid rise in my throat, threatening to drown me. A few minutes later, my composure returned. I bought a one-way ticket to Fiji. 2 The entire way, Summer chattered on about her day at the office. When she got excited, she’d slap Ethan’s arm playfully. And Ethan, my cold, distant husband, didn’t flinch. He didn’t show a single ounce of impatience. In fact, the corner of his mouth was turned up in a faint, amused smile. I watched them like a ghost, an outsider in my own life. I couldn’t help but remember that with me, Ethan was always all business. Even planning our wedding felt like negotiating a corporate merger. We weren’t a husband and wife; we were two parties in a contract. Except… in bed. There, he became a different person. A predator. He would pin me down with hungry eyes, taking everything from me with a ferocity that was both terrifying and addictive. “Hey, you want a chip?” Summer’s sweet voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at her young, flawless face. The word *mistress* was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. “No, thank you.” “Oh, okay,” she said, then turned to offer the bag to Ethan. Realizing he was driving, she did something else. She put a potato chip between her own lips and leaned over, offering it to him. Ethan’s eyes flickered to the rearview mirror for a fraction of a second. His knuckles went white on the steering wheel. But he couldn’t resist her. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He leaned in and gently took the other half of the chip from her mouth with his own. I whipped my head around to stare out the window. I could hear Summer giggling, a little embarrassed. “Hehe, don’t mind us. We’re still in the honeymoon phase. Honestly, I didn’t even want to date before I was twenty-five, but he’s just… so good to me. He’s always secretly looking out for me at work so I don’t get bullied, and he comes whenever I call. It’s almost embarrassing. Today, for instance, I just had some bad period cramps, and he got so worried he dropped a huge meeting just to take me to the doctor…” “That’s nice,” I interrupted, my voice flat. “Hope you two live happily ever after.” Fighting back the wave of nausea and grief, I grabbed my phone and my purse. “I’m getting out here.” Summer looked surprised. “But you’re not at the hospital yet. I thought you were going to the same place as me?” I forced a smile. “Change of plans. My boyfriend just texted. He’s picking me up here.” 3 I didn’t expect him to follow me. Ethan got out of the car, towering over me on the sidewalk. “What was that about?” he demanded, his voice a low growl. I was genuinely confused. “What?” “‘Happily ever after.’ What the hell did you mean by that?” He glanced around, then grabbed my wrist, his face a mask of fury. “You know my parents will only ever accept you as their daughter-in-law. Are you saying that to mess with me?” I struggled, but his grip was like iron. His anger escalated. “Lila, this ‘boyfriend’ of yours is a lie, isn’t it? Because if there really is some other guy—” “You know what I’m capable of.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “What does it have to do with you? The first time we met, you said this was all for show, that we would lead separate lives…” “That was different.” Ethan was vibrating with a barely controlled rage. He looked like a caged animal. “Your family’s company was on the verge of collapse. You exist to serve a purpose in this transaction, and that means absolute obedience to me.” He sneered. “Or what, are you lonely? Do you need me to come home and take care of your needs?” As he spoke, his hand slid to my waist and he leaned in, his face just inches from mine— “What are you two doing?!” Summer was standing there, her eyes wide and red with tears. “You… you two…” She covered her mouth, her horrified gaze fixed on Ethan’s hand on my waist. The next second, she lunged. Her hand connected with my cheek in a stinging slap. 4 She looked so small and delicate, but the force of the blow sent me stumbling back. I instinctively clutched my stomach. “You are so shameless!” Summer shrieked, tears streaming down her face as she pointed a trembling finger at me. “No wonder you were being so weird and sarcastic in the car! You were trying to get with my boyfriend!” She was shaking with rage, planting herself in front of Ethan like a tiny bodyguard. “Just because you’re pretty, you think you can just seduce other people’s boyfriends? What are you, a public bus? You’re disgusting!” A moment ago, I had felt a sliver of pity for her. She was a victim in this too, kept in the dark. But now, seeing her witness Ethan’s aggression and still direct all her fury at me, something inside me turned to ice. My face went cold. “Did you know,” I said, my voice dangerously calm, “that your precious boyfriend is already married? “I’m his—” While she was still processing, I stepped forward and raised my hand to return the favor. But Ethan caught my wrist. He rubbed his temples, his voice laced with pure exasperation. “Enough! Look at yourself, Lila. Is this how the wife of a Vance is supposed to behave?” In that single, crystal-clear moment, the years of desperate, suffocating love I had felt for Ethan Vance vanished. It just… evaporated. 