The moment I stepped into my alumni reunion, a little boy crashed into me. A total stranger. But his face was a mirror image of my ex, Adam Hayes. Our old teacher, looking on, beamed with fond nostalgia. “Is this your and Adam’s son? He’s absolutely adorable!” Before I could even explain, Valerie, my former best friend, rushed over and scooped the boy into a tight hug. “Leo! You can’t just run off like that!!” Adam followed close behind her, freezing solid the moment his eyes landed on my face. “Jenna? You’re…alive?” Valerie’s head snapped up at his words. Her eyes wide with shock. After all, to them, I’d been dead for five years, lost at sea. I offered a thin, unsettling smile. “I’m a survivor. A bit of saltwater wasn’t enough to finish me off.” Ever the quick thinker, Valerie mastered her expression in a heartbeat. She bounced the little boy gently in her arms. “Leo, this is Auntie Jenna. You should call her Godmother.” Years back, we pledged to be each other’s maid of honor and godmother. It felt like forever, then. The boy, Leo, shyly mumbled. “Godmother.” I didn’t respond. Offering the teacher the briefest of apologies, I turned and walked away. Our teacher, sensing the drama, was probably grateful for my exit. Adam was not. I heard his steps immediately behind me. “Jenna, where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.” Valerie subtly frowned, but her voice was sweet. “He’s right, you don’t even drive. It’s so inconvenient to be alone.” I had to suppress a laugh. After all these years, she still saw me as some fragile, useless thing. But hey, if someone was practically begging to be my chauffeur, why say no? All the way, Adam kept asking about my life. I gave him only the barest outline in return. Someone had pulled me from the water that day. I’d survived. I’d spent the years since abroad, building a life by selling my paintings. I was back now because a collector, a regular patron of my work, had insisted on meeting in person. At that, Adam’s tone turned sharp. “A collector? Man or woman? Are you sure they’re trustworthy? You can’t be too careful.” I shot back, without a hint of mercy. “If I couldn’t trust the friends I grew up with, or the husband I shared a bed with, what possible standard could I use to judge a stranger?” Adam immediately fell silent. Valerie’s face went completely blank, then she looked furious. Once we arrived at my place, I grabbed my things and got out of the car. But then, I turned back and walked toward the boy by Valerie’s side. Little Leo. His upper face was Adam’s, his lower face Valerie’s. The moment I extended a hand towards him, Valerie clutched the child to her chest in terror. “What are you doing? Do you want my child to pay for your revenge? He’s innocent!” Adam also called my name, a warning in his voice. But all I did was reach out and pluck a fruit pit from Leo’s mouth. “I was just afraid he might end up like my own child. With adults right there, choking on something, suffocating to death.” Their faces went white. Silence descended. Back home, I received a message from Mr. Henderson. He truly appreciated my work, and for years, whenever I had a new piece, he’d admire it even if he didn’t buy it. My trip back wasn’t just to meet him; it was also to put an old heartache to rest. In a quiet cafe, I met Mr. Henderson. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with a distinguished, lean face. “Ms. Sterling, I see so many stories in your paintings. They make me incredibly curious.” “Would I be so honored as to hear some of them?” I glanced around the peaceful cafe, then nodded.
