1 After seven grueling years long-distance, I quit my job and returned to the apartment I shared with Monica. I entered the passcode three times, each attempt flashing bright red error lights. The door opened, yet my girlfriend wasn’t there—only my best friend Cameron. He wore Monica’s silk robe, its collar slipping open to reveal his bare chest. “Gav? You’re home?” He leaned casually against the doorframe with an easy smile. “I fought badly with my roommate, so I’ve been crashing at your place for a while.” Monica stepped out from the bathroom, toweling damp hair, drawn by the noise. “Stop blocking the door.” She shot me an annoyed glance. “Cameron’s using the master bedroom. You’ll take the guest room tonight.” Her expression turned icy, yet her inner thoughts echoed sharp in my mind. [Did you grow fond of another person after all this time apart?] [Gav, tell him this is our home. He can’t stay here.] [Fight with us. Prove you still love me.] She’d acted this way all seven years. If I texted her back late, she’d grab dinner with Cameron. If I couldn’t fly home for weekends, she’d let him spend the night. Before, I’d question them, shout, act out the jealousy her mind craved. Now I spotted a men’s towel slung over her shoulders, men’s briefs hanging on the balcony rack to dry. I lost all desire to argue. I stepped backward and gripped my suitcase handle. A two-person home couldn’t fit three. I was finished…. Cameron reached out and grabbed my luggage handle. “Gav, it is just a locked door. Are you seriously mad about this?” “Don’t overthink it, man. I just couldn’t remember the old passcode, so Monica changed it to my birthday to make it easier.” Monica let out a mocking scoff. “He is just being overly sensitive. It is just a string of numbers. Why couldn’t I change it?” She looked entirely dismissive, but her telepathic voice was growing increasingly frantic. [Say something! Tell him that was the date of our anniversary. Tell me I am never allowed to change it!] [Gavin, why aren’t you reacting?!] I did not say a single word. Cameron leaned against the wall and faked a yawn. “Are you coming in or not? We are going to sleep.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out my physical copy of the apartment key, and set it on the shoe cabinet by the door. “No thanks. You two get some sleep.” Monica froze. “If you are not coming in, then get the hell out!” She violently slammed the door in my face. I stumbled backward from the force of it. My bag slipped from my shoulder, hitting the floor. A stack of faded train tickets spilled out across the hallway tiles. The one sitting right on top was dated exactly seven years ago. On the day I was transferred to another state, Monica walked me to the station. The final boarding call echoed three times before she finally let go of my waist. “Go, Gav. Don’t look back.” She said it with a brave smile. But in that exact second, I heard her inner voice for the very first time. [I cannot bear to let you go.] [But I cannot hold you back.] [I love you. You have to wait for me.] I stopped right at the ticket gate, tears instantly blurring my vision. After we separated, I took that exhausting five-hour train ride over and over again. Even if I had to work until midnight, I would rush to the station just to see her face. That was until the month I worked two days straight without sleep, collapsed in the office, and missed my train to see her. When I woke up in the hospital, my first instinct was to call her. It took seven tries before she finally picked up. “I am eating with Cameron.” Her tone was exceptionally freezing. “Why are you crying? You didn’t have time for me, so I am not allowed to hang out with him?” “He is your best buddy, isn’t he? With him watching over me, what are you so worried about?” That night, Cameron posted two photos on his social media. Korean BBQ, neon signs at a dive bar, and the empty city streets at three in the morning. Meanwhile, I lay entirely alone in a sterile hospital bed, an IV dripping into my arm all night. A tear fell onto the old ticket in my hand. I tried to wipe it away, but the ink just smeared. The apartment door suddenly clicked open again. “If you are so reluctant to leave, then drag yourself inside.” Seeing the tears on my face, Monica’s expression softened considerably. “How many days are you staying for this vacation?” I did not tell her that I had already quit my job. There was no point anymore. I had given up my career, my promotions, everything, just to end this brutal seven-year long-distance run. But she and Cameron were already playing house. Cameron walked out of the bathroom holding a dry towel. He naturally draped it over her head and began drying her hair. Monica did not dodge him. She just lowered her head and let him do it. Her inner voice constantly screamed that she loved me. But her body was completely accustomed to Cameron’s presence. There was no place left for me in this house. The stack of tickets remained scattered on the floor. I did not bother picking them up. I just turned and walked straight toward the elevator. Monica let out a cold laugh. “Gavin, if you walk out of this building today, we are officially done.” I pressed the elevator button without looking back. Her inner voice instantly spiraled into chaos. [Gav, don’t go. I just wanted to see you get jealous.] [Just turn around, and I will make it up to you.] The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped inside. [Please, don’t walk away.] I heard her. But this time, I did not stop. The metal doors slowly slid shut, entirely blocking out her face and cutting off the sound of her thoughts. Right at that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket. “Gavin, your position at headquarters is still open. Have you made up your mind?” I wiped my face and cleared my throat. “I will be there to report tomorrow morning, Ms. Morgan.” I booked a cheap hotel room for the night. Early the next morning, a call from the property management office woke me up. “Mr. Davis, the large shipping boxes you mailed over are piling up in the lobby. We already have residents complaining. Please come handle them immediately.” When I packed up my life, I genuinely believed I was coming home for good. Seven years of my belongings had been boxed up and shipped ahead of time. Now, they had arrived. But just like me, those boxes no longer had a home. I rushed back to Monica’s apartment complex in the pouring rain. When I got to the lobby, the space was completely empty. Cameron was walking toward the elevators in a pair of casual slippers. “Gav? What took you so long?” “Those boxes were blocking the whole entrance. They were in the way.” He casually pointed a thumb toward the outdoor dumpsters. “Monica told me you two broke up. She said your stuff was just garbage now, so I did you a favor and threw it all out.” A loud ringing exploded in my ears. I spun around and sprinted into the storm toward the trash collection area. The cardboard had completely dissolved in the rain. My clothes, my books, my entire life was scattered across the wet asphalt, soaking in filthy puddle water. I fell to my knees, digging frantically until I found my small plush dog. It was bloated with dirty rainwater, and one of its button eyes had fallen off. It was the very first gift Monica had ever given me. For seven years, whenever the distance became too much to bear, that little dog was the only thing keeping me company. Last year, I was in a terrible car accident and fractured my leg. She had already booked her flight to come see me. But the night before her flight, Cameron sprained his ankle. Over the phone, she only gave me one rushed sentence. “I will come see you when he is fully recovered.” The pain in my leg kept me awake for three straight days. I could only sit in the dark, clutching that little dog until the sun came up. I pulled the ruined toy into my chest, and my eyes landed on a pair of cracked leather shoes nearby. I bought them six months ago. That was the day a coworker deliberately deleted my entire project presentation. I had crouched in the garden outside my office building, my eyes completely red. I called Monica over and over, but she never picked up. She finally called back at two in the morning. “What is your problem now?” “Cameron got into a fight with his roommate, and I just finished driving him back to my place to calm him down.” The very next day, I walked into a mall and bought those leather shoes. I told myself, Stand firm, Gavin. If no one is coming to walk you home, you have to walk yourself. For seven years, I hustled back and forth, surviving entirely on my own. These items were the only things that kept me grounded. And now, they were rotting in a dumpster. “Cameron, what gave you the right to touch my things?!” Monica’s voice echoed from behind me. “Gavin, why the hell are you screaming at him?!” She stood in front of Cameron, shielding him with an umbrella. “It is just a few boxes of junk. Who cares if he threw it out?” Cameron looked at me, his eyes turning perfectly red and misty. “I thought you didn’t want any of this anymore.” Seeing the total devastation scattered across the pavement, Monica’s face darkened significantly. Her inner voice smashed into my brain. [Why are there so many boxes?] [I thought Gav was only coming back for a weekend trip?] [That little dog… he actually kept it all these years?] Her gaze dropped to the muddy plush toy in my arms. Yet, the words coming out of her mouth were dripping with pure venom. “We broke up, and you still shipped your junk to my house. If your stuff isn’t garbage, then what is it?” I held the dog tighter and slowly looked up at her. “My things are not garbage, Monica.” “You are.” The rain heavily blurred my vision as a crowd of neighbors began gathering under the awning. A few of them whispered loudly. “Hey, isn’t that the young couple from the sixth floor?” “Yeah, they have been living together for like six months now. I always see them grocery shopping together.” Someone pointed a finger at me, their voice laced with absolute disgust. “Then who is that guy? Some crazy ex-boyfriend causing a scene?” “Probably the other man. Got kicked out and now he is digging through the trash. How pathetic.” My already numb heart violently seized in my chest. So they had been living together for half a year. For six entire months, they bought groceries together, walked home together, and shared an umbrella. They were the picture-perfect married couple in the eyes of everyone in this building. Meanwhile, I was the one who had been in a legitimate, public seven-year relationship with her. Yet I was standing here in the rain, labeled as the homewrecker. Monica’s face turned incredibly ugly, but she did not say a single word to defend me. Cameron gently tugged at the sleeve of her jacket. “Let’s just go upstairs, Monica.” She remained silent for a few agonizing seconds. Then, holding the umbrella over his head, she escorted him through the glass lobby doors. I stood in the freezing rain, watching their figures disappear. Her telepathic voice grew fainter and fainter. [Gav is not the other man.] [He is the love of my life.] I stopped listening. The storm intensified. I crouched back down beside the dumpster. I tore through the soggy cardboard, desperately searching for the antique pocket watch my grandmother had left me before she passed. But even after tearing every box apart, I could not find it. The freezing rain finally took its toll. My vision suddenly went completely black. When I regained consciousness, I was lying in a somewhat unfamiliar guest bedroom. Cameron was sitting by the edge of the mattress, his eyes puffy and red. “Gav, you passed out out there.” “Monica and I had to carry you upstairs.” He reached out and tucked the blanket around my shoulders. “Don’t worry about what those neighbors said. I already went down and cleared everything up for you.” “I told them you were not the other man.” “I told them we were brothers, and you were just moving in to live with me.” “But since this is Monica’s apartment, and she is my girlfriend now, the whole thing just caused a big misunderstanding.” He spoke with such profound sincerity, looking like a devoted friend trying to save my reputation. But my mind instantly flashed back to our college days. When my financial aid grant was stolen by a manipulative classmate, Cameron marched straight into the Dean’s office with me. I despise people who steal what isn’t theirs and then play the innocent victim! Back then, he was even angrier than I was. But looking at him now, claiming Monica was his girlfriend with that exact same innocent look on his face, made my stomach churn. Cameron used to hate Monica. Whenever her name came up, he would curse her out without hesitation. But somewhere along the line, that hatred vanished. He started calling her by sweet nicknames. He started taking her out to dinners and going on weekend trips alone with her. It wasn’t that I was completely blind to his boundary-crossing. But he was my best friend. And Monica constantly gaslit me, telling me I was just being paranoid. Her telepathic voice would constantly echo in my mind. [Gav, you are the only one I love.] So I forced myself, time and time again, to swallow the sickening knot in my stomach. But today, I was done pretending to be blind. “Drop the act, Cameron.” I gripped the edge of the mattress and forced myself to sit up. “Where are my degree certificates?” I had to report to headquarters today. But all my backup photocopies had been destroyed in the rain. I used to treat this apartment as my true home, so I kept all my original, official documents locked in a drawer here. Cameron blinked in surprise. “I