5 Summer was only stunned for a moment. She didn’t have the breakdown I expected. She just gently tugged on Ethan’s sleeve, her voice a pathetic whimper. “Is it her? Is she the one?” “You told me… you said it was just a family arrangement… that you hated your wife… you said you never even talk to her…” Her big, watery eyes looked up at Ethan, pleading for reassurance. But Ethan wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was fixed on my face, which I knew was rapidly losing its color. He looked… uneasy. After a long pause, he sighed, patting Summer’s arm dismissively. “The hospital is about a mile from here. I’ll call you a car.” Without another glance at her, he turned and grabbed my arm. “We’re going home,” he said coldly. “There’s a family dinner tonight.” I didn’t move. Ethan’s eyes flickered to the red mark on my cheek. He started to raise his hand, as if to touch it, then let it drop. He turned away, throwing the words over his shoulder. “Twenty million in venture capital for your parents’ company.” “It’s your choice.” I watched his tall, imposing figure walk away, and a profound sense of exhaustion washed over me. All those years of loving him, even marrying him… what had it gotten me? I bit my lip until I tasted blood. And I followed him. But as I walked, a new thought took root in my mind: *If I ran, would my parents ever forgive me?* 6 In the car, I didn’t try to fill the silence like I used to, desperately searching for topics to engage him. I just sat quietly in the back seat. I sent a text to an old college friend: *Something came up, can’t make it today. So sorry to waste your time.* He was a doctor and must have been busy. It was half an hour before he replied. *No problem. If it’s hard for you to get out, I can always make a house call.* I suddenly remembered Ethan’s snarling face, hissing about a “mystery man.” A shiver went down my spine. I quickly typed back: *No rush! We’ll reschedule soon.* After getting his reply, I turned off my phone and followed Ethan into the family mansion. I don’t know why, but my newfound silence seemed to annoy him more than my old clinginess. I thought about it. I probably ruined his day with Summer. For the first time ever, I tried to be the understanding wife. “It’s okay,” I said, my voice neutral. “You can find an excuse to leave early tonight.” I didn’t look at his stunned expression. I was too busy looking at my plane ticket on my phone and booking a hotel. “After all,” I added, “you’re the expert at soothing upset girls. A few flowers and a designer handbag should do the trick.” Ethan looked like he wanted to say something, but he just clenched his jaw. His face was thunderous. Finally, he let out a cold, humorless laugh. “What’s this? A new strategy?” “Let me guess. You encourage me to go see Summer, then you have a PI follow me, and then you cry to the whole family about what a terrible husband I am?” “How utterly predictable.” I blinked. Then I smiled a real, genuine smile. He wasn’t wrong. That was exactly the kind of desperate, crazy thing I would have done a week ago to try and keep him. But not anymore. I could only imagine how happy he’d be when he finally realized I was gone for good. 7 At dinner, my parents and Ethan’s parents were chatting warmly. Wine flowed, laughter filled the room. At the head of the table, Ethan and I ate in silence. It had always been like this. My mother and my mother-in-law were best friends from college. They’d made a pact that their children would marry. Life got in the way, and they lost touch for years. When they reconnected, my family’s business was on the brink of bankruptcy. Ethan’s mother, horrified, brought me into their home overnight and insisted on honoring their old promise. His father funneled a few major investments into our company and saved us. “Did Ethan do something to you again?” my mom whispered, pulling me into a powder room. I was confused. “What?” She sighed. “Lila, he doesn’t just offer twenty million dollars for no reason. Since he took over the company, has he ever been that generous with us? Never.” She stroked my hair, her eyes full of a pain I didn’t understand. “Did he hurt you?” “Oh, honey, why did you have to fall for him? There are so many good men in the world. If you wanted to…” “If I wanted a divorce,” I interrupted her softly, “would you and Dad be mad at me?” The happy chatter from the dining room seemed a world away. My mom’s eyes filled with tears. “Money?” she whispered, her voice thick. “What does money matter if our family isn’t okay? The only reason we even kept the business going was because you loved him, and we wanted to give you some kind of leverage, something to stand on. Honey, we would have sold it and retired years ago.” My cheek, the one Summer had slapped, started to burn. I leaned against my mother’s shoulder. “What if I told you… what if I told you I was pregnant with his child, and I was planning on raising it alone, never getting married again? Would you be mad at me then?” 8 After dinner, I didn’t stay the night with Ethan, despite my in-laws’ not-so-subtle encouragement. I chose to go home with my parents. Ethan was standing at the door, his expression unreadable. “Wait.” His voice stopped all of us. “I need to talk to you, so—” He never finished the sentence. His assistant came running up the long driveway, out of breath. “Mr. Vance, it’s Summer… she never went to the hospital this afternoon… she must have passed out from the pain at some point. Her neighbor just found her and she’s on her way to the ER now…” The assistant finally registered the audience standing in the grand entryway. He immediately fell silent, bowing his head in shame. Ethan’s father was the first to explode. “Who the hell is Summer? Why are you bothering us with this nonsense! Give her some money and get rid of her!” “Get the car,” Ethan said, his voice flat, as if he hadn’t heard a word. “I said, get the car. Are you deaf?” He ignored the shocked protests of his parents. He ignored the stony faces of my parents. He threw a single glance at me. “We’ll talk later,” he said, before striding off into the night. I didn’t care. I told my parents to focus on stabilizing the company. That night, I packed a single bag, and I left. I went to the airport, alone. I left in such a hurry, I forgot the one thing that mattered. I left the positive pregnancy report from my doctor sitting on the nightstand in my empty bedroom.