In high school, I was a carefree heiress without a worry in the world. While my classmates were practically chaining themselves to their desks, studying day and night, all I cared about was painting and having fun. Adam Hayes was my polar opposite. He was the undisputed top student in our year, brilliant, and socially adept. At first, I found him utterly annoying, just another pretentious show-off. Then Valerie arrived. She came from a poor family and studied incredibly hard. Every day after school, she’d work a part-time job to help her family make ends meet. I admired her greatly, so I asked my dad to establish a scholarship specifically for students from low-income families, like hers. I didn’t want any fuss. But the teacher, in front of the whole class, revealed the scholarship’s origin, making Valerie bow to me in thanks. Looking back, I think that’s when Valerie started to resent me. Yet, I was foolish enough to pour my heart out to Valerie, treating her like the sister I never had. Valerie’s ultimate goal was to be the top student in our year. But Adam was like an insurmountable mountain. Valerie always came in second. After yet another attempt to beat him, Valerie burst into tears. To comfort her, I pulled out all the stops. “Fine, I’ll just go flirt with Adam, maybe even date him, and mess with his perfect grades!” Adam, who happened to be passing by, snorted. “Jenna Sterling, you’re so clumsy, you wouldn’t even know how to flirt with me. Want me to teach you?” Later, we actually started dating. During our senior year, I experienced the biggest upheaval of my life: My dad went bankrupt and took his own life. In my darkest hour, Adam and Valerie stood by me. Adam promised he’d step into my dad’s shoes, become the man who loved me most. Valerie let me stay at her house and worked tirelessly to tutor me. I pulled myself together and started studying hard. I was set for a top-tier college until the SAT. I’d prepared for everything. Everything except actually bringing a #2 pencil. I searched my bag twice. Nothing. After the exam, I broke down. I remember sitting in my car, hitting my own thighs, convinced I’d ruined my future. I was useless. Adam and Valerie pulled me out of that hole. They both got into Westwood University, the state’s most prestigious school. I, convinced academia wasn’t for me, took a waitressing job near campus. Adam would show up the moment his last class ended.After a few months, regulars just assumed he worked there. Adam often talked to me about his plans for our future. He said as soon as he graduated, we’d get married. He’d work hard to support me, buy me the best art supplies, and let me continue being a carefree wife. But I still felt a deep sense of insecurity. I begged Valerie to keep an eye on Adam for me. Valerie looked at me with deep, unreadable eyes and offered a stiff smile. I just figured I’d made her a little jealous, so I urged her to find someone, too. But Valerie just said, “No need. I already have someone I like.” It was a long time before I understood that smile, and who she liked. By then, it was too late.
Adam and I got married right after his graduation, just as we’d planned. But life wasn’t as easy as he’d imagined. He worked himself to the bone to earn money, coming home exhausted every day, collapsing into bed the moment he walked through the door. To ease his burden, I learned to cook, clean, and manage the household. I never knew before how much housework there was. Endless meals to cook, floors to sweep… Each task seemed insignificant, yet together, they threatened to drown me. Once the financial pressure eased, our daughter was born. I named her Lily, hoping she’d be as gentle and sweet as Valerie. But from day one, she was a ball of energy, crying and fussing. Every night, I had to carry her around the living room until she finally fell asleep. By the time I crawled into bed, Adam’s hand found me. “Honey, it’s been so long since we’ve…” Exhausted in both body and mind, I still submitted to his touch. But just at the crucial moment, Lily’s cries reached us. I abruptly pushed Adam away, leaping out of bed naked to pick up our daughter. I didn’t see the look of pure annoyance on Adam’s face behind me. Life had finally ground me down from a naive princess into a boring, joyless housewife. That year, for my birthday, Adam bought me the most expensive art supplies. But I looked around our house and said, “We’re out of diapers. You should have bought some diapers instead.” Meanwhile, Valerie was busy conquering the corporate world. She and Adam had joined the same company. Her competitive spirit unchanged, still constantly challenging Adam. But she still couldn’t beat him. One time, she’d prepared meticulously, refining her proposal repeatedly, yet the boss still chose Adam’s. Valerie called me, sobbing hysterically. “Why can’t I ever beat Adam?!” “It’s been years! Can’t I just win once?!” I glared at Adam, preparing to go comfort Valerie. But Lily clung to my leg, refusing to let me leave, so I sent Adam instead. “She’s a woman, drinking alone in a bar, it’s not safe.” “You caused this mess, you clean it up.” Adam’s movements faltered. He looked at me intently. “You really want me to go?” “Of course.” Adam, as if making a huge decision, said, “Fine.” Before he left that night, he turned back to look at me several times. I didn’t sense any premonition, though. I was just holding Lily, telling her jokes to make her laugh. The disaster was brewing. That night, Adam didn’t come home at all. When he finally returned the next morning, I was already up, making breakfast. He offered a few hurried explanations, claiming Valerie had been impossibly drunk and a nightmare to handle. He said he’d finally managed to get her home, then collapsed from exhaustion and fell asleep right there. His tone was so casual, so natural. And Valerie was my best friend. So, I easily believed him. In the days that followed, Adam started working overtime and going on business trips more and more often. At first, I just assumed the company was going through a particularly busy period. But gradually, I noticed things weren’t right. A stray hair on his shirt. An unfamiliar scent of perfume. Finally, when I found an opened condom wrapper in his pocket, I knew for sure he was cheating. Heartbroken, I stormed to Adam’s company and caused a huge scene. I cried, I screamed, I even lay on the ground, throwing a fit, demanding he tell me who she was! Adam looked at me with utter disgust. “Jenna, I feed you, I clothe you, I let you live a life where you don’t have to worry about anything! And this is how you repay me? By slandering me with baseless accusations?!” He pulled out his phone, turned on the camera, and pointed it at my face. “Look at you! What a sight you are! You’re a raving lunatic!”
