My best friend’s illegal pit bull went wild and brutally mauled a passerby. The police officer told us the owner was looking at three years in prison. Seeing Serena about to be handcuffed and taken away, my boyfriend suddenly pushed me forward. “The dog belongs to my girlfriend, Chloe. If you’re going to arrest anyone, arrest her.” I froze, staring at Derek in utter disbelief. He gripped my hand tightly, not even having the courage to look me in the eye. “Serena has a congenital heart condition, Chloe. If she goes to prison for three years, she won’t survive. But you’re different. You’re strong and healthy.” I couldn’t say a single word. My throat was tight with unshed tears. I didn’t tell Derek that my doctor had already given me a terminal diagnosis. I only had three years left to live. In the final second before the police cruiser’s window rolled up, Derek finally looked up at me. “Three years from today, I’ll be waiting right here to propose to you.” One thousand and ninety-five days of agony left me nothing but skin and bones. I dragged my frail, trembling body out of the prison gates. A figure in the distance waved at me. There were no romantic flowers, no applause, and no warm hugs. There was only the howling, freezing wind, and Derek standing there with a little boy clutching his hand, and Serena standing right beside him.
The little boy kept tugging at Derek’s hand, his face twisted in annoyance. “Daddy, you promised we were going to the theme park. I don’t want to be here. When can we leave?” Derek stared straight at me, completely ignoring the complaining child. His eyes were flat and cold, as if he were looking at a complete stranger who had just been released from prison. At that moment, he didn’t say a word, but I understood everything. I pulled my oversized, worn-out coat tighter around myself and took a few staggered steps forward. Just as I got within a yard of Derek, an elderly, silver-haired woman suddenly rushed in front of me. Without warning, she shoved me hard, her shrill curses raining down on me like the freezing snow. “You bitch! I’ve finally waited until the day you got out! Look at what you did to my grandson!” “He can never live a normal life because of you! Even if you rot in hell forever, it won’t make up for what you did!” I remembered her. She was Mrs. Higgins, the grandmother of the boy who was attacked. Three years ago, Serena was walking her banned pit bull in the neighborhood without a leash. The dog suddenly lost control and pounced on the little boy playing by the curb. I had no idea it would be so severe. At that time, Serena completely panicked and hid behind Derek. When the police arrived, Derek calmly answered their questions. But when asked who registered the dog, Derek pointed at me without a single second of hesitation. At that moment, I began to doubt if Derek had ever loved me during our five years together. My mind was filled with nothing but shock and despair. Before I could even process what was happening, Mrs. Higgins grabbed my hair and slammed me to the ground. I didn’t fight back, nor did I explain. I just lay there quietly, listening to Derek talking to the police, claiming I was the owner. Even when the handcuffs were put on me, I didn’t tell Derek about my terminal illness. My mind was trapped in the moment his finger pointed at me, lost in disbelief, lost in total heartbreak. I kept quiet because I didn’t want him to grieve for me. But looking at him now, my worries were nothing but a joke. I had foolishly clung to a shred of hope, fantasizing that there would actually be a romantic proposal waiting for me when I got out. But seeing the child in Derek’s hand, and Serena’s visibly swollen belly, I realized just how incredibly naive I had been for the past three years. My mind snapped back to the cold reality. Derek stood there, watching me with the same cold indifference he had three years ago. I clenched my teeth, my lips trembling as I finally spoke. “That dog wasn’t mine. It was hers.” I pointed my finger directly at Serena. Her eyes widened in shock. Feigning distress, she quickly covered her lower abdomen with her hands, looking like she was about to faint. “Chloe, what are you talking about? That dog was yours.” “I know you suffered in there for three years, but you can’t just project your anger onto me. What did I do wrong?” I let out a weak sigh, staring at her perfectly tearful eyes. “When did you and Derek get together? Before I went to prison, or after?” Serena clearly didn’t expect me to ask this. She glanced at Derek beside her, then quickly looked away. “Chloe, do you really want me to expose you in front of all these people?” “You know exactly who the third wheel is. Derek and I were childhood sweethearts. It’s only natural for us to get married and have children.” From the moment they framed me for the dog attack, I should have known how easily Serena could twist the truth. To make sure the onlookers believed her, Serena gently tugged at Derek’s sleeve. “Tell everyone, Derek. Hasn’t Chloe always been obsessed with you?” I stared intently at Derek, watching his eyes flicker with guilt. If he had shook his head, if he had even hesitated, I might have believed he still held a shred of affection for me. “Yes. She was just someone who pursued me. And the dog belonged to her,” Derek said loudly, his voice echoing in the chilly air. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t make a sound. The crowd’s insults grew harsher. They called me shameless, saying I deserved to be beaten to death just like that dog. My weak body couldn’t hold up anymore. I collapsed onto my knees in the snow. Serena rushed over to me, grabbing my wrist tightly, pretending to help me up. She leaned in close, her warm breath brushing against my ear. “You really have a tough life, Chloe. I thought you would’ve died in that cell.” “Why are you still alive?”