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The class fund was missing. The teacher took me to check the security footage. On the screen, we saw a couple locked in a passionate kiss in the empty classroom. The guy was my childhood best friend, Liam, who had just confessed his feelings for me the day before. The girl was Maya, the one he always claimed he couldn’t stand. * 1 The second the class fund was declared missing, our class president, Jessica, pointed a finger straight at me. She wanted to search my bag. I saw her shoot a triumphant look over at Maya. I knew exactly what this was about. It was about Liam. Everyone knew Maya was obsessed with Liam, but he’d always treated her like she was invisible. Yesterday, when Liam made a big, dramatic production of asking me out in front of half the school, I saw Maya in the crowd. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with a tragic, tearful desperation as she stared at him. It was so intense that Liam actually fumbled his big confession speech. In the end, though, I’d accepted the bouquet of roses. And as he was joyfully spinning me around, Maya had covered her face and run off, sobbing. She and Jessica were best friends. This whole missing-money thing was just their petty little revenge plot. “I didn’t take it,” I said, standing up, my voice calm. “There’s a security camera right there. Just check it. There’s nothing to argue about.” Liam, who had been lazily spinning a pen, froze. A flicker of anxiety crossed his face. “I don’t think it was Chloe,” he said slowly. “She’s not that kind of person.” At his words, Maya’s eyes immediately reddened. She bit her lip, looking at him with the most pathetic, wounded expression I’d ever seen. Liam awkwardly looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. Jessica’s eyes darted between them. “Chloe’s right,” she announced loudly. “Even though she was the only one who came back to the classroom during gym class, we shouldn’t falsely accuse a fellow student. We should check the security footage to clear her name.” Something felt wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Suddenly, Liam shot to his feet, kicking his desk over with a loud crash. “Are you guys done?!” he roared. “It’s just the class fund! Why are you making such a big deal over a few bucks? I’ll cover it. Double.” I frowned at him. “Liam, what are you doing? I said I didn’t take it, and you said you believe me. So why should you pay for it? Shouldn’t we be trying to find out where the money actually is?” He turned to me, his expression almost pleading. “Chloe, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” “I’m not hurt,” I said, meeting his gaze evenly. “But I *will* be if we don’t get to the bottom of this.” Liam’s expression shifted through a series of emotions. Finally, with a sharp glare in Maya’s direction, he gritted his teeth. “Fine. Do whatever you want.” He turned and stormed out of the classroom. * 2 The moment I saw the footage, I understood Maya’s real game. There, in the empty classroom, was Liam, pinning Maya against the wall. They were kissing, a desperate, tangled mess of limbs. The sunlight streamed in behind them, creating a halo effect around the two beautiful teenagers. It looked like a scene from a cheesy high school romance movie. “He told me he’s just playing with you, Chloe.” Maya’s voice, sharp and venomous, came from right behind me. “Did you know? We made a bet. How long it would take for him to sleep with you. Why else do you think he’d ask you out?” Her eyes raked over me, lingering disdainfully on my chest. “What’s he gonna do with that flat-as-a-board chest of yours?” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. It didn’t work. I spun around and slapped her across the face. She clutched her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief, her whole body trembling with rage. “You hit me?” I ignored her and went back to the monitor. I hadn’t forgotten the real reason we were here. I still had to find the money, even if that was the last thing on Maya’s mind. “He said he’s been sick of you for years,” she hissed, her voice dripping with poison. “He’s known you his whole life. He said holding your hand gives him zero physical reaction. It’s like holding his own hand.” The timeline on the monitor showed it was almost time for the bell. “He said your bedroom has no taste. It’s like a guy’s room. You just leave your underwear lying around. And it’s all cutesy, childish stuff. He said it’s a total turn-off.” The footage showed the students leaving for gym class. The first to go was… “He even told me about the teddy bear. The one you’ve had since you were seven. He forgot to get you a birthday present, so he pulled it out of a random trash can on the street. He told you he dropped it and got it dirty, and you bought it. You treated it like a priceless treasure, washed it, and you still sleep with it every night.” The last two to leave were Maya and Jessica. They took the envelope with the class fund from the teacher’s desk, and then… “He said the way you look at him creeps him out. Your crush is like a spotlight, always following him. He thinks you’re a stalker, a total freak.” There it was. They’d shoved the envelope behind the trash can. I’d found it. I forced myself to stop the video. I turned to Maya, my face a blank mask. “Are you done?” She flinched, taking a step back. I smiled, a cold, empty thing. “I’m not going to hit you again. I don’t want to get my hands dirty. I found the money. I’m going back now.” As I walked away, I heard her hiss, “You’ll regret this, Chloe!” * 3 I found the money, gave it to the teacher, and then checked myself out of school for the day. I couldn’t face Liam. Maya’s words were a chaotic storm in my head, spinning and crashing into each other. At first, I hadn’t wanted to believe any of it. But when she mentioned the teddy bear, I knew. It was true. Just a couple of days ago, my parents had invited him over for dinner. He’d walked into my bedroom without knocking, just like he always did. I’d just changed into a dress and, blushing, asked him to please knock next time. He just shrugged. “What is there to see?” It stung, but I brushed it off as a joke between old friends. I never imagined he actually meant it. Then he’d seen the bear on my bed. Its fur was mostly worn off, leaving it a sad, bald thing. Liam had wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You still have that?” “It was the first birthday present you ever gave me,” I’d said softly. I didn’t say the rest: *and that’s why I’ll cherish it forever.* He’d seemed moved by that. He put an arm around me. “I’ll get you a new one this year. You can throw this old thing out.” His familiar scent filled my senses, and I could feel my own heart hammering against my ribs. Maya was right. I had been in love with him for as long as I could remember. That’s why I’d said yes without a second’s hesitation when he asked me out. I guess the whole world could see it. So why couldn’t he? My phone rang. It was the special ringtone I had set just for him. I answered. His voice was sharp, accusatory. “Why did you push Maya down the stairs?” * 4 When I got to the hospital, Maya was in bed, her mother fussing over her. The second she saw me, her mother charged, her finger jabbing at my face. “You vicious little girl! Just because you’re jealous, you think you can push my daughter down a flight of stairs? This isn’t over!” Maya, looking pale and fragile with her right ankle in a cast, shot me a look of pure triumph. “Mom, stop,” she said, her voice a pathetic whimper. “She didn’t mean to.” Liam was standing off to the side, his face a mask of disappointment. “Chloe, I never thought you were this kind of person.” “Oh, really?” I said, my voice calm as I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. “Hello, I’d like to report an assault.” Maya panicked. “Chloe, what are you doing?!” “Calling the police,” I said, holding up my phone. “You said I pushed you. Don’t you want justice?” “I… I forgive you,” she stammered, biting her lip, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. “I know you’ve always been upset about me and Liam… and then you saw the security footage yesterday… you just lost control…” Liam looked panicked now too. He took a step toward me, reaching for my hand. “Chloe, I can explain.” I stepped back. I quickly gave the dispatcher the details, then turned my cold gaze back to Maya. “I don’t need your forgiveness, because I didn’t do anything. And even if you want to drop it, I don’t want to be falsely accused.” “And you,” I said, looking Liam up and down, at a loss for what to even call him. “Chloe, don’t look at me like that,” he pleaded. “I can really explain.” “And I,” I said, my voice dripping with ice, “don’t want to hear it.” I raised an eyebrow at Maya. “I will accept the results of the police investigation. I believe the truth will come out.” * 5 Unfortunately, I had spoken too soon. Maya had an ace up her sleeve. The security camera in the hallway was broken. The classroom footage only proved that I had left first, and that she had followed me. And the slap I’d given her proved that we had a conflict. It all made me look incredibly guilty. Even though I insisted I was innocent, no one believed me. My parents were called to the principal’s office. After hearing the story, my mother, without even asking for my side, slapped me across the face. “When are you going to grow up? When are you going to get rid of these terrible habits?” She turned to Maya and apologized profusely. “I am so sorry. We raised her in the countryside when she was young, and she picked up some… bad traits. We’ve been trying to correct them, but… how much do we owe you for the medical bills?” My ears were ringing. My mother just kept going on and on about how difficult I was. Liam was standing nearby. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. When our eyes met, he quickly looked away. Maya hobbled over to me on her crutches. “This is what you get for messing with me, Chloe,” she whispered. Through the haze of noise and humiliation, I heard my own voice, small but defiant. “I didn’t push her.” I stared at my mother, willing her, for once in my life, to be on my side. But she wasn’t. “The evidence is clear, and you’re still lying,” she said, her eyes full of a weary disappointment. “How many more lies are you going to tell?” “Is it because you’re so afraid I’ll outshine my little brother?” I shot back. “You believe anything anyone says about me, as long as it’s negative.” “What are you talking about?” My mother’s face flushed with the shame of being caught. She covered her face and started to cry. “After everything I’ve done for you…” The office was surrounded by students, all of them watching the show. I felt like a clown in a circus, performing for their amusement. “Alright, alright,” the dean said, trying to restore order. “Let’s just let this go.” Maya smiled a sweet, innocent smile. “Mom, it’s okay. I didn’t know Chloe had it so hard. Let’s just drop it.” My mother looked up, her face full of gratitude. “Oh, thank you. You’re such a kind, beautiful girl.” As we were leaving, I saw Liam in the crowd. “Do you believe them?” I asked quietly. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I don’t know. People change.” I just nodded. He was right. People do change. * 6 That night, I was studying when I got a text from Liam. “Come down.” I looked out my window. He was leaning against the big oak tree in our front yard, his head bowed, holding something in his hand. I thought about it for a second, then closed the window and blocked his number. I could hear my parents arguing downstairs. My little brother, Leo, came into my room, holding his phone. “Chloe, it’s Liam. For you.” I took the phone and immediately hung up. “From now on, if he calls, just hang up.” Leo took the phone back. “Chloe,” he said softly, “is it because of me that you’re so unhappy here?” I ruffled his hair. He hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he was a good kid. When I first came back from living with my grandparents in the country, he had been hostile. He saw me as an intruder, and my mother’s negative opinion of me was formed in those early days. She thought I was trying to hurt him, to steal her affection. But as he got older, he changed. He started saving his favorite snacks for me. If my parents were going out and I wasn’t, he’d refuse to go too. He probably remembered how he used to treat me, and knew I didn’t like him, so he just watched me from a distance. I remember one time, when my parents were out, I took him to get a burger. He held my hand the whole way, and as we were eating, he looked down at his food and whispered, “I’m sorry.” In that moment, I knew he remembered. And I forgave him. “It’s not your fault,” I said, messing up his hair again. “Don’t worry about it.” “Did Liam hurt you?” he asked, his little fists clenched. “I’ll go beat him up for you.” I couldn’t help but smile. “He has terrible taste,” I said. “Just ignore him. We’re not friends anymore.” “Don’t be sad, Chloe. You’re amazing. You’ll find someone so much better.” I just smiled. So everyone in the world knew I was in love with him. And he still waited until now to ask me out. Maybe Maya was right. Maybe it was all just a game. The next day, as I walked into the classroom, Liam blocked my way. He did not look happy. “Why didn’t you come down last night? Why did you