From the phone screen, I saw myself: hair wild, face pasty. My outdated clothes were covered in stubborn grease stains. Behind me, a group of female employees, their makeup perfect, their clothes chic, exuded the confident aura of successful career women. They looked at me with a mix of pity and contempt. Valerie emerged from their midst. “Jenna, stop this. It’s truly pathetic.” Adam snapped, “Let her scream! She just wants to get me fired, wants the whole family to starve! Go on, make a scene, go live on TikTok, let everyone see!” It was then that I realized I had no leverage against Adam. After we got married, I’d completely detached from society, staying home. And with only a high school diploma, I had zero competitive edge in the job market if we divorced. He’d also take Lily away from me. Suddenly, I snapped back to reality. I got up from the floor and said, “I’ll stop. I’m going home.” After that day, I became subservient, terrified of upsetting Adam. He grew bolder, his shirts often stained with lipstick prints. Yet, all I feared was him abandoning me. All I could do was try to use Lily to rekindle Adam’s affection for our home. Thankfully, Adam did truly love Lily. When he wasn’t busy, he even took her to the office to play. One day, he took her again. After finishing my chores, I scrolled through my phone. Quite by accident, I stumbled upon a post. The title read: “The Runner-Up’s Obsession with the First Place.” My heart lurched. A thought flashed through my mind, and I quickly scrolled to the end. “After yet another loss to him at work, I went to a bar to drown my sorrows. He came to comfort me.” “He asked what I needed. I told him to kiss me, and he did.” “From high school until now, he’d rejected my advances a thousand times, but the thousand-and-first time, he accepted. I took him home, and we made love until the world faded.” “The man who’d always been out of my reach was finally mine, utterly under my spell.” My blood ran cold. Valerie’s liked Adam all along. And Adam’s affair was with Valerie! I instantly lost all reason. I ran to Adam’s company, barging into his office. Immediately, muffled moans came from the adjoining rest room. I kicked the door open and saw Valerie, disheveled, straddling Adam. Blinded by rage, I hurled everything I could get my hands on at them. A ceramic good luck charm hit Valerie’s head, and she bled. Tears suddenly streamed down my face. If Adam’s betrayal had left me heartbroken, Valerie’s betrayal left me utterly devastated. “We were best friends! How could you do this to me?!” Valerie wiped the blood from her forehead and said coldly, “I never considered you a friend.” “A pampered, useless thing. All you ever knew how to do was bestow favors from your high horse.” “I hated you. From the moment we first met, I hated you.” I scrabbled for any proof, any shred of evidence to deny her words. “If you hated me so much,” My voice trembled, “why take me in? Why spend all those nights tutoring me?” Valerie let out a soft, chilling laugh. “All those times you ‘checked’ your bag? I was right there. I palmed your pencil at the door, right before you walked into the testing center.” “What?!” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Valerie giggled, shaking Adam. “We even have a witness here. Adam, you saw me take the pencil, right?” Adam’s face stiffened, and he turned his head away. “Oh, don’t be shy. You didn’t tell Jenna back then, so I knew you had to love me.” In an instant, I felt my blood run cold, my limbs go weak. I nearly collapsed. “I’ll… I’ll expose both of you…” Adam’s face darkened, and he roared, “Jenna! Enough!” “Think about our daughter!” Then, his expression shifted, and he looked around frantically. That’s right, Lily? Wasn’t she supposed to be here? Eventually, by checking the security footage, we found Lily’s lifeless body under the desk. Adam and Valerie had been fooling around inside the office, leaving Lily to eat dried fruit by herself outside. Lily choked on a fruit pit, banging on the door for help, but her cries were drowned out by their sounds. She tried to reach for the water on the table, but she was too small, she couldn’t reach it. She died silently, just a door away from her own father. By the time I finished my story, the cafe was dead silent, save for the muffled sniffling. Mr. Henderson let out a long, weary sigh. “I never imagined you carried such a weight, Ms. Sterling.” “Five years have passed. Do you still hate your ex-husband?” I took a slow sip of my coffee, the bitterness a familiar comfort. A faint, unreadable smile touched my lips. “Adam Hayes, or rather, your boss, is this all he wanted you to find out?” Mr. Henderson froze, his expression turning flustered. “Boss? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I walked past him, towards a customer who had been sitting quietly in a corner since I arrived, and pulled down his mask.
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