Derek’s voice woke me from my nightmare. When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed. Derek was wiping the cold sweat from my forehead with a towel. For once, I saw a trace of genuine guilt in his eyes. “Chloe… I can explain about the kid.” “After you went to prison, Serena cried every single day, saying she ruined your life. The doctor said her heart couldn’t take the stress. I had to stay with her day and night to keep her from doing something reckless.” “One night, I got drunk… and things happened. That’s how we had Adam.” Derek sounded incredibly defensive, but I listened quietly. I was no longer a naive girl who would fall for such a ridiculous excuse. I pushed his hand away and turned my head to look at him. “And the one in her belly right now? Was that another ‘accident’?” Derek rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Adam kept asking for a little sister, so…” I let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Derek, do you even believe your own words?” He suddenly stood up, his gaze turning intense. “Chloe, I promise you, once Serena gives birth, I will cut all ties with her.” “I will marry you. I will fulfill the promise I made three years ago.” “Please believe me, this is just temporary.” “Three years ago, I didn’t mean to push you to take the fall. And today, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to help you. It’s just that Serena is too fragile to handle any shock. But you’re different, Chloe. You’re strong. Words can’t hurt you.” I would never believe him again, nor did I have the time to. Three years ago, Derek pushed me into prison without hesitation. Three years later, he would do the same. In Derek’s heart, Serena was the irreplaceable one. They were the childhood sweethearts, and I was just the outsider who interrupted their story. The hospital door pushed open, and Serena walked in with a sweet smile on her face. “The doctor said Chloe is just severely malnourished. She’s fine.” While I was unconscious, I had already heard what the doctor whispered to my brother. I had ten days left at most. I didn’t bother to expose Serena’s lie. I just stared quietly out the window. Derek let out a long sigh of relief. “I knew it. Chloe’s body is made of steel. She could easily do another ten years in there.” When I was discharged, the doctor prescribed a mountain of medication. While Derek went to get the car from the garage, Serena grabbed the bags of medicine and threw them straight into the trash can. “Chloe, let’s not waste time with these pills. They won’t save you anyway.” “I’ll discard them for you.” “Stop dreaming about Derek coming back to you. We already have two kids together.” “Don’t worry. Once you die, I’ll buy you a decent grave.”
Three years had changed everything. When I returned to the apartment I used to share with Derek, I couldn’t find a single trace of myself. In the hallway, I opened the shoe cabinet out of habit, only to find it packed with Serena’s high heels and children’s sneakers. And on the living room wall, my large framed art portrait had been replaced by a happy family photo of Derek, Serena, and Adam. The suffocating atmosphere made it hard for me to breathe. I leaned against the wall, slowly walking toward the master bedroom. But Serena suddenly stopped me. “Oh, Chloe, I’m so sorry, but you’ll have to sleep in the guest room. I’m pregnant, and the small bed in the guest room isn’t comfortable for me.” I turned around to look at Serena and Derek standing by the door. They looked so perfect together, their features even holding a strange resemblance. Derek gently helped Serena onto the sofa, then walked over to open the guest room door for me. “It’s just a room, Chloe. It doesn’t matter where you sleep.” “Just bear with it for a little while. Once Serena gives birth, you can move back to the master bedroom.” In the final days of my life, I didn’t care about any of this anymore. I rubbed my aching chest and looked up at him. “Derek, can we really go back to the way things were?” He froze. How could we ever go back? He and Serena already had a child, a lifelong bond that couldn’t be erased by a simple breakup. “I told you, I will marry you,” Derek muttered. “I already explained about Serena. We are only suited to be friends, not partners. If I wanted to marry her, I would have done it before I met you.” I cut him off. “Derek, marrying me is just a burden of a promise you feel obligated to keep. You don’t have to force yourself.” “If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have kept me hidden for five years without giving me a ring. You wouldn’t have sent me to prison three years ago. And you definitely wouldn’t have gotten Serena pregnant over and over again while I was locked away.” “I can overlook your coldness, your lack of care about how I survived the last three years, or my failing health. But I cannot overlook your blatant betrayal.” “That is cheating, Derek. Not ‘taking care of a friend,’ and definitely not an ‘accident.’” By the time I finished speaking, I was barely standing. A sharp, violent pain stabbed my chest. I fought hard to swallow the metallic taste of blood rising in my throat. Derek kept trying to explain behind me, but I tuned him out. I went into the guest room, desperate to find anything from my past. After searching for a long time, I finally found a dusty wooden box, the only keepsake my late mother had left me. But when I opened it, the emerald bracelet inside was gone. Serena’s voice came from the doorway. “Are you looking for that green bracelet, Chloe? Don’t bother. My son dropped it and shattered it a long time ago.” I stared at the empty box. Tears finally broke through my defenses, streaming down my face. That was the only piece of my mother I had left, and now it was gone. That night, Serena insisted on having a heavy, greasy steakhouse dinner. I knew she did it on purpose, knowing my stomach couldn’t handle rich food anymore. Derek cut a piece of prime rib, put it on my plate, and poured me a glass of red wine, urging me to eat more. But just looking at the grease made my stomach turn. Through the steam of the hot food, Serena looked at me with a fake, sweet smile. “Oh, I forgot. Prison food must have been so simple. You’ll just have to deal with this for tonight, Chloe.” “Eat up. If you don’t eat now, I’m afraid you might never get the chance to eat such good food again.” I stared at the glistening steak on my plate. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I lunged toward the trash can and threw up violently. Serena looked into the trash can. Shock flashed across her face, followed by a mocking smirk. “Chloe, I didn’t see you drink any wine. How did you throw up so much red liquid?” Derek didn’t notice anything wrong. He shrugged. “She must have snuck a sip when we weren’t looking.” I had only come back to get my mother’s keepsake. And now, I had nothing left to hold onto. I leaned against the table, my eyes watery from the intense acid reflux. “Derek, let’s break up.” He froze completely. “Chloe, what is wrong with you? Why are you throwing a tantrum out of nowhere?” “I’ve been so patient with you. I explained everything. Why can’t you just bear with it a little longer?” Seeing the tension, Serena quickly put on a pitiful, victimized look. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gone to prison. I’ll leave right now. I won’t ruin your life with Derek anymore.” “Please, don’t fight with him.” With that, Serena ran to the kid’s room, grabbed Adam, and rushed out the front door. The door slammed shut with a loud bang. Derek glared at me with pure hatred before running out after her.
It was two days later when Derek finally returned. I was in the middle of packing my few belongings. However, seeing another man in the apartment made Derek blow up instantly. He stormed over and grabbed Luke by his collar. “Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my apartment?” “What’s your relationship with Chloe?” Luke grit his teeth and shoved Derek back with force. “My relationship with Chloe is none of your business!” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. I had been with Derek for five years. I had asked him countless times to meet my family. But he always had excuses, corporate meetings, business trips, or taking Serena for her medical checkups. As a result, he didn’t even recognize my own younger brother. Hearing that I was released, Luke had booked a flight to see me immediately. When he found out about Derek’s betrayal, he was livid. But I still didn’t tell him that I had spent the last three years taking the blame for someone else. Derek turned his furious gaze back to me. “Chloe, you’re sleeping around, aren’t you?” I kept my head down, folding my coat. “I should be asking you that question.” Derek punched the wall, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. “How many times do I have to tell you? Serena and I are just friends! We aren’t compatible!” I didn’t get angry. I just looked up calmly. “I’ve never heard of ‘just friends’ sleeping together and raising multiple kids.” Seeing Derek’s rage escalate, Luke clenched his fists, reaching into my bag to pull out my medical reports. “Derek, do you have any idea how sick Chloe is…” Before Luke could finish, the front door swung open. Serena stood there, clutching her stomach, her face pale with pain. “Derek… my stomach hurts so bad. Please, take me to the hospital…” …… Luke took me back to Seattle. I visited my mother’s grave, and then we went to the beach, a place I had always wanted to see one last time. By the time Derek tracked Luke down, Luke was just walking out of the local police station. “Where is Chloe? I need to speak with her.” Luke looked exhausted, his voice devoid of any energy. “What do you want? Tell me directly.” Derek’s tone was filled with icy disgust. “Serena almost had a miscarriage. The doctor said she took abortion pills.” “She said Chloe slipped something into her water cup. I need to ask Chloe face-to-face why she did something so sick.” Luke remained calm, asking quietly, “When did Serena say she saw Chloe do it?” Derek thought for a moment and said confidently, “Two days ago, in the afternoon.” “She has nothing to deny.” Luke suddenly let out a broken laugh, tears streaming down his face. “But Chloe was buried three days ago.”
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