block me?” “Did you need something?” My cold tone seemed to sting him. He grabbed my arm, his grip tight. “You still haven’t apologized to Maya!” I yanked my arm away. “Liam, are you insane? I told you, I didn’t push her.” “The police basically confirmed it, and she’s still denying it,” Jessica sneered from the sidelines. “She’ll never change. Even her own mother knows what she’s like.” * 7 The other students started to gather around, their voices a chorus of condemnation. “Chloe, I never realized you were so vicious.” “What’s not to realize? She probably found out that Liam only asked her out as a joke. Her little fantasy was shattered, so of course she’d lash out.” “Did you really think hurting Maya would make Liam like you?” “You’re disgusting, Chloe. You’re like one of those evil, obsessed female villains in a movie.” A thousand voices, a million insults, all directed at me, burrowing into my soul. The small, defiant voice inside me that kept insisting, *I didn’t do it*, grew fainter and fainter. What was the point? I thought. My whole life was a joke, a poorly timed entrance. My silence only seemed to fuel their anger. It wasn’t until the bell rang and the teacher walked in that they finally dispersed. “We are all on the verge of graduation,” the teacher announced, her eyes fixed on me. “I hope you will all focus on your studies. Some of us should learn not to drag others down with our bad behavior.” I looked up, my lips parting, but as our eyes met, I just lowered my head and let out a small, bitter laugh. From that day on, I became the school pariah. My textbooks would disappear. My desk would be covered in graffiti. Trash would be piled under my chair. Sometimes, there would be something sticky and foul smeared on my seat that I couldn’t completely clean off. One day, as I was scrubbing at a particularly nasty stain, Liam walked by. “Actions have consequences, Chloe. As soon as you apologize to Maya, this will all stop.” I didn’t even look at him. It got worse when Maya returned to school. Her ankle was fine, but she’d pretend it was still hurting, ordering me around, making me her personal servant. She called it my “chance to atone.” When I refused, she’d start to cry, tugging on Liam’s sleeve. “Liam, it hurts…” He’d look at me, a cruel smirk on his face, and kick my leg out from under me, sending me to my knees. “If you won’t work, you can kneel and repent,” he’d say. I’d get up, and he’d kick me again. And again. And again. Eventually, his own leg was trembling from the effort, but I just kept getting back up, staring him down. “Liam,” I said, my voice shaking but firm, “you can either kill me today, or I will never bow to her.” He looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and something else I couldn’t quite read. A few of the other students looked scared. One of them tugged on his shirt. “Dude, just stop.” He took the out. “Someone’s begging for you. I’ll let you off this time.” I let out a low laugh. “I don’t need your pity. And by the way, Liam, you seem to have forgotten something.” I looked him straight in the eye. “We’re breaking up. From now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other.”

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I was the backup plan for three different men. Number one was my childhood best friend. His heart still belonged to his high school sweetheart. Number two was the lead singer of an indie band. After we slept together, he lit a cigarette and said, “We’re still just friends, right?” Number three was my boss. He warned me with an icy stare, “Don’t get any ideas. I will only marry a woman from a family of equal standing.” Then, my mom started pressuring me to go on blind dates. Suddenly, my childhood best friend was at my door with a marriage license. The rock star was texting me, “I can’t live without you.” And my boss was on one knee, holding a diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg. Seriously? I thought we all agreed this was just for fun. * 1 My mom called, nagging me about another blind date. “I know, I know,” I said, trying to get her off the phone. “Just text me the time and place.” As I hung up, Alex came out of the bathroom. He had his beige cashmere sweater pushed up to his elbows, and in his hands, he was holding the underwear I’d left to soak. He walked across the living room and out onto the balcony to hang them up to dry. “Who was that?” “My mom.” He adjusted my lingerie so it would catch the morning sun, then turned to look at me. The soft light framed him in gold, making his amber eyes look like autumn leaves. “So you won’t be home for dinner tonight. I made fish and some vegetables. The fish is staying warm on the stove, and you can just microwave the veggies.” He pulled his sleeves down and ruffled my hair, a gesture that was almost painfully tender. “Don’t order takeout.” I mumbled something noncommittal as I watched him grab his bag and head for the door. I knew exactly where he was going. His one true love was flying in from London today. * 2 I lived with Alex. He treated me like a daughter, hand-washing my delicates, cooking all my meals. I didn’t have to lift a finger. But I wasn’t his girlfriend. He was waiting for Ava. Technically, that made me the backup plan. I used to have more self-respect than this. It’s all those cheesy YA novels’ fault. The ones about the quirky, average girl and the quiet, devoted boy-next-door who secretly loves her. I read one and thought, *Hey, that’s me and Alex.* We were childhood best friends, inseparable. He was kind and gentle, but I was the only one he was ever really close to. I was average in every way—looks, grades, personality. But he was always there, walking me to and from school, helping me with my homework, even bringing snacks for all my friends, telling them, “Please be patient with Rosie.” I let it go to my head. I was a teenager in love. I started keeping a diary, knitting him scarves, baking him cookies. Then came graduation night. Alex showed up at our class party with a bouquet of flowers and a gift. The private room at the karaoke bar was loud and chaotic, but when the boy in the crisp white shirt started singing a soft, romantic ballad, everyone quieted down. He finished the song, his voice full of a sweet, boyish sincerity that almost brought me to tears. “I just want to tell you,” he said into the microphone, his eyes scanning the room, “that I really, really like you—” I jumped to my feet. “I like you too!” I blurted out. “—Ava,” he finished. The room went dead silent. Every single person turned to stare at me. My face was on fire. “I have to pee!” I yelled, then mumbled, “Excuse me, sorry,” as I stumbled out of the room. When I came back, I peeked through the crack in the door. There they were, the beautiful class president and my handsome best friend, standing on the little stage. “Kiss her!” someone yelled. The boy in white leaned down, his voice soft and reverent. “Can I, Ava?” The girl blushed and nodded. I didn’t watch the rest. * 3 After that, I avoided Alex like the plague. He showed up at my house, and I tried to run. He grabbed my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. “Rosie.” “I’ve always just thought of you as a sister,” he said. Oh, a sister? What kind of brother helps his “sister” with her homework with his face so close he can feel her breath on his cheek? He was a walking, talking mixed signal. But I was a master of saving face. I forced a smile. “Haha, it’s okay, Alex. You’re a great brother. Thanks for everything.” He just looked at me with those big, sad puppy-dog eyes of his. “So you’re not mad at me? You’ll stop avoiding me?” “Of course,” I said. Then I applied to a college on the opposite side of the country. See ya. * 4 For four years, Alex and I were “friends.” When he texted, he’d reply in seconds. When I texted, I’d reply in days. He said he’d visit during breaks, so I’d book a trip with my roommates. Then, the year after I graduated, he told me he was being transferred to my city for work. I was living alone, and I was not thriving. I was drowning in work, navigating a minefield of office politics, and I was exhausted. I had been up for two straight nights when I opened my door to find him standing there. My apartment was a disaster zone of takeout containers and scattered clothes. He was dressed impeccably, holding a bag of fresh fruit. His eyes landed on the dark circles under mine. He just smiled that familiar, gentle smile. “I knew you wouldn’t be taking care of yourself.” “What are you doing here?” I snapped, my patience worn thin. He just gently nudged me aside and walked in, heading for the kitchen to wash the fruit as if he owned the place. “I didn’t say you could come in,” I grumbled, following him. He just handed me a bowl of strawberries. “Sit. Eat.” Before I could protest, he started cleaning. The dirty dishes in the sink, the hair clogging the shower drain, the mess of tampons and pads falling out of my bathroom cabinet… Four hours later, I was sitting in my sparkling clean living room, the sun warming my skin. On the coffee table was a bowl of chicken noodle soup he had made from scratch. I looked up at him. He was still mopping the floor. He was wearing the silly teddy bear apron I’d bought as a joke, and it hugged his lean waist. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, catching the light. I narrowed my eyes. “What’s the deal, Alex?” He turned to me, his smile as warm as the sun. “Rosie, I’ve been taking care of you since we were kids.” “I’m afraid your girlfriend will come over here and murder me in my sleep,” I said. “Don’t drag me into your drama.” He flinched, the light in his eyes dimming. “Ava and I broke up a long time ago. She went to grad school in London.” I looked down at my soup and started to eat. I didn’t say a word.

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After submitting my college application, I was on my way to see my boyfriend when I came across a viral video. The title read: [So what if he has a girlfriend? A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Watch me win over the campus ice king in one month.] In the video, a bright, confident girl had her hands tangled in a guy’s shirt collar. “Dating is boring,” she declared. “Kissing is boring. Dating and kissing is also boring. But kissing *without* dating? That’s exciting.” They stared at each other for three long seconds. Then she kissed him. He didn’t refuse. He didn’t resist. In fact, he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her closer, melting into the kiss. The guy in the video? He was my boyfriend of eighteen years. … The breakup was ugly. Liam’s roommates all tried to reason with me. “Chloe, he was drunk. He thought that girl was you. It didn’t mean anything.” I just smiled. “This time, he kisses the wrong girl. Next time, he’ll sleep with the wrong one.” They say long-distance relationships are a recipe for disaster. I changed my college application. I was going north. From now on, we would go our separate ways. I would be just fine without him. * 01 The day after I got my SAT scores back, I applied to Southern University with a 0. You only needed a 1300 to get in. It was a promise I’d made to Liam. If I did well, I’d go to Southern. If I didn’t, I wasn’t allowed to take a gap year and try again. As long as we were both in the same city, it didn’t matter where we went to school. He’d told me that the year without me had been torture, that he regretted letting me retake the test. Well, this time, I’d aced it. We could finally be together again. But, Liam… it’s only been a year. How did you let another girl win you over so easily? I clicked on the vlogger’s profile. The latest video was titled “Success.” It was posted last night. Which meant they’d kissed last night. No wonder he hadn’t replied when I sent him a screenshot of my scores. He was busy with someone else. I clicked on the previous video. “Party.” [Finally got the ice king to come out with me. He even took a shot for me! I think the iceberg is starting to melt!] In the video, Liam was sitting next to the girl in a noisy bar. Someone was trying to get her to do a shot, and she was frowning. Liam grabbed the glass from her hand. “Picking on a girl? Lame. I’ll take it for her.” He downed it in one go. The girl rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, her eyes full of adoration. When their eyes met, Liam’s ears turned red. The comments on this video were different. They were all cheering her on. [He’s blushing! He’s totally into you! Go for it, girl!] [OMG, I’ve been following this since the beginning! Finally, some progress!] [Are we gonna get a kiss tonight?] [KISS! KISS! KISS!] … I was about to scroll to the next video when the train pulled into the station. It was a hundred degrees outside. The heat, the crowds, the relentless sun… suddenly, I didn’t want to see him anymore. I was afraid my surprise visit would turn into a nightmare. Maybe he didn’t want me here. Just as I was about to buy a ticket back home, my phone buzzed. It was Liam. [Babe, sorry, I was out with friends last night and didn’t see your message. I had a little too much to drink and passed out as soon as I got back to the dorm. I just saw your text.] [You did amazing! You’ll have no problem getting into Southern. I’ll be waiting for you, babe.] Waiting for me? But Liam, do you really want me to come? * 02 After a moment’s hesitation, my pride won out. I had to know. I replied. [I’m at the train station. Can you come pick me up?] The three little dots appeared and disappeared for a full three minutes before he replied. [Of course, babe. I’m on my way.] Southern University was only a couple of miles from the station. A ten-minute cab ride. I found a shady spot and opened the vlogger’s profile again. The third video. “Confession.” [They say it’s easy for a girl to win over a guy, but I just got rejected in the cafeteria. So sad…] In the video, the girl, looking sweet and innocent, was holding a bouquet of roses, her face full of a shy, hopeful love. Liam’s knuckles were white as he clutched his lunch tray. He hesitated, then took a small step back, his eyes downcast. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. “Please, don’t do this.” He turned and walked away. She ran after him. “Why not? Am I not pretty enough? Is my body not good enough? I can be whatever you want, Liam! Just give us a try, please?” He didn’t stop. He dumped his untouched lunch into the trash. “Please, just… find someone else. We’re not right for each other.” His face was a cold mask, tinged with annoyance. I bit my lip. This was the Liam I knew. For eighteen years, I was the only girl he’d ever let get close. He was cold to everyone else, but with me, he was warm and talkative. When we finally got together, we were very public about it. We wore matching rings and bracelets, a clear signal to anyone who might try to get between us. He’d turned down every girl who’d ever asked him out, from the prom queen to the head cheerleader. But this time, it was different. Liam, why did you tell her you weren’t right for each other? Why didn’t you just tell her you had a girlfriend? The comments were a sea of encouragement, urging her not to give up. My head was spinning. Just as I was about to watch the next video, a shadow fell over me. A familiar voice. “Chloe!” I looked up. It was him. “Liam—” Before I could say anything, a girl in a short, red dress appeared out of nowhere, planting herself between us with a dazzling smile. “Hi, you must be Chloe! I’m Maya, one of Liam’s friends.” I stared at her. My breath caught in my throat. She was even more beautiful in person. And she had a confidence, a charisma, that a quiet, introverted girl like me could only dream of. No wonder Liam was interested. She took my arm, as if we were old friends. “You’re so cute! You’re so tiny, like a little doll. I’m 5’7″, I can’t even wear heels without towering over everyone.” “And you’re so slim! Everything must look so high-fashion on you. I have these two annoying lumps on my chest that make everything look bulky.” * 03 I frowned. On the surface, she was complimenting me, but the subtext was clear. I was short and flat-chested, while she was a tall, voluptuous goddess. I don’t like being touched by strangers. I tried to pull my arm away. “It’s nice to meet you, Maya. It’s a little hot to be sticking together, don’t you think?” She let go, looking a little embarrassed. “Oh, sorry! I’m just a very friendly person, haha.” I turned to Liam and held out my hand. “Let’s go. To your school.” Usually, he would have taken my hand without a second’s hesitation. This time, he hesitated. But someone else was faster. Maya grabbed my hand and started pulling me forward. “Let’s us girls walk together. The boys can carry the luggage.” As we passed Liam, I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He looked… relieved. My heart, which had been holding on by a thread, finally snapped. We’d been apart for one year, and now I, the official girlfriend, had to be treated like a secret? They had driven to the station. Another guy, the owner of the car, was with them. They had been together when I’d texted Liam. When they heard I was coming, they’d all decided to come pick me up. When we got to the car, Maya immediately opened the front passenger door. “Chloe, Liam told me you get carsick. You should sit up front.” I looked at Liam. He forced a smile and opened the back door. “You sit up front. Maya and I can squeeze in the back.” Squeeze in? After months apart, he was going to let me, his girlfriend, sit alone in the front while he sat with another girl in the back? I did get carsick, but when we took cabs together, I always sat in the back with him. “I don’t want to sit in the front. You can have it, Maya.” I started to walk around her, to get in the back. Liam held the door. “Chloe, don’t be difficult. Just sit in the front.” I looked up at him. But he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at Maya. Just then, Maya let out a small, delicate cough. The guy in the driver’s seat honked the horn. “What’s the problem? Is there a bomb in the front seat? Why does no one want to sit here?” “Chloe, just take the front,” he said, his voice tinged with annoyance. “Maya has a cold, and the AC is too strong up here.” At this point, if I didn’t get in, I’d look like a spoiled brat. Honestly, I wanted to turn around and leave. But then I thought, why should I? I’d come all this way, spent ten hours on a train, in a cramped, uncomfortable seat. Why should I just run away? Some things had to be settled, face to face. Even if it meant ending our relationship. I got in the front. Liam and Maya got in the back. “Fasten your seatbelt, Chloe,” the driver said. I did. As I looked up, my eyes met his in the rearview mirror. He had a strange, almost mocking smile on his face. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Liam had booked a hotel room near the campus. When we were checking in, he didn’t give the front desk his own ID. “Aren’t you staying here tonight?” I asked. * 04 His eyes darted over to Maya, then back to the desk. He reluctantly handed over his ID. It was still early. Maya and the other guy, whose name was Evan, went back to the school. In the elevator, Liam was back to his old self, his arm wrapped around my waist. “Babe, I was in a club meeting with Maya and the others when you texted. That’s why we all came to pick you up. Tonight, I’ll introduce you to everyone. You’ll be coming here in the fall anyway, so you might as well get to know them.” The thought of the video made my skin crawl. I instinctively moved away from his touch. He noticed. He always noticed. He looked down at me. “Babe, what’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you?” I just looked down, biting my lip, trying to swallow the bitter taste of betrayal. When I looked up, my expression was neutral. “It’s nothing. The elevator’s here. Let’s go.” I walked out. He just watched me, a strange look on his face, then followed with my suitcase. The second we were in the room, he was on me, his hot breath on my neck, his lips on my earlobe. “Babe, I missed you so much…” I tried to pull away, but he just swept me up into his arms. As we got closer to the bed, I started to struggle. “Liam, put me down.” He didn’t listen. He threw me onto the bed and pinned me down, his body trapping mine. He was breathing heavily, unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, his other hand tracing a path from my chest down to my waist. “Babe, you’ve gotten so thin. Your waist is so tiny. You need to put on some weight. A little meat on the bones is cute, and feels better.” My waist was tiny? So he’d felt a waist that wasn’t? He’d never said he liked “meaty” girls before. Had his tastes changed in just a few months? The image of Maya, tall and curvy, flashed in my mind. A wave of nausea hit me. I shoved him off, ran to the bathroom, and threw up. The thought of him with her, doing the things we used to do, was a physical pain in my chest. Liam followed me, crouching down and rubbing my back. “Babe, did you eat something bad? Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” I pushed his hand away. “Don’t touch me,” I said, my voice cold. He froze, then tried to touch me again. I slapped his hand away. “Get out!” He stood there for a long moment, then sighed. “Okay. Just call me if you need anything.” He left, closing the door behind him. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked pathetic. *You’re such an idiot, Chloe.* You knew he was cheating, and you still came all this way just to torture yourself. This was it. Tonight would be the last night. When I came out to get my toiletries, Liam was already asleep on the bed. There were dark circles under his eyes. My heart, which should have felt something, was just cold. I took a shower, washed off my tear-stained makeup, and did a new, more dramatic look. He wanted me to meet his friends, right? The same friends who were probably there last night, cheering on Maya and Liam? Fine. I’d go. And I’d break up with him in front of all of them. Tonight, I wasn’t going to be the joke. I was going to be the one who set him free. * 05 At six o’clock, I woke Liam up. “Mmm… babe, how did I fall asleep?” he mumbled, pulling me toward him. “Are you feeling better?” I pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m fine. You should get ready. Isn’t there a party tonight?” He sat up, suddenly alert. “Oh, right! I totally forgot! What time is it?” “Six.” “Crap, we were supposed to meet at six-thirty.” He scrambled out of bed and into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, he was ready. We practically ran to the restaurant. Thankfully, I was wearing wedges. A lot of people were already there. And Maya, of course, was the center of attention. Evan was there too, looking as cold and unapproachable as ever. Even though he was just as handsome as Liam, no one was talking to him. I wondered how he’d ended up in this group. He didn’t seem to fit. When we walked in, all eyes turned to us. And in that moment, Liam let go of my hand. He grabbed it again a second later, but I pulled away. “There are a lot of people watching…” I mumbled. There were about twenty people there. Five girls, including me and Maya. The other three were her roommates. Liam’s three roommates were there too. Maya immediately attached herself to Liam’s side, and they started talking about some game they were planning for the party. He was so engrossed, he completely forgot about me. Evan came and stood next to me. “Looks like your boyfriend is about to become your ex-boyfriend,” he said, his voice low enough for only me to hear. I almost choked. I stopped walking and stared at him. How could someone with such a cold, intimidating face say something so catty? The cognitive dissonance was astounding. He just looked at me, then cleared his throat. “We should go. Before your boyfriend and his new girlfriend start holding hands.” I was speechless. That mouth of his was a lethal weapon. I hurried to catch up to Liam. Evan stayed by my side, maintaining a precise, one-fist distance between us. It was strange. There was plenty of space, why was he crowding me? A thought struck me. Two ridiculously handsome guys… was it possible? Was he into Liam too? Was he trying to get closer to him by sticking to me? I took a closer look at Evan. He was beautiful. What a waste. A four-person relationship was just too crowded. I leaned in and whispered, “Evan, do you want to switch places?” * 06 I was trying to be generous. I didn’t want Liam anymore. Maya could have him. Evan could have him. I didn’t care. Evan just looked at me and pouted. “No, I like the outside.” Men. So dramatic. In the private room, I sat next to Liam. Maya was on his other side. And Evan… was on my other side. He was like a shadow. I was the only outsider. Everyone was curious about me. “Liam, who’s this?” a girl with pigtails asked, her eyes full of gossip. Liam put his arm around my shoulder. “This is my girlfriend, Chloe. If she hadn’t messed up her SATs last year, we would have come to Southern together.” “Oh, a girlfriend,” the girl said, her tone full of meaning. “You never mentioned her. We all thought you were single, haha.” “Chloe, you couldn’t even get a 1300? I heard last year’s test was easy. The year before, that was the hard one. But our Maya is a genius. She got a 1450. And Liam got a 1 last year. What did you get?” Was she trying to start something with me? Before I could say anything, Liam jumped in. “Chloe usually does really well. She just had a bad day, made a few mistakes. She got a 1280, only 20 points short of the cutoff.” A bad day? Mistakes? So in his mind, my failure was all my fault? He seemed to have forgotten the fact that the night before the test, he had convinced me to “relax” with him, and then, with his clumsy, inexperienced technique, had left me in so much pain that I’d fainted during the English section. I’d powered through the rest of the test, but I was so out of it, I’d left the last two math problems blank. English and Math were my best subjects. I usually got close to a perfect score. That year, I bombed them. And now, he was acting like he had nothing to do with it? The girl with the pigtails exchanged a look with her friends. “That’s such a shame. Maya told us you took a gap year. So what did you get this year? I heard this year’s test was even easier, but more people took it, so a 1300 might not even be enough…” All eyes were on me. Liam frowned, looking uncomfortable. “Chloe will be fine this year. She did really well. She’ll definitely get in.” The girl was relentless. “How well? Just tell us your score. We’re all curious.” Liam looked at me, about to speak, but I cut him off. “Oh, nothing special,” I said, my voice calm and clear. “Just a 15”

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