have no idea. You should look around.” I ignored him, threw off the blanket, and stood up. I walked straight into the master bedroom. It was his room now. But hanging inside the closet were several of Monica’s expensive dresses. My few remaining clothes had been shoved into the darkest corner, wrinkled beyond repair. Cameron trailed behind me, offering a quiet, timid explanation. “Sometimes she has a little too much to drink, and she ends up falling asleep in my bed.” I did not want to know what they did in this room. I only wanted my certificates. But when I pulled open the nightstand drawer, there were no document folders inside. There were only a few boxes of condoms. And one of the boxes was missing a foil packet compared to the last time I was here. My hand froze on the drawer handle. I forced myself to look away. On the small desk by the window, there was an uncleaned greasy takeout container. Cameron suddenly let out a small gasp, as if he had just remembered something. “Gav, is this the certificate thing you were looking for?” He lifted the plastic takeout box. Sitting directly underneath it was my original university degree. The thick leather cover was entirely coated in red chili oil. Cameron bit his bottom lip, looking incredibly guilty. “I am so sorry. I was eating spicy noodles in my room last night, and the cover looked sturdy, so I just grabbed it to use as a coaster.” I snatched it out of his hand and ripped it open. The actual diploma paper inside was completely saturated with grease. Even the official embossed seal was ruined, reeking of stale garlic and chili oil. “Gavin, stop being such an ungrateful prick!” Monica stormed into the bedroom, immediately stepping in front of Cameron to protect him. “Cameron was nice enough to bring you inside so you wouldn’t freeze to death. It is just a piece of paper. Are you seriously going to hit him over that?” I didn’t bother defending myself. I just stared down at the completely voided document in my hands. My mind was racing with one single thought. How was I going to fix this in time? Suddenly, a familiar ringtone broke the silence. It was my phone. But the sound was coming directly from Cameron’s hand. By the time I ripped the phone away from him, the call had already been disconnected. Glowing on the screen was a text from Ms. Morgan, sent exactly ten minutes ago. The deadline is here. Why aren’t you at the office? I had never even seen that message. But right below it was a reply sent from my number. I voluntarily withdraw from the transfer. I snapped my head up and glared at Cameron. “Who gave you the right to send messages from my phone?!” There was not a single trace of apology on his face. “Gav, I was doing it for your own good.” I didn’t have time to interrogate him. I immediately dialed Morgan’s number. “Morgan, I didn’t send that message. I am not withdrawing.” The line was dead silent for a few terrifying seconds. “The HR department is already processing the runner-up.” “Gavin, if you really want to fight for this, you have exactly thirty minutes to get to my office.” I hung up the phone, turned around, and sprinted for the front door. Cameron chased after me. “Gav, stop being so impulsive!” “If you go see that Morgan woman right now, Monica is going to get the wrong idea!” Hearing that, Monica’s expression instantly darkened. She followed us into the hall. “What Morgan woman?” Cameron faked a terrified shudder. “It is that female director who kept the headquarters position open for him.” “She promised him that if he came to headquarters, she would personally arrange his title, his housing, and his bonuses.” “I rejected the offer for him because I didn’t want him falling for a scam!” Monica’s face turned violently pale. She lunged forward and blocked the front door. “Gavin, are you throwing away all your pride just to get a free apartment?” “Why are you rushing out of here? Are you trying to prove how much you can sell yourself for? Going to sleep with your boss to get ahead?” I glanced at my watch. Twenty-seven minutes left. “Get out of my way.” I shoved past her and ran for the elevators. But the digital display showed the elevator was under maintenance. I cursed under my breath and bolted for the emergency stairwell. Cameron started fake crying at the top of his lungs. “Monica, stop him! What if he gets manipulated and something terrible happens to him?!” I had barely made it down two steps. Monica lunged down the stairs and clamped her hand around my wrist like a vice. “Gavin, you are not going anywhere today.” I violently yanked my arm, trying to break her grip. “Monica, you have absolutely no right to control me!” Her face twisted in anger, and she dug her nails into my skin, pulling harder. The sharp pain made me instinctively step backward. But there was nothing behind me except empty air. My foot slipped off the edge of the concrete step. A split second later, my body violently smashed onto the landing below, my back colliding heavily with the cinderblock wall. My vision exploded into white noise. An excruciating, blinding pain completely shattered my consciousness. Monica froze at the top of the stairs, paralyzed. [Gav!] [I didn’t mean to do that!] I couldn’t even tell which part of my body was bleeding. It hurt. It hurt so incredibly much. But the sharpest pain wasn’t coming from the broken bones. It was the realization that I had dragged my luggage across the country, thinking I was coming home, only to find another man living my life. It was the memory of kneeling in a dumpster, digging out a rotting plush dog. I lay there, my eyes wide open, completely unable to force a single word past my lips. Monica stumbled down the stairs, dropping to her knees beside me. “Gav…” [Get up. Please don’t scare me. Don’t just lie there like that.] [I really didn’t mean it. I was just terrified you didn’t love me anymore.] [If you don’t love me, I would rather die.] She reached out, her trembling fingers hovering over my bruised face. But the very next second, her entire body went completely rigid. For the first time in seven years, my inner voice transmitted directly into her mind. [Monica.]

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1 My father, a celebrated author, filled a 400,000-word memoir with tales of my younger siblings. My name never appeared. Mother insisted it was for his image. I was too average, too clumsy, a stain on our perfect family. Brother skipped grades; sister topped every class. Thanksgiving brought a news crew to interview Father. Mother shoved me out the back door before they arrived. Inside, she glowed praising my brother’s brilliance. Father softened describing my sister’s vibrancy. Even their golden retriever was named a vital family member. I stayed hidden for three hours. As the crew left, a reporter found me shivering on the porch. Mother gestured wildly behind the camera. I bowed politely. “I got lost,” I said. Across the street, warm lights blurred through my tears. This was never my home. It was time to leave. … “Why didn’t you hide better? Did you do that on purpose?” The moment the news van disappeared down the street, my mother yanked the door open, her voice dripping with irritation. For three hours, their perfect family of four had enjoyed a massive Thanksgiving feast in front of the cameras. Meanwhile, I had been crouched on the freezing porch, shivering in the wind. Three hours had passed, yet my mother didn’t even ask if I was cold. My father sat on the plush sofa, turning a page of his book. “Let it go, Eleanor. The reporter didn’t recognize her anyway.” Let it go. His tone wasn’t just stating a fact; it was absolute certainty. What he meant was that I was so painfully average, so disconnected from this family, that even if I was caught on camera, no one would ever believe we shared the same blood. He didn’t care that his daughter had been sitting outside in the freezing cold for three hours. He didn’t care that it was past nine o’clock and I hadn’t eaten a single bite of food. With one dismissive let it go, my entire existence was swept under the rug. When I finally walked into the dining room, the table was littered with cold leftovers and dirty plates. Just as I pulled out a chair, my sister, Chloe, leisurely wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Hey, you haven’t fed Buddy yet today. With the interview taking so long, he must be starving.” Buddy was Chloe’s purebred Golden Retriever. A show-quality dog with a coat that felt like spun silk. As I poured imported, premium kibble into Buddy’s ceramic bowl, I glanced out the window at the mutt tied up in the backyard. A stray rescue dog I had found on the street. Just like me. Because it was too ordinary, no one in this house cared if it lived or died. While the golden retriever lounged on a velvet bed eating gourmet canned meat, my dog quietly huddled inside a damp cardboard box, chewing on stale table scraps. A sharp burn prickled behind my eyes. Remembering the sudden urge I felt earlier to run away, I dug my nails into my palms. Should I leave? I couldn’t leave just yet. For my dog. For the only “family” member who didn’t look at me with disgust. If I was going to be a stray, I had to take my dog with me. When I returned to the dining room, my mother was already clearing the table. Seeing me, her hands paused in mid-air, as if she had just remembered I existed. “Why does feeding a dog take you so long? There is some plain white rice left in the cooker. Go serve yourself.” The bowls my mother had neatly stacked in her hands were a perfectly matched set of four. They bought them on their last family vacation to Hawaii. Because I wasn’t invited on the trip, no one naturally remembered to buy a fifth bowl. I silently scooped three spoonfuls of cold rice onto a mismatched plate. Chloe gave me a weird look. “Not hungry? Why are you just eating plain rice?” “I’m not hungry,” I lied. For this interview, my mother had been prepping the menu for an entire week. The table had been covered with Chloe’s favorite garlic butter shrimp and my brother’s favorite honey-glazed ribs. But my mother completely forgot that I was deathly allergic to shellfish. And the plate of ribs was nothing but stripped bones. My brother, Julian, walked out of his room holding a massive box of artisan chocolates. He ruffled Chloe’s hair. “Dessert time!” “Since Mom and Dad are watching their sugar, let’s just split one piece to celebrate the family being together!” Chloe took the small knife my mother handed her and sliced the chocolate truffle. She accidentally cut it into five pieces. My heart did a pathetic, hopeful flutter, and I clenched my fists under the table. But Julian just flicked Chloe’s forehead. “Are you an idiot? You cut one extra piece!” His eyes were full of affectionate exasperation. “Buddy is a dog, Chloe. He can’t eat chocolate!” The siblings burst into laughter, playfully shoving each other while my parents watched them with adoring smiles. No one mentioned me. No one even realized I hadn’t been offered a piece. They weren’t doing it on purpose to be cruel. It was just that I was never categorized as “family” in their minds. So being ignored wasn’t an insult; it was just the natural state of things. I silently retreated to my bedroom. My phone buzzed. It was an email from my university advisor. “The results for the European exchange program are out. The department only had one fully-funded spot, and you got it.” “Congratulations, Maya! I heard you’ve been working incredibly hard in the lab. Hard work truly makes up for a lack of natural talent. I’m so proud of you!” Hard work makes up for a lack of natural talent. My parents used to say that too. Unfortunately, I was just too inherently dull. No matter how hard I tried, I could never catch up to my prodigy siblings. Sensing my silence over the phone call that followed, my advisor gently added: “You don’t need to worry about the finances. The university covers tuition, and the stipend will cover your living expenses…” Right then, a sharp knock hit my bedroom door. My mother’s muffled voice filtered through the wood. “Maya, are you okay? Why did you lock yourself in your room so early? Are you feeling sick?” I frantically lowered the volume on my phone. I looked at the door in absolute disbelief. Was she actually checking on me? But then I heard her continue. “Oh, you’re fine, right?” “You haven’t washed the dishes yet. Your brother and sister are going to sleep soon, and the water running in the sink will wake them up.” I dropped my head. The moonlight sliced through the window blinds, pooling like frost on the hardwood floor. As a scalding tear hit the ground, I spoke into the phone. “Professor, I’ve made up my mind.” “I accept the offer.” The next day, my parents hosted a massive graduation party for Julian and Chloe. It was a delayed celebration because the perfect family of four had spent the entire summer backpacking through Europe. No one remembered to invite me. Just like no one remembered that since my siblings skipped two grades, we had all graduated high school in the exact same year. The massive banner hanging across the banquet hall was painfully bright. “Congratulations to Julian and Chloe, beloved children of Richard and Eleanor, on their acceptance to Ivy League universities!” And I was merely the invisible “et cetera” attached to the end of their names. Even the red envelopes filled with cash from our relatives were exclusively handed to Julian and Chloe. The only envelope I received was one where the relative had forgotten to write a name on the front. I stood in the corner, staring at the blank envelope for a very long time. “Hey, what are you doing?” My mother marched over, her heels clicking aggressively on the marble floor. She stared at the envelope in my hands. Her eyes held suspicion, and a brief hesitation on whether she should publicly accuse me of stealing. The only thing missing from her gaze was the natural, unconditional trust a mother should have for her child. “Look, I know you’ve been working hard logging the gifts at the reception desk. Just keep that envelope for yourself as a tip.” “Mom, that’s not what I was doing.” “If you want allowance money, just ask me. Why do you have to be so sneaky about it? You’ve always been so difficult, ever since you were a kid.” My mother didn’t explicitly call me a thief, but her exhausted, condescending tone felt like needles under my skin. She didn’t give me a single second to defend myself against the unspoken accusation in her eyes: Who knows how much cash you’ve already pocketed today? Julian walked over, flanked by a group of his popular friends. The disgust on my mother’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a radiant, welcoming smile. “Oh, you boys made it! Welcome, welcome! Please grab some food.” As they walked past the reception table, Julian’s gaze swept right through me, exactly as if he were looking at empty air. One of his friends leaned in and whispered, “Hey, who’s the girl at the desk? She looks kind of familiar.” “Is she your family’s maid?” Julian gave a flat, indifferent “Yeah,” and the word exploded in my ears like a gunshot. Growing up, my mother always treated me like a glorified delivery service for my siblings. I was the one bringing them umbrellas in torrential rain. I was the one sprinting across campus to deliver their forgotten lunches in the blistering heat. The heavy umbrellas and bulky lunchboxes weighed down my backpack, making my every step feel like a chore. Yet, my mother never remembered to pack a lunch for me. I was like a thin wisp of air. No one truly needed me, and no one ever consciously realized I existed. All the warmth and light in this house simply passed straight through me to shine on someone else. At the dinner table, my father beamed as he handed Julian a pair of limited-edition sneakers. Julian slammed his hands on the table. “Whoa! Dad, I love you man! This is incredible!” My mother playfully covered Chloe’s eyes before clasping a stunning diamond necklace around her throat. Chloe teared up instantly. “Oh my god… thank you so much, Mom! I love you!” I sat shrunk in the corner of the booth, completely silent. Suddenly, my mother reached into her purse and handed me a simple plastic hair clip. I froze. I felt like a dying man in a desert being offered a single drop of condensation from a glass of ice water. My eyes burned violently. “Thank you, Mom!” She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. Your birthday is coming up soon, right? Consider it an early gift.” My birthday had actually passed three months ago. But she didn’t remember. Every year, my parents would order a massive feast and two custom cakes for the twins’ birthday. No one ever remembered mine. “Alright, enough staring at it. Eat your food before it gets cold.” My mother turned her head and noticed Chloe’s hair dipping dangerously close to her plate of pasta. Without a second thought, my mother reached over, snatched the hair clip out of my hands, and pinned Chloe’s hair back. She let out a small sigh. “Well, you already took plenty of cash from the reception desk earlier. Let your sister have the hair clip for now.” “I understand.” Tears shattered the chandelier light above me into a million blurry fragments. The second I lowered my head and let the tears fall, I pulled out my phone. I replied to my advisor, finalized my exchange program application, and booked the earliest flight out of the country. The meager savings in my bank account were only enough to cover the flight and my first month of rent. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to survive after that. But I knew it couldn’t possibly be worse than this. Just one more day, and I would be gone forever. My father was proudly showing off to a table of relatives. “These two have been brilliant since the day they were born. I barely had to teach them a thing.” “And look at their SAT scores! One got a 1580, the other got a 1570. Honestly, they make me look bad!” I gripped the tablecloth beneath the table, debating with myself for a long time. Should I remind my father that I scored a 1550? No one had even bothered to ask. I had researched and applied to colleges entirely on my own. I played out every possible reaction my parents could have if I spoke up. Best-case scenario: They would say, “That’s nice,” and then casually ask, “Wait, what school are you going to again?” Average scenario: They wouldn’t even process what I said, give me a dismissive nod, and immediately go back to bragging about Julian and Chloe. Worst-case scenario: They would say, “Well, it’s still lower than your siblings.” My entire life, I was always just a few points behind. It was like trying to fill an ocean by dropping pebbles into the water. The sea remained vast and indifferent, leaving me to drown quietly in the shadows. The boy sitting next to me suddenly set down his soda and looked at me intently. “Hey, I remember now. You actually scored really high too, didn’t you?” It was Liam, a boy from my AP Calculus class. He was the quintessential golden boy, radiating warmth and effortless charm. He was the only person in this entire room who had ever patiently reviewed study notes with me and sincerely told me: “You know, you’re actually really smart.” A refreshing breeze seemed to blow through my suffocating, sweaty palms. “Actually, I wanted to ask you a massive favor. Could you pass a message to Chloe for me? I wanted to see if she’s free for dinner sometime.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking incredibly awkward. “But I accidentally forgot your name. I’m so sorry…” The tiny breeze that had just entered my lungs vanished instantly. Of course. When you have the sun and the moon in the sky, no one gives a damn about the spark of a dying matchstick. People who aren’t valued don’t even deserve the dignity of a name. They are just Background Character A. When we got home, I grabbed a bowl of kibble to feed my dog. I searched the front yard. I searched the backyard. I couldn’t find him anywhere. Panic seized my throat, and my eyes turned entirely red. “Mom! Where is Buster? He’s always tied up by the fence!” My mother looked at me like I was insane. “Who the hell is Buster?” Buster was the name I gave my dog. He was my only family. My mother let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s just a filthy mutt. Why are you so obsessed with a stray?” “That thing was always growling at Buddy anyway. It’s a menace. I told the housekeeper to take it down to the shelter and get rid of it.” My dog was a “filthy mutt,” but my sister’s dog was “Buddy,” a beloved family member. My dog, exactly like me, had absolutely no right to exist in this house. I was the one dragging Buster down. “You got rid of him?! Which shelter?!” I was hyperventilating, tears streaming down my face. Chloe walked over and patted my shoulder sympathetically. “I think I saw the housekeeper heading toward the animal control center downtown this morning.” “Don’t panic, Maya. I’m sure you’ll find him.” When we were kids, Chloe and I didn’t get along at all. But now, she was the only person in this house who offered me even a shred of pity. In a multi-child household, siblings quietly compete for their parents’ affection. But over the years, Chloe realized something fundamental: Her older sister was completely invisible, unloved, and posed absolutely zero threat to her status. Unfortunately, the pity she offered me was like a popsicle melting on the asphalt in July. It was a brief moment of sweetness before it melted into a dirty puddle. When I finally tracked Buster down at the overflowing city pound, he was crammed into a tiny steel cage. Just like me, he was suffocating in the cracks of a hostile environment, barely clinging to life. I dropped to my knees in front of the cage and wailed. I pulled every crumpled dollar bill out of my pockets and shoved them at the shelter worker. “Take it all! Please, just give me my dog back.” The worker looked at me with a mixture of pity and annoyance. “It’s just a stray. Why are you crying like someone died?” “Alright, fine, keep your money. Just get him out of here.” By the time I walked back to the house with Buster on a makeshift leash, my eyes were swollen shut. The rain was lashing against my face, mixing with a fountain of bitter tears. Julian opened the front door, not even bothering to look up from his phone screen. “Where the hell were you? Didn’t you see it’s pouring? You didn’t even bring the laundry in from the line.” “Okay,” I whispered. Without grabbing an umbrella, I turned around and walked straight back into the storm. When I finally carried the damp laundry basket through the living room, my father lowered his newspaper, glanced at me, and immediately raised it again. “Why are you dripping wet? You’re ruining the hardwood floors.” “Go get the mop right now, before you track mud everywhere.” My father completely failed to notice that I had sprinted so fast in the rain that I had wiped out on the concrete. Muddy water was dripping down my jeans, mixed entirely with dark red blood from my scraped knees. My mother opened her bedroom door, glaring at me in annoyance. “Why are you making so much noise this late? Chloe is trying to sleep.” “Tie that mutt up outside if you found it. I don’t know why you’re having a meltdown over a stupid dog.” I nodded slowly. “I know.” “It won’t happen again.” When I dragged my suitcase into my bedroom, my father didn’t even look up from his paper. The entire house fell dead silent. Everyone was asleep. No one cared about me. As the plastic wheels of my suitcase clattered over the doorframe, it sounded like a fragile glass bridge finally shattering. I quietly clicked the bedroom door shut. I didn’t have many belongings. Buster was practically the only thing of value I owned. When I opened my closet, it was packed entirely with Julian and Chloe’s old winter coats. Whenever my mother took the twins shopping for expensive new wardrobes, she would always give me the same speech: “When I have time next month, I’ll take you shopping for something nice.” Next month always turned into three months later, when she would carelessly toss Chloe’s discarded, out-of-season clothes onto my bed. “You two are the same size anyway. Just make do with these so we don’t waste money.” I had been “making do” for eighteen years. I felt exactly like those discarded, wrinkled clothes shoved into the dark corner of the closet—surviving strictly on leftovers. As the moonlight illuminated my packed suitcase, my phone lit up with a notification from the family group chat. My mother had tagged me. “Maya, make sure you take your sister to the mall tomorrow to buy some new sweaters.” “Pick thick ones. The weather is dropping, and I don’t want Chloe catching a cold.” I didn’t reply. It didn’t matter anymore. I pulled a rusted tin box out from under my bed. Inside was my diary. When I was little, I watched my father meticulously document every milestone of my siblings’ lives in his journals. He wrote about taking them to Disneyland, to the movies, to buy ice cream on hot summer days. I was never invited on those trips. I was never in any of the polaroid photos taped into the margins of his memoir. My existence was just a stain on his perfect manuscript. I was so incredibly jealous. So, when I was eight years old, I started writing my own secret diary. The very first entry read: If I disappeared one day, would Mom and Dad be sad? I quietly folded the newspaper clipping of our Thanksgiving family interview and slipped it inside the back cover of the journal. The eight-year-old me never found the answer to her question. The eighteen-year-old me finally had. At 3:00 AM, while the entire house was deep in a dream, I rolled my suitcase out the front door. No one heard a thing. But my dog was already waiting for me on the porch. His fluffy tail happily brushed against my ankles. My eyes burned, and I softly hummed an old nursery rhyme to myself. “The little chick paints bamboo leaves, the little dog paints plum blossoms in the snow.” “Remember this, Buster. Our real home is out there.” I pointed toward the dark, empty street. I had never been to Europe, but it was where I was heading. I was a girl without a family, but my dog wasn’t. I was about to become a stray, but as long as we were together, Buster had a home. By the time I boarded my flight, my mother was blowing up the family group chat, taking breakfast orders. Chloe wanted a blueberry muffin. Julian wanted a breakfast burrito. No one asked me what I wanted. Only after the orders were finalized did my mother tag me. “Maya, go pick up the breakfast.” “Hurry up. Don’t make everyone wait for you.” Julian and Chloe kept spamming the chat with their drink orders, while my parents sent follow-up texts demanding I leave immediately. They were all sitting in the dining room, starving. Yet not a single one of them noticed that my bedroom door was wide open, and the room was entirely empty. My shelves were cleared, my suitcase was gone, and the stray dog was missing. I was already thousands of miles away. I didn’t reply to a single message. I powered down my phone. The plane accelerated down the runway and breached the clouds. Looking down from thirty thousand feet, the city I grew up in looked like a meaningless, disconnected grid of lights. For the first time in my life, the path ahead belonged entirely to me.

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1 Graduation day, my best friend Blake loosened the bolts on my prosthetic. I crashed down the steps before the whole university, the camera flash sealing my humiliation. Blake laughed, then the crowd joined in. My girlfriend Marci just crossed her arms and patted his shoulder. “Don’t laugh yourself sick,” she said, then looked down at me. “See? Public embarrassment builds character. You did not even cry this time.” Her words burned. Since losing my leg, Blake had made a habit of it. At fifteen, he forced me to prove I was not faking during squats. At seventeen, he hid my prosthesis so I had to hop to a podium while the class jeered. Last month, he sicced a Rottweiler on me, filming me clinging to a tree in terror for his feed. His excuse was always the same. He was helping me. Marci always stood beside him, nodding along. Watching them laugh at the stairwell, a deep weariness settled in. A friend who fed on my shame and a partner who cheered him on. I was done with both. … The screws on my prosthetic were rusted. I twisted them until the skin on my index finger peeled raw, and the tears I fought so hard to hold back finally spilled over. Marci stood shoulder to shoulder with Blake, frowning as she ignored my bleeding fingers. “Put those tears away. People are going to think Blake is bullying you.” “He is genuinely trying to help you. A little exposure therapy now means you won’t turn into a weeping mess every time someone mentions your leg in the future.” I stared at her through bloodshot eyes. She looked like a complete stranger. “Humiliating me in public is for my own good? Knowing how much I despise being the center of gossip, yet throwing me to the wolves anyway. That is for my own good?” My voice trembled with every word. Blake shrank back slightly, plastering a fake look of awkwardness on his face. “Oops, I guess we took the joke too far. He’s actually mad this time. But I really was just looking out for him…” Marci shot me a dark look before turning to comfort him. “It is fine. You know how he gets. He is just throwing a tantrum.” “Let him cry it out. He will calm down eventually.” She marched up the steps, grabbed my arm as I tried to argue, and dragged me toward the academic building. “If you want to throw a fit, do it when no one is around, okay? Everyone is staring. It is embarrassing.” Her eyes were ice cold, looking at me as if I were the one being utterly unreasonable. “Let’s just take the graduation photos first. Weren’t you the one begging for a picture together? It is going to look terrible if you keep pouting.” The photographer was already setting up, and the rest of the seniors had taken their places. I swallowed the bitter lump of grievance in my throat and stood beside Marci. Suddenly, Blake came sprinting toward us. Without missing a beat, Marci stepped aside, giving up the spot on her left and completely squeezing me into the farthest edge of the frame. The camera flashed. The photographer started handing out the polaroids. In the picture, I was nothing but a blurry, half cropped shadow at the very edge. Meanwhile, Marci and Blake had their fingers interlaced, looking at each other with bright, radiant smiles. A space meant for two had been forcefully crowded by three. And I was the spare part. I already had hundreds of photos exactly like this one sitting in my phone’s gallery. The tears welled up again, and this time, no amount of willpower could force them back. I wiped the wetness from my cheeks, locked eyes with Marci, and spoke. “Marci, we are done.” She froze, her grip tightening on the polaroid in her hand. “Could you stop being so childish? If you hate the photo, we can just take another one. You don’t just throw the word breakup around.” “Besides, my family’s company is processing your onboarding papers soon. The hiring manager only gave you a shot as a favor to me. If we break up, with your physical condition…” Her gaze dropped to my left leg. The nasty words she was about to spit out died on her tongue, but the damage was already done. “Look, Blake and I are just looking out for you. We will take another picture, alright?” Every single time Blake humiliated me under the guise of brotherhood, she would swoop in with this exact tone. A high and mighty offer of some pathetic compensation. A movie ticket, a weekend trip, a new photo. But she never followed through. Not once. I was entirely done believing her. I lifted my chin, aggressively wiping the last tear away, and stated it clearly. “I am serious. Marci, we are breaking up.” I turned my gaze to Blake. “And as for you, we are not friends anymore. Stay the hell away from me.” I pulled out my phone and opened the chat with my academic advisor. [Silas, that tech firm in New York said they don’t care about your physical limitations. They specifically asked for you. The salary is incredible, but if you take it, you will be relocated for at least five years.] Marci had no idea that I had already received an offer from one of the top corporations in the country. I had initially drafted a polite rejection, sacrificing my dream just so I could stay in Boston with her. Now, that sacrifice felt like a sick joke. My fingers flew across the keyboard. [Professor, I will take the offer. Could I have three days to pack and get my affairs in order?] [Absolutely.] I headed straight back to the dorm to pack up four years of my life. The bolts on my leg were completely stripped. It wouldn’t lock properly, leaving me with a heavy, agonizing limp. While carrying a stack of heavy textbooks down the hall, my foot caught on an uneven tile. Just as I was about to crash to the floor, a pair of hands caught my arms in a firm grip. Marci instinctively reached down to check the alignment of my prosthetic. “What happened? Didn’t we just get this checked during the holidays? Is it broken again?” “I told you to wait. I was going to help you move your boxes while you rested.” Hearing the genuine panic in her voice, my stupid, traitorous eyes welled up again. When I first started college, I had just gotten the prosthetic. I was clumsy, constantly tripping and falling. Every single time I was about to hit the ground, Marci was there, catching me just like this. Over the last four years of dating, reaching out to save me had become second nature to her. Yet she was the exact same person who allowed Blake to push me into the line of fire time and time again. In that moment, I hated my body. I hated how easily the tears fell, even when my heart had already turned to ash. I shoved her away with everything I had, gripping the handrail to steady myself before reaching for my bags. “I can do it myself. I don’t need anyone’s help.” “Why are you being so stubborn? Fine, I get it, you are throwing a fit. Just go back to your room and rest.” She let out a soft sigh and tried to snatch the luggage from my hands. Through my blurred vision, a tiny, pathetic shred of hope flickered in my chest. “Marci… if I actually left, would you even look for me?” Right on cue, Blake’s whiny voice echoed from the floor above us. “Marci? Are you coming up? There is so much stuff to pack, and I just tripped and hurt my knee.” Thud. Marci dropped my suitcase without a second thought and spun around toward the stairs. A heavy stack of hardcovers toppled out of her hands, crashing directly onto my feet. Pain flared in my right foot, but from my left, there was only the sickening, mechanical crunch of fractured carbon fiber. She didn’t even look back. She just tossed a few words over her shoulder as she ran. “Blake is hurt! I have to go check on him. I will come find you later!” I slumped against the cold floor, using the handrail to drag my broken body upright. I gathered my bags and walked away. I stood outside the campus gates under the scorching summer sun. Traffic was gridlocked. Getting a cab was impossible. A few minutes later, Marci’s sleek SUV pulled up in front of me. Her tone was utterly devoid of patience. “I told you to wait upstairs for five minutes, and you decide to pull a disappearing act?” “Get in.” My fingers dug into the handle of my duffel bag. I glanced around the crowded street, realizing I had no other option. Blake was sitting in the front passenger seat, happily eating an ice cream cone. He didn’t make a single move to get out. I walked toward the back door and pulled it open. The entire backseat was crammed to the ceiling with Blake’s boxes. There was barely enough room for a dog, let alone a person. Blake turned around, letting out a short, mocking chuckle. “Man, I just have so much stuff. Do you want to take the front seat and I will squeeze in the back?” Marci immediately grabbed his arm to stop him, her voice dripping with sweetness. “Don’t be silly. This is a seven seater. There is a little space left in the trunk. He can just sit back there.” She then turned to me, her voice shifting back to that cold, dismissive tone. “You kept Blake waiting in the heat, he is practically getting heatstroke because of you. Be considerate for once.” “The trunk is pretty cramped, so Blake’s long legs wouldn’t fit comfortably.” “But you have a fake leg anyway, so you won’t feel a thing. Just tough it out for the ride.” I stood frozen on the pavement, a dry, hollow laugh escaping my lips. Marci bought this car with the very first bonus she earned in her junior year. When she bought it, she specifically chose the model with the most spacious passenger seat. She had told me, “Prosthetics can chafe when you sit too long. I wanted something roomy so you would be comfortable.” “Silas, this passenger seat is always going to be yours.” But now, that seat belonged entirely to Blake. And the man who was supposed to be the love of her life was being ordered to fold himself into the trunk like a piece of garbage. “No thanks. You two go ahead. I will find a ride.” I slammed the door shut and walked away. I finalized my visa and onboarding documents for New York. The day before my flight, my older sister Fiona actually made the drive down to Boston to attend my graduation party. When I got her text, I practically ran down the stairs to meet her. But as I approached the lounge, I heard Blake and Marci plotting with my own sister. “Fiona, later tonight, give Silas these tailored shorts. Just tell him it is a graduation gift!” “If we make him expose his metal leg in front of everyone, he will get laughed at a few times, and then he will stop being so insecure about it.” Marci didn’t try to stop him. She just ruffled Blake’s hair and smiled. “When Silas finally gets over his inferiority complex, he is going to be so grateful to you.” I froze in the hallway, the blood turning to ice in my veins. I thought, at the very least, my own flesh and blood would protect me. But when Fiona turned around and saw me standing there, she didn’t even flinch. She just walked over and shoved the shorts into my chest. “Silas, happy graduation. Put these on for the party tonight.” I stared down at the fabric, a suffocating ache crushing my ribs. “Fiona… you are my sister. My actual sister. Are you seriously teaming up with them to turn me into a circus freak?” “You know exactly how much I hate people staring at my leg!” Fiona’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “Silas, watch your tone. We are just trying to help you get over this hurdle!” Marci chimed in, sounding deeply offended. “Do you always have to twist Blake’s pure intentions into something so disgusting?” “He spends all his time thinking of ways to help you build confidence, and this is how you repay him? Why are you so ungrateful?” “Apologize to Blake right now!” My fingernails dug so hard into my palms they almost drew blood. I felt like I had already cried all the tears my body could produce, but the raw choke in my voice betrayed me. “Am I ungrateful, or is Blake just a manipulative psychopath? You two know the truth better than anyone!” Blake immediately dropped his head, playing the victim. “You know what… maybe I shouldn’t go to the party tonight. You girls just take Silas. I will stay behind.” Marci shot me a look of pure disgust. “Absolutely not. I have spoiled him too much, and now he thinks the universe revolves around him.” “Go to the party or don’t, Silas. I don’t care. But when you show up without a date tonight, you are going to be the only one getting laughed at.” She grabbed Blake’s hand and pulled him toward the parking lot. The car sped off, leaving a cloud of exhaust that mirrored its owner’s fury. I stood alone in the quiet corridor for a long time before a bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Marci had promised me months ago that I would be her date for the graduation gala. Now, she was driving away with someone else. It didn’t matter anymore. After tonight, I would never have to look at her face again. When I stepped into the banquet hall, I immediately spotted Blake. He was completely surrounded, basking in the attention of both Marci and my sister. A few guys standing near me watched him with pure envy. “Having a girlfriend that hot is one thing, but having her treat him like royalty? The guy hit the jackpot.” Then, their eyes drifted over to me, filled with blatant mockery. “Doesn’t matter if he was top of the class. He is still a cripple. Can’t even get a girl to walk in with him.” I ignored them entirely. I grabbed a glass of champagne, intending to find my old roommates for one last toast before I left. I was in the middle of a good conversation when Blake’s voice suddenly echoed through the microphone on the main stage, calling my name. “Tonight, I have a very special graduation present for my absolute best bro, Silas!” The massive projector screen behind him flickered to life. Suddenly, my darkest secrets were blown up in high definition. Photos from the immediate aftermath of my amputation. Pictures where I had lost control of my bladder in the hospital bed. Images of me half dressed and vulnerable while doctors examined my stump. Deeply violating, humiliating photos that Blake had magnified for hundreds of people to see. My entire body began to violently shake. I turned to Marci, sheer disbelief tearing through me. “You gave those to him? You knew those were the darkest, most agonizing days of my entire life!” During those suffocating, depressive months in the hospital, Marci had been the one sitting by my bed. She had held me while I broke down, whispering promises into my hair. “I swear, no one will ever know about this. Never.” “To the rest of the world, you will always be the perfect, untouchable Silas.” But looking at her now, it was as if that girl had never existed. She looked down at me from her table and gave a careless little shrug. “Blake is right. If we expose it a few times, people will talk, and then you will just get used to it. Look, you are not even crying this time, are you?” “He is just looking out for your future.” The whispers in the crowd grew louder. Disgusted glances, muffled laughter, pitying stares. A few students pulled out their phones, recording the screen. “This is insane! If I post this, it is going viral for sure!” I looked at Marci’s completely apathetic expression, and surprisingly, the total breakdown I expected never came. I didn’t shed a single tear. I walked straight onto the stage, yanked the power cord from the projector, and spoke into the sudden silence. My voice was lethal. “Using someone’s deepest trauma as a punchline. Is that funny to you? If a single one of those pictures makes it onto the internet, I will legally destroy the person who posted it.” The entire hall fell dead silent. Phones were slowly lowered. I dropped the cord and walked out of the venue. Marci chased after me into the lobby. “Do you completely lack the ability to tell right from wrong? Why did you have to embarrass Blake like that in front of everyone?” “Whatever. Blake and I don’t have the energy to deal with your attitude tonight. Make sure you get to Kensington Corp early tomorrow. We have a special initiation gift prepared for you.” Her phone buzzed continuously. I could clearly see the notifications from Blake popping up on her lock screen. They were planning to force me into an extreme fitness test in front of the hiring managers tomorrow. Fifty push ups just to get my employee badge. Just another sadistic circus act, carefully orchestrated by Blake under the guise of “brotherhood.” Too bad they were never going to get the chance. I let out a soft scoff. “Sure. I have a massive gift prepared for the both of you tomorrow, too.” Ten hours left. I grabbed my passport, my luggage, and headed straight to the airport. Sitting in the terminal, I opened my email and attached a meticulously detailed file to the Kensington Corp HR department. It contained the unredacted records of Blake’s academic probation for plagiarism, and undeniable proof that Marci had manipulated the system to scrub it from his resume. [To Whom It May Concern, per Kensington Corp’s strict hiring policies, Blake is completely ineligible for employment due to severe academic misconduct. Furthermore, his guarantor, Marci, has actively engaged in corporate fraud by falsifying his records. I trust your legal team knows how to proceed.] Goodbye, Boston. And goodbye to the ghost of the girl I used to love.

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1 Gideon and I had hit the divorce attorney’s office seven times, infamous as Boston’s most volatile couple. After our seventh split, I met a friend at a lounge where his drunken taunts floated over from a nearby booth. He bragged I’d beg to remarry within a month, his friends roaring as someone recorded it. Swirling his drink, he sneered that I couldn’t survive without him. My friend warned me not to take him back. I shook my head. In my past life, he paraded affairs while chaining me to the Pierce name. His mistress ran me over; he was bedding his secretary as I lay comatose. I woke paralyzed, yet he mocked me by bringing lovers into my hospital room. This time, I was done. My legs mattered more than his poison. I was finished with Gideon Pierce. … Emma arrived fashionably late, her stilettos clicking sharply against the floor. Gideon immediately pulled her into his lap, pressing his mouth to hers as if they were the only two people in the room. Under the dim club lights, a thin glint of saliva stretched between them as they pulled away. When I witnessed this exact scene in my previous life, I had lost my mind. I lunged at Emma, tearing at her hair, screaming and thrashing in a blind, jealous rage. My reward was a brutal backhand across the face from Gideon. I had trembled on the floor, swallowing the blood and a broken tooth, my face soaked in desperate tears. He had merely cradled Emma to his chest, whispering sweet comforts to her before tossing a single word down at me. “Psychopath.” He was right. The old me had loved him to the point of losing every shred of my sanity. I really was a psychopath. But this time, I refused to go crazy for him. I finished the last drop of my drink, stood up, and grabbed my coat. Just as I turned to leave, Emma called out. Her voice dripped with saccharine innocence. “Anna? Oh my gosh, is that you?” I felt the burning stares on my back, but I refused to turn around. Emma strutted over, looking me up and down before letting out a soft, pitying giggle. “It really is you. Why do you always dress like this? You were Mrs. Pierce once, after all.” She placed heavy, deliberate emphasis on the word ‘were’. She was draped head to toe in the latest limited edition designer pieces. I glanced down at my own outfit. The most expensive thing on my body was my shoes. I bought them off a clearance website for twenty bucks. Gideon walked over, his voice a low, unreadable drawl. “Did you think she was still that high and mighty heiress?” “She is drowning in millions of dollars of family debt. She can’t even compare to you.” Emma immediately leaned against his chest, her tone incredibly soft and naive. “Gideon, you are so mean. Why don’t you help her out?” “Oh wait. I remember now. Anna is a strong, independent woman. She doesn’t spend a dime of your money.” Gideon let out a cold scoff. “Independent? It is all just an act. A pathetic strategy to keep me tied down.” My lips parted slightly, but no words came out. When we first got married, every tabloid in Boston swore I was a gold digger. Even Gideon had cornered me with bloodshot eyes, demanding to know if I only wanted him for his trust fund. I never cared what the rest of the city thought, but his doubt shattered me. So I fought tooth and nail to prove my worth to him. Yet all my desperate independence only bought me deeper misunderstandings. He never believed in me. Not once. My best friend stood up abruptly, ready to start a fight. I grabbed her wrist and dragged her straight out of the lounge. In my past life, she stood up for me that exact night and deeply offended Gideon. Less than a month later, her family’s entire supply chain was financially starved and shut down. In this life, I absolutely refused to drag her down with me. After making sure she was safely in a cab, I pulled out my phone. My thumb hovered over my contacts before finally pressing down on my grandfather’s number. Three years ago, my father went bankrupt and jumped off a building. My mother, consumed by grief, followed him. My grandfather sent his people to collect me. He offered me a safe harbor. But his condition was absolute. I had to leave Gideon and marry a man of his choosing. I rejected my grandfather, vowing that Gideon and I would be happy forever. I bet my entire life on that promise, and I lost everything. Thankfully, in this life, I still had my legs. I still had the chance to choose differently. I took a deep breath and listened to the line connect. “Grandfather. Is that offer you made still on the table?” The voice on the other end was old, raspy, and immovable as stone. “You are agreeing to the arranged marriage?” I swallowed the bitter ache in my throat and spoke softly. “Yes. I accept.” It was three in the morning when I walked into the house. The master bed was already a tangled, chaotic mess. Emma was curled up under the sheets, her bare shoulders covered in fresh red marks. Gideon leaned against the headboard, a half smoked cigarette pinched between his fingers. He raised an eyebrow at me, clearly waiting for me to explode. I forced my heart to slow its rhythm. I would not give him the satisfaction of a breakdown. I had very little to take with me. I opened the dresser drawer and quietly packed my passport, my IDs, and my mother’s jewelry into my tote bag. Gideon’s voice cut through the silence. “What exactly is this act?” A second later, something light hit my shoulder. It stung just a little. A small cardboard box clattered to the floor. Pink. Strawberry flavored. Empty. Gideon ordered me around with practiced ease. “We are out. Go buy another box.” Emma giggled from against his chest. “Gideon, stop it. How could you ask her to buy those for us?” This kind of degradation had happened so many times, I honestly thought I was immune to it by now. But a sick wave of nausea still churned in my stomach. Unable to stand the sight of them for another second, I zipped my bag and turned toward the door. Gideon crossed the room in three massive strides. His hand locked around my wrist like a vice, his voice turning to absolute ice. “You used to act like a screaming lunatic, and now you are switching up your strategy? Playing hard to get?” “Why are you always so insanely jealous? Can’t you learn to be a little more compliant and sensible like the others?” “You demand my absolute loyalty, but who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to ask that of me?” I looked at him, a bitter, hollow smile pulling at my lips. Back in college, there was always a line of girls throwing themselves at him. Back then, he used to ask me the same question over and over again. Why don’t you ever get jealous? Do you even care about me at all? Later, I finally learned how to care. I learned how to show it. And then he started calling me suffocating. I peeled his fingers off my wrist one by one, walked around the foot of the bed, and headed for the hallway. Emma wrapped a blanket around herself and blocked my path. Her face was a mask of pure, innocent distress. “Anna, please don’t leave. If someone has to go, it should be me.” Gideon caught up to her, sweeping her up into his arms right in front of my face. His voice dripped with exaggerated affection. “Where do you think you are going? Our night is not over yet. You are not the one leaving.” Emma’s voice remained soft, but her eyes were practically glowing with triumph and smug victory. “But Gideon, I think she is actually mad this time.” Gideon shot me a look of pure contempt. “Let her go. Her parents are dead. Knowing how stubborn she is, she refuses to beg anyone for help.” “She has nowhere else to go. This is her only home.” I stood perfectly still, a tiny, almost invisible smirk touching the corner of my mouth. Three years ago, standing in front of my parents’ caskets, he held me tight and swore he would protect me forever in their place. And now here he was. Holding his mistress, mocking me for being an orphan with nowhere to run. Maybe I was finally numb, because my heart didn’t even ache. I gave him one last exhausting look and walked out the front door. Gideon’s voice stabbed into my back. “Anna, I am giving you one last chance. Are you absolutely sure about this? Do not come crying to me later.” I did not answer. I did not look back. It was four in the morning by the time I hit the main road. The night wind bit into my skin. Suddenly, a black van swerved aggressively, cutting me off. The world flipped upside down. Rough hands grabbed me, dragging me into the back seat. When I regained consciousness, the sharp, salty smell of the ocean filled my lungs. I looked down and used my teeth to gnaw at the rough rope binding my wrists. I worked at it, millimeter by millimeter. Just as the knot loosened, I heard muffled voices from outside the cabin. I crept toward the heavy metal door and peeked through the narrow crack. One of the kidnappers stood with his back to me. His tone was incredibly respectful. “Mr. Pierce, what are your orders? How do we proceed?” Gideon’s voice crackled through the phone’s speaker. [Anna is too used to acting high and mighty. She needs to suffer a bit to learn her place.] [I am leaving it to you. I don’t care what methods you use, as long as she breaks. I want her crawling back, begging me to remarry her.] He paused for a second before adding one final order. [Don’t go too far. Just don’t cripple her.] A violent chill shot down my spine, making me shudder uncontrollably. When he first fell in love with me, my pride was exactly what he adored. Now, he wanted to crush my spirit, file down my edges, and mold me into an obedient pet. What gave him the delusion that he owned my soul? Just as the thought crossed my mind, the kidnapper turned his head. His eyes locked directly onto me. He froze, immediately hung up the phone, and lunged forward, reaching for my shoulder. I twisted out of his grip, ducked under his arm, and sprinted out onto the open deck. The dark horizon blurred into the freezing, turbulent ocean below. Without a single second of hesitation, I threw myself over the railing. The moment I hit the water, the icy depths swallowed all sound. I swam until my muscles screamed and my lungs burned. By the time I dragged myself onto the rocky shore, the sky was already turning gray with the dawn. Before I could even catch my breath, a cold, elegant voice floated down from above. “I won the bet.” A man stood on a jagged rock a few yards away, a pair of binoculars resting loosely in his hand. Behind him idled a heavy duty SUV, flanked by several men in black suits. “I bet my security team on whether you would survive the night or drown.” I forced myself up on trembling legs, my voice hoarse. “Who are you?” The man slipped his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and hopped down from the rocks. A distant, polite smile graced his lips. “Rowan Sinclair. Your future husband.” “Let’s skip the pleasantries.” “I accept the marriage. The terms your grandfather offered are very generous. But I have one strict condition.” “The wedding will not be in London. It has to be in Boston.” He gave me a long, calculating look. “I need to establish my dominance in the domestic market quickly. A high profile wedding is the most efficient way to do that. Every single member of Boston’s elite will receive an invitation.” “Including Gideon Pierce.” I looked up at him, my voice completely steady. “He is my ex husband. Are you not worried he will ruin your big day?” Rowan’s lips curved into a dark, predatory smirk. “Worried? I am counting on it.” … The wedding date was locked in immediately. Two weeks before the ceremony, Rowan took me to a high society charity gala. It was held on the top floor of the city’s most exclusive hotel. It was a masquerade, requiring every guest to wear a mask upon entry. Halfway through the night, I slipped away to the restroom. Through the heavy wooden door, I heard Emma’s sweet, trembling voice. “Gideon, it has been days. Why haven’t those men called you back?” “Are you really not worried about Anna at all?” Gideon’s breathing sounded heavy, but his tone was as arrogant and lazy as ever. “Why would I panic? It is not like she can actually escape.” “Give it a little more time. Once the fight is beaten out of her, she will come crawling back to me.” The distinct rustle of clothing shifting against the wall followed his words. I lowered my eyes and let out a quiet, genuine laugh. After everything, Gideon was still utterly convinced I would return to him. I turned around and took a few steps down the hall. A second later, the bathroom door clicked open. Heavy, familiar footsteps approached from behind. My spine stiffened instinctively. My breath caught in my throat. Gideon walked right past me, a velvet mask dangling casually from his fingers. The heavy stone in my chest finally dropped. I was about to keep walking when he suddenly stopped. He turned around. He stared at me, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his eyes. “Have we… met before?” My lungs seized. For a split second, my mind went entirely blank. “Mr. Pierce, your pickup lines are incredibly outdated.” Rowan Sinclair appeared out of nowhere, standing tall at my side. He reached up and pulled off his own mask, revealing his cold, aristocratic features. “It is a shame, really. This woman is my fiancée.” “The wedding is in two weeks. I believe my people have already sent you the invitation.” “I look forward to seeing you there.” Gideon’s eyes locked onto Rowan’s face for a long, tense moment before he forced a smile. Summoning his practiced corporate composure, he took a step forward and shook Rowan’s hand. The moment they let go, Emma came jogging down the hallway. She immediately started whining about how Gideon had left her behind. Gideon aggressively brushed her hand off his arm, muttered a harsh reprimand, and walked away. Emma pouted, but quickly scurried after him. Rowan glanced down at me, a faint, mocking smile on his lips. “What are you so terrified of? Do you think he is going to eat you alive?” “Terrified…” I repeated the word in a daze. Maybe it was the muscle memory of being entangled with him across two lifetimes. Maybe it was because every time we fought, I was always the one who lost. My body had learned to fear him long before my brain could stop it. But things were different now. I had no reason to be afraid anymore. … The next two weeks vanished in the blink of an eye. On the day of the wedding, I sat in the bridal suite. Through the door, I could hear footsteps and hushed, gossiping laughter. Word had spread that the Pierce family was in chaos. Rumors claimed his ex wife had jumped into the sea. There were whispers of suicide, kidnapping, and cartel hits, all blending into a wild urban legend. Even my makeup artists were whispering about it. They said that was exactly why Gideon Pierce was running late to the most important society wedding of the year. I looked at my flawless reflection in the vanity mirror. My heart was a quiet, perfectly still lake. The wedding march began to play. I walked slowly down the aisle, moving steadily toward Rowan. Soft, buzzing whispers immediately filled the grand hall. Hundreds of guests stared at me. Some looked curious, some looked greedy for drama, and some gave knowing, weighted glances. Every single person in the room recognized me as Gideon’s ex wife. And naturally, so did the man sitting in the front row. The exact second my fingers touched Rowan’s palm, a raw, entirely unhinged scream tore through the room from behind me. “Anna!”

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1 After our ninth miserable attempt at playing It Takes Two ended in another screaming match, I went online to vent. I only wanted to ask a simple question. Why did everyone say this game was the ultimate relationship builder, when for us, it was just a fast track to a bitter argument? Within seconds, a top comment was upvoted to the peak of the thread. “Stop clout-chasing. That account belongs to a gaming legend. He cleared the final level with his girlfriend six months ago.” I froze. Just as I was about to type out a reply to explain that the account was indeed ours, the commenter dropped another link, this time containing a digital wedding invitation. “They are getting married tomorrow. They didn’t even bother to change the game theme.” I tapped the image. My entire body went numb. On the screen, the groom was the man I had loved for ten years, the man who promised he would marry me the moment our long-distance stretch ended. And the bride was Sienna, my childhood best friend. A year ago, she had been the one to comfort me. She had said, “If you want to know if a man is ready to walk down the aisle with you, play this game with him first. It shows you who they really are.” But the woman who had actually finished the game with my boyfriend was her. I pinched the screen, zooming in on the image, desperately searching for any sign of photoshop. There was none. The photo was real, and the bright smile on Lucas’s face was real too. He had been abandoned by his parents as a child, leaving him with a naturally guarded, distant personality. He rarely smiled, even when he was with me. Yet in this photo, he was holding Sienna’s hand, looking down at her with a warmth so tender it made my throat tight. A wave of dizzying absurdity washed over me. With trembling fingers, I dialed Lucas’s number. Once, twice, three times. No answer. I called Sienna. It went straight to a busy tone. My heart sank into a cold, dark place. I grabbed my coat and rushed to the train station. On the three-hour journey back to Portland, their phones remained completely unreachable. Left with no other choice, I used a burner account to search for Lucas’s public gaming profile. He was a prominent gaming influencer, handsome and talented, with a massive following of female fans who constantly confessed their love to him. When we first started dating, I had asked him to make our relationship public to avoid the unwanted attention. He had refused, claiming that a professional channel should never mix with private life. But now, his feed was a glowing tribute to his life with Sienna. There were videos of him winning plushies for her at arcade cranes, taking her to midnight movie premieres, and staying up until dawn to help her clear It Takes Two. The night they finally beat the game, I had been curled on my bathroom floor in Seattle, paralyzed by a sudden, agonizing gallstone attack. That night, I had called him nineteen times. Every single call had gone unanswered. The next morning, he text me a brief message, claiming he had been buried under a mountain of work. It turned out this was his work. The train speakers crackled to life, announcing my arrival. I stepped onto the platform, moving like a ghost among the bustling crowd. Just as I stepped out of the station, my phone buzzed. It was Lucas. “Hey, babe. Sorry, I was tied up. Is everything okay?” His voice was as gentle as always, perfectly calm, as if the world hadn’t just shattered beneath my feet. I dug my nails into my palms, fighting back the tears that threatened to choke me. “Where are you?” There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a forced laugh. “Checking up on me?” “I’m at the studio, pulling an all-nighter. You’re coming back next week, so I need to grind and save up enough to marry you.” Save up to marry me. That was his favorite line during our year of long-distance. Whenever I got upset because he went radio silent, or whenever I begged him to catch a flight to see me, he would use those exact words to soothe me. Back then, those words filled me with a quiet warmth. Now, they tasted like ash. “How are you going to marry me when you are marrying Sienna tomorrow?” Before the words could fully leave my mouth, Sienna’s voice drifted through the receiver. “Lucas, the coordinator needs us on stage for the rehearsal.” The phone was muffled suddenly, emitting a low rustling sound. “Brooke, I’ve got some urgent work to handle. I’ll call you tonight.” He hung up before I could speak. The night air hit my face, freezing the tears on my cheeks. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and hailed a cab to the hotel listed on the wedding invitation. Inside the grand ballroom, the decorations were heavily inspired by It Takes Two. It looked whimsical, dreamlike, and incredibly romantic. I stopped in my tracks. Lucas and I were both obsessed with that game. He had once promised me that he would design a wedding just like this for us. The wedding was here. But the bride had changed. The rehearsal was still underway. The officiant’s voice boomed through the speakers, filled with rehearsed enthusiasm. “And now, groom, you may embrace and kiss your beautiful bride.” I looked up just in time to see Lucas cup Sienna’s face, leaning down to press his lips against hers. It was the final straw. Whatever remaining thread of my sanity existed snapped completely. I sprinted up the stairs of the stage, grabbing both of them and tearing them apart. When they saw my face, the smiles on their lips froze instantly. Sienna recovered first. Her wide, innocent eyes immediately filled with tears. She reached out, trying to grab my sleeve with a fragile, trembling hand. “Brooke, please, just let me explain. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” She didn’t mean for this to happen. Six months ago, she had messaged me out of the blue, boasting that she had finally found someone who could help her beat It Takes Two. At the time, I had been genuinely happy for her. Even when she subtly mocked how Lucas, a professional gamer, couldn’t seem to clear a simple co-op game with me, I had brushed it off. I never could have imagined that the man staying up all night with her was my own boyfriend. Two decades of friendship crumbled into dust right there on the stage. I slapped her hand away, my voice dripping with venom. “Sienna, you really are your mother’s daughter. Shameless to the core.” “That is enough!” Lucas stepped in front of Sienna, shielding her trembling body in his arms. He looked at me with a complicated mixture of guilt and frustration. “This is on me. It has nothing to do with Sienna. Don’t cause a scene here, it’s not good for her health.” I stared at him. The fury that had been boiling inside me suddenly drained away, leaving a hollow, freezing ache. Since discovering the truth, I had played out a hundred different scenarios of what he might say to me. I had prepared myself for lies, excuses, or even anger. But I never expected this. It’s not good for her. Just those few words made it entirely clear where his loyalty now lay. A bitter, desperate sense of injustice reared its head. “Not good for her? What about me?” “Lucas, does any of this feel fair to you?” I had loved him for ten years. I had stayed up late with him to edit his videos. I had stood under the scorching sun to pitch his channel to skeptical sponsors. When his studio was in its infancy, I had pawned my grandmother’s antique jade bracelet just to keep his business afloat. On the day his studio officially launched, he had held me tightly, his eyes red. He had sworn, “Brooke, I promise you a beautiful life. If I ever betray you, I deserve to lose everything.” The vows felt like they were spoken yesterday, but the promise itself had already become a useless scrap of paper. Perhaps reminded of the past, Lucas’s eyes softened slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but the whispers from the wedding staff and guests below the stage had already begun. “What’s going on? Is that an ex?” “Who crashes a wedding the day before? Talk about a desperate side chick.” “She looks decent, but she’s actually trying to steal someone else’s man? How pathetic.” The vicious murmurs drifted up, piercing my ears like needles. “I am not a side chick!” I screamed, but no one was listening. With tears blurring my vision, I looked at Lucas, waiting for him to say one word of defense for me. Just one. He pressed his lips together and took a step forward. But before a spark of hope could ignite in my chest, his next words extinguished it completely. “Security, please escort her out.” I stared at him, unable to believe my ears. He walked over, leaning down to whisper in my ear, “Go home first, Brooke. I will come over and explain everything tonight.” As the guard pushed me off the stage, I heard Lucas turning back to the wedding coordinator, his voice clear and attentive. “Make sure there are no orange juices on the menu. Sienna is severely allergic.” “Have some stomach medication ready at every table, just in case her gastritis flares up.” “And adjust the air conditioning vents. The cold air shouldn’t blow directly on her.” He was meticulous, handling every minor detail with care. He had never been this attentive when he was with me. Standing there, I realized how utterly pathetic my ten years of devotion had been. “I can walk myself,” I said, shaking off the guard’s hand. I walked out of the hotel, my head held high despite the tears streaming down my face. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was my director in Seattle. “Brooke, a talent like yours is wasted in Portland. Are you absolutely sure you want to transfer back?” Over the past year, he had asked me that question dozens of times. My answer had always been a firm yes. But now, everything had changed. “No,” I whispered into the receiver. “I’m staying in Seattle.” I walked back to our shared apartment, packed my remaining belongings into a single suitcase, and sat on the couch to wait for him. Ten years of history deserved a clean, explicit ending. Lucas returned sooner than I expected. Seeing me on the couch, he walked over, naturally resting his head against my shoulder with a heavy sigh. “Brooke, I’m so exhausted. Just let me hold you for a second.” In the early days of his startup, he used to come home late and do this very thing. He used to say that holding me was the only thing that kept him sane. But now, his exhaustion was from planning a wedding for another woman. I let out a cold laugh and shoved him away. “When did it start?” He was silent for a few seconds. “A year ago.” A bitter memory flashed in my mind. A year ago, my mother was diagnosed with gastric cancer, and my company offered me a major promotion in Seattle. I hadn’t wanted to go, but Lucas had insisted. “Brooke, don’t let life clip your wings. Go to Seattle. I will take care of your mother here.” I had been so incredibly moved, viewing him as my rock. But my rock had been crumbling from the very start. I struggled to find my voice. “Why?” He loosened his tie, his expression growing irritable. “It was an accident at first. She was drinking heavily at a bar because of some personal issues, and I happened to be there. The alcohol got the better of us.” “I tried to break it off, but she was so vulnerable, so entirely alone in the world. I couldn’t just abandon her.” “So I promised her we would only have this one year. I wanted to give her her dream wedding, to give her some closure, and then end it before you came back. Brooke, you have to believe me, you are the one I love.” He reached out, trying to take my hand. “We can go register our marriage tomorrow, right after the ceremony. I promise.” I had waited ten years for him to propose a marriage license. Yet here it was, offered as a cheap consolation prize for his betrayal. I pulled my hand back, a cold sneer forming on my lips. “What makes you think I would ever want to be with you now?” “Lucas, we are done. It’s over.” His face paled, but the panic was quickly replaced by a smug, ugly certainty. “Brooke, stop throwing a tantrum. You were abused by your stepfather when you were ten. You are almost thirty now, with a mother who has terminal cancer. If you leave me, what other man is ever going to want you?” I stared at him. The words felt like a red-hot coal pressed against my bare chest. Twenty years ago, when my mother and I fled that abusive household, that trauma had been my deepest, most agonizing scar. Back then, Lucas had held me close, kissing away my tears. He had said, “It wasn’t your fault. To me, you are the most precious, pure soul in the world.” And now, he was using that very scar to tell me I was damaged goods. My chest heaved as I fought to keep from crying. Right then, his phone rang, breaking the heavy silence. Lucas looked at the screen, and his tense expression instantly softened. “She’s here with me. Okay, I’ll tell her.” He hung up, sighed, and reached out to gently wipe the tears from the corner of my eye. “Don’t cry. Sienna just said that if you agree to be her bridesmaid tomorrow, she will step out of our lives forever. What more do you want?” I looked at him, feeling as though I was listening to some sick, twisted joke. My boyfriend and my best friend had betrayed me, and now they wanted me, the victim, to stand beside them and witness their happiness? I clenched my fists so hard my palms bled. “What makes you think I would ever agree to be her bridesmaid?” Lucas stepped back, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Brooke, don’t be difficult. You are her best friend, it’s only right that you stand by her. I’m sure your mother would want you to make the sensible choice too.” The veiled threat hung heavily in the air. I stared at him in utter disbelief. But he simply smiled, patting my head as if he hadn’t just threatened my mother’s peace of mind. “I need to go back and keep Sienna company. She’s nervous about tomorrow. I’ll see you at the hotel in the morning. Don’t be late.” The door clicked shut behind him. It felt like a physical slap to my face. I stared at the empty room, and suddenly, I started to laugh. A bridesmaid? Fine. I would be there. The next morning, I arrived at the hotel early. Sienna was draped in a gorgeous, custom-made lace wedding gown. When she saw me walk in, a triumphant smile spread across her face. “Brooke, you lost.” There was nothing but smug satisfaction in her eyes. Looking at her, I couldn’t help but remember when we were teenagers. Her mother had been a mistress, and I had no father. I used to throw stones at the kids who bullied her, and she would sneak food from her kitchen when I was starving. During those dark, miserable years, we had been each other’s survival. When had she become this monster? My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears. “Why?” She paused for a fraction of a second, then her smile returned. “I did this for your own good. You were with him for ten years and he never married you. Doesn’t that prove he never really loved you?” “He and I are soulmates.” She said it with such righteous conviction, as if she wasn’t the same girl who had once sworn to protect my happiness forever. I smiled faintly. “Soulmates? Then why does he refuse to let me go?” Her face darkened instantly. “After today, you two are finished anyway.” She turned and gestured to a group of men in suits standing nearby. “Our bridesmaid is all yours. Make sure you show her a good time.” My brows furrowed. I tried to step back, but the groomsmen quickly closed in, blocking my path. “What are you doing? Let me go!” They ignored my protests, their hands reaching out to grab my arms and waist. My face went pale. Seeing Lucas walking down the hallway, I screamed out to him. “Lucas! Help me!” “What’s going on here?” Lucas frowned, taking a step toward us. But Sienna quickly caught his arm, pulling him back. “Oh, they’re just playing the traditional wedding games with the bridesmaid. It looks like Brooke is still being a bit of a party pooper.” Hearing her words, Lucas’s feet glued to the floor. He looked at me with a mild, dismissive sigh. “Come on, Brooke. It’s just a wedding game. Stop making a scene and just put up with it for a bit.” With that, he wrapped his arm around Sienna’s waist and walked toward the main hall. “Lucas!” I screamed his name until my throat burned, but he didn’t even turn his head. Once they were out of sight, the groomsmen grinned, their eyes flashing with malice. “We heard you’ve been his free plaything for ten years. Why act like a virgin now?” “Exactly. If the bride hadn’t given us the green light, we wouldn’t even bother with you.” “Your dress looks a bit tight. Let us help you loosen it.” In the chaotic struggle, the zipper of my dress was violently pulled down, and the fabric began to slide off my shoulders. I clutched my chest, desperately trying to dial Lucas’s number with my free hand. No one answered. Through the one-way glass of the bridal suite, I could see the main stage. I saw Lucas kneeling before Sienna, sliding a diamond ring onto her finger. I saw him frown, pull out his phone, and switch it off. In utter despair, my hand brushed against a silver fruit knife on the vanity table. I grabbed it and pressed the blade against my neck. “Get back!” “Whoa, chill out. We were just playing around. Don’t do anything stupid.” Seeing the thin line of blood bead on my neck, the groomsmen panicked, pushing each other out of the room as they fled. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the cold tile floor, completely drained. I don’t know how much time passed before the announcer’s voice echoed through the speakers. “And now, let us welcome our beautiful bridesmaid to offer her heartfelt blessings to the newlyweds.” Using the vanity table for support, I forced myself to stand. I adjusted my torn dress as best as I could and walked slowly onto the stage. Seeing my disheveled, pale appearance, Lucas’s eyes flashed with concern. He stepped forward to support me. “Brooke, what happened to you?” I flinched away from his touch, taking the microphone from the host’s hand. I looked at the crowd, my voice steady and clear. “I have prepared a special video tribute for the bride and groom. Please look at the big screen.”

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1 When Ruby saw the weather forecast warning of a massive storm tomorrow, she suddenly burst into tears, begging me not to make her go to preschool. I was just about to comfort her when Marcus rose from the sofa, looking down at us with a cold, critical gaze. “Gwen, is this how you raise our daughter? Flinching at a little rain? How is she ever going to handle real life if she is this soft?” The bitterness in my chest flared. “Then why don’t you drive her tomorrow?” Ever since his first love, Brooke, returned with her child a year ago, Cascadia had been drowned in a relentless, hundred-day deluge. And every single rainy day, while Ruby and I struggled to survive the downpours on my cheap electric scooter, Marcus was more than willing to duck out of work early. He would gladly drive two hours across the city in his luxury SUV just to chauffeur Brooke and her daughter home. Marcus hesitated, but his phone buzzed. He glanced at me, answered, and retreated to the bedroom. “Brooke? Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll make sure she gets there tomorrow.” I watched his retreating back, a self-deprecating smile tugging at my lips. I gently brushed the tears from Ruby’s eyelashes and whispered, “How about Mommy takes you somewhere it never rains? Would you like that?” Ruby stopped crying, but her bottom lip trembled as she stared at the scrape on my elbow. “Okay. That way, Mommy won’t have to get hurt anymore.” The scrape was still raw, a souvenir from when my scooter had slipped in the mud last week. I hadn’t bothered to cover it. Back then, my heart was still aching over seeing Marcus and Brooke sharing a cozy lunch together. I had actually thought about swallowing my pride, showing him my pain, and asking for a little warmth, just to see if he would feel a shred of guilt. But I never got the chance. He saw the scrape, but he never asked. Now, there was no need to tell him. After putting Ruby to bed, I finally returned to our room. Marcus was already asleep, his sharp brow furrowed even in his dreams. I climbed into bed quietly, keeping a wide, hollow distance between us. In the dead of night, a violent crack of thunder threatened to shatter the windows, followed by a deafening torrent of rain. I bolted upright, my maternal instinct screaming to check on Ruby. Marcus woke up at the same time, staring out at the sheet of water cascading down the glass. “Brooke’s apartment is on the ground floor. I need to go check on her,” he said, scrambling out of bed. I wanted to ask him why. Her parents and her brother lived in the very same complex. Why did a married man need to rush to her rescue in the middle of the night? But his face was a mask of panic as he dialed her number. Usually immaculate, he didn’t even notice he was buttoning his shirt wrong. Swallowing my words, I pulled a waterproof jacket from the closet. “Wear this.” Marcus paused, surprised, and took the jacket from my hands. As he was heading out, habit took over, and I picked up Ruby to see him off. Just then, a massive bolt of lightning split the sky. The lights flickered once and died. We were plunged into darkness. Ruby clung to my neck, her small body trembling violently. But she didn’t look at Marcus, and she didn’t say a word. Marcus’s hand froze on the doorknob. For once, he actually turned back, softening his voice. “Watch Ruby. Light some candles and lock the door. I’ll be back soon.” So, he did know she was terrified of the dark. During the last storm, no matter how much I tried to comfort her, Ruby had cried for her father. Desperate, I had called Marcus. But when he answered, my daughter’s excitement was instantly crushed by his harsh reprimand. “How old are you? Can’t you be a little stronger? Gwen, if she is making a fuss, why are you letting her? I told you I’m working late. I don’t have time for this nonsense.” He thought he had hung up the phone, but he hadn’t. For the next hour, Ruby and I sat in the dark, listening to him read bedtime stories to Brooke’s daughter, Daisy. Our house was stacked with fairy tale books Marcus had never bothered to touch. Ruby didn’t understand. She thought her dad was reading to her, and she had drifted off to sleep with a tearful smile. I, however, lay awake until dawn. Brooke was Marcus’s childhood sweetheart and his first love. They had been on the verge of marriage when she suddenly ran away, pregnant with another man’s child. Now, divorced and struggling, she had crawled back. And Marcus was right there, waiting in the exact same spot. Except now, there was me, the redundant wife. The dampness of the past year had eroded every last bit of my affection for him, leaving nothing but a profound, exhausting weariness. “It’s fine,” I said quietly. “Brooke is struggling alone. You should look after her. You have work tomorrow anyway, so you might as well sleep there.” Marcus looked up, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes. But before he could speak, his phone rang again. He turned and vanished into the stormy night. The rain grew heavier. Ruby woke up crying several times, only falling into a deep sleep near dawn. I opened my laptop and, despite the late hour, reached out to Jasper, a close friend from high school who was now a family lawyer. Fortunately, he was still awake. With his guidance, I began drafting the terms of our divorce agreement, clause by clause. At dawn, as I went to the kitchen for a glass of water, I heard the front door click. I froze, grabbing a heavy wrench from the utility closet. The door pushed open, and Brooke walked in. She was bone-dry, wearing the waterproof jacket I had handed Marcus hours ago. She looked slightly embarrassed when she saw me standing there with a wrench. “Hey. Sorry to crash like this. There was a situation at my place… I said we should just find a hotel, but Marcus wouldn’t hear of it.” Marcus entered right behind her, carrying Daisy on his back. His steps were steady, but a thick trail of blood was running down his forehead. “I couldn’t just leave her,” Marcus said, his voice tense. “Her ex-husband showed up, trying to break in. If I hadn’t gotten there, he would have taken Daisy. He was lurking around all night.” I set the wrench down without a word and fetched the first-aid kit. Brooke took a cotton swab, leaning in to tend to his forehead. Marcus flinched slightly and pulled back. “It’s fine. Go wash up. Let Gwen do it.” Brooke’s hand froze, her expression hardening with awkwardness. “Sorry… old habits. I forgot you’re married now.” I acted as if I hadn’t heard a thing, turning on my heel and returning to my bedroom. Half an hour later, Marcus crawled into bed behind me. He brought with him the faint scent of copper and the cloyingly sweet aroma of orange blossom, Brooke’s signature perfume. I kept my eyes shut, pretending to be asleep, but Marcus spoke anyway, his voice raspy. “Her ex broke her lock. If I hadn’t made it in time, the kid would be gone. I can’t leave them like this. I told them they can stay here for a few days.” He paused. “I know your friend Jasper is a top lawyer. Could you ask him to look into Brooke’s custody case?” The exhaustion of the night finally crushed me. I cut him off. “I’m tired. I have work tomorrow. We’ll talk about this later.” Marcus’s voice instantly turned cold. “Gwen, how can you be so heartless? I treat her like a sister. She respects you, she looks up to you like family. Is it really so hard to show some compassion?” Like family? I turned around to face him, my eyes filled with quiet mockery. But before I could speak, another crack of thunder shook the house. I shuddered involuntarily, and Marcus reached out to pull me close. Just then, cries echoed from both the guest room and Ruby’s bedroom. Marcus threw off the covers and stood up. “Marcus,” I called out, my eyes burning. “Go to our daughter. I’ll check on Brooke’s room.” Marcus paused. His voice was heavy, but there was no hesitation in his choice. “Ruby is closer to you. You are better suited to comfort her. Brooke and Daisy were terrified tonight; they need someone they trust. Next time, okay? I’ll take Ruby to the amusement park next weekend.” He strode out of the room. I ran to Ruby’s room and pulled my shaking daughter into my arms. She was too sensible to ask for her father. Instead, she just wept softly against my shoulder. “Mommy, I’m scared. When can we go to that place where it doesn’t rain? I hate the rain.” My phone buzzed in my pocket. A notification popped up: Flight booked successfully. I brushed the damp hair from her forehead and whispered, “Next week. Next week, we leave.” The rain poured until morning. After preparing breakfast, I knocked on the guest room door. Brooke opened it, wearing one of my silk pajamas, casually pulling the collar tighter. Behind her, Marcus was fast asleep on the bed. Noticing my gaze, Brooke offered a sweet, apologetic smile. “Gwen, don’t get the wrong idea. Marcus slept on the couch all night. I just couldn’t bear to see him so uncomfortable, so I dragged him to the bed early this morning.” She hurried back into the room, gently shaking his arm. “Marcus, wake up. Explain things to Gwen so she doesn’t misunderstand.” Marcus groaned, opening his eyes. “What time is it, Brooke?” The noise woke Daisy, who scrambled over to Marcus’s side, tugging his arm. “Daddy, you’re awake! You promised to take me to McDonald’s today. I was so good last night, I didn’t wake Mommy up once!” Brooke turned back to me with a sheepish look. “Gwen, she is just playing. She calls him her honorary dad. Please don’t mind.” Marcus finally noticed me standing at the door. His brow furrowed. “What are you doing in here?” Indeed. What was I doing here? I let out a soft, humorless laugh, turned, and walked away. While Ruby and I were eating, Marcus led Brooke and Daisy to the front door, fully dressed. “I’m taking Daisy to school,” Marcus said. “We’ll grab breakfast on the way.” Brooke smiled warmly. “I’m tags along to make sure Marcus doesn’t feed her junk food. See you later, Gwen.” Ruby kept her head down, silently eating her food. The heavy front door clicked shut. Ruby looked at her neatly packed backpack resting on the table. “Mom, are we still going to preschool today?” My eyes welled with tears, and I had to look away. “No. We’re going to pack our things today.” I stood up, picked up the plates of untouched food I had spent all morning preparing, and scraped them directly into the trash. It turned out that letting my daughter have one last meal with her father was too much to ask. For the next few days, Ruby and I packed our lives into suitcases, systematically erasing every trace of our seven years in that apartment. I thought I would feel more pain, but my heart was strangely numb, right up until I found the little crocheted sun charm Ruby had made for her window. My eyes stung then. Once the packing was finished, I rolled my suitcase to the door. I left the signed divorce papers on the entryway console, right where Marcus would see them the second he walked in. But as I opened the front door, my phone vibrated. It was Brooke, her voice frantic and laced with tears. “Gwen! You have to come to the hospital! Marcus has been hurt!” I hesitated for a fraction of a second, then reached down, snatched the divorce papers from the table, and shoved them into my handbag. When I reached the ward and saw Marcus, my heart skipped a beat despite myself. His arm was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze, his shirt was stained with dried blood, and his face was deathly pale. “What happened? How did you get hurt like this?” Brooke wiped her tears and, under a sharp look from Marcus, quietly slipped out of the room. Marcus looked at me, a flicker of internal struggle crossing his face. “Brooke’s ex-husband showed up at the school with a bunch of thugs. They tried to take Daisy. I managed to stop them, but the ex threatened to take her to court for sole custody. Brooke doesn’t have a job or a stable household. She will lose the kid.” I felt the last ounce of my sympathy evaporate. “And?” Marcus avoided my eyes, his voice low and tight. “We need to get a divorce. We can do a fast-track mediation and get the certificate immediately. Then, I’ll marry Brooke temporarily so she can secure custody. Once the court settles the ruling, we can get remarried.” I gripped the strap of my bag, where the divorce papers lay. “A custody battle can take years.” Marcus’s voice was as taut as a bowstring. “It won’t take that long. I’ll hire the best lawyers. This is the only way to save the kid, Gwen. I’ve already made up my mind. I know this is unfair to you, but I will make it up to you and Ruby later.” “And what if her ex keeps harassing her?” I asked quietly. “Are you going to guard her for the rest of your life?” Marcus had no answer. I smiled, mocking my own foolishness for expecting even a shred of consideration from him. But before I could pull the papers from my bag, Brooke burst back into the room, grabbing my hands in a desperate grip. “Gwen, please! I can’t lose Daisy! I have no other choice, please, just give us a chance to survive!” Slowly, deliberately, I pried my fingers from her grasp. “I agree,” I said. “And you don’t have to call me ‘sister’ anymore.” We didn’t need my drafted agreement. The court mediation was finalized quickly. Perhaps to ease his own conscience, Marcus left me the apartment and half of his assets. I didn’t know what lie he had told his parents, but Brooke and Daisy moved into the family manor almost immediately. The day we signed the final papers, the sky was brilliant and clear. In all our years together, I had never once gotten to sit in the passenger seat of his car on a rainy day. A few days later, I went to Ruby’s preschool to finalize her withdrawal. To my surprise, I ran into Marcus, Brooke, and Daisy in the main lobby. They looked like a picture-perfect family. This preschool had top-tier security; Marcus had gone through three grueling rounds of interviews just to get Ruby accepted. It made sense that he would pull strings to get Daisy enrolled here now. Brooke looked incredibly awkward, unsure of how to address me. The principal, noticing the tension, tried to break the ice. “Oh, do you all know each other?” I looked at Marcus’s stiff, tense shoulders. “No.” The principal smiled warmly. “What a coincidence then. Both of your husbands share the last name, Marcus. Small world, isn’t it?” I offered a polite smile. “Funny how that works.” As I walked out of the school gates, my phone buzzed with a text from Brooke. Gwen, I don’t care what Marcus told you, but I want you to stay away from him forever. I don’t care how this marriage started—I will never divorce him. Even if I have to slit my wrists, I will keep him. You know he’s always loved me. It was exactly the kind of desperate threat I expected. I didn’t reply. I didn’t send her a bitter blessing, nor did I tell her I was leaving. Let her live in the same constant, trembling anxiety that had consumed me for years. Just as I reached the street corner, Marcus caught up to me, his face dark with anger. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “Did you do this on purpose? Just to humiliate Brooke?” I didn’t bother to defend myself. I simply looked up at the dark clouds gathering overhead. “It’s about to rain.” Marcus sneered. “Don’t change the subject. I’ll let it slide this time, but stop triggering Brooke. She is extremely fragile right now. I’ve already got my lawyers fast-tracking Daisy’s custody case. It’ll be over soon. Just go home and take care of Ruby, and stop overthinking.” The first raindrops began to fall. Brooke finally lost her patience and hurried over, wrapping her arm triumphantly around Marcus’s elbow. “It’s starting to pour, Gwen,” she said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “Did you bring an umbrella? How are you getting back?” Marcus instinctively replied, “I have the car. I’ll drive her.” Brooke gave him a playful, scolding look. “Oh, did you forget? The backseat is completely packed with Daisy’s new gear. Gwen, let us call an Uber for you.” I shook my head. “No need. Someone is picking me up.” Marcus let out a dry, mocking laugh. “At least make your lies believable. Who could possibly be coming to pick you up in this weather?” I didn’t argue. I just kept my eyes on the intersection. Daisy tugged at Marcus’s sleeve. “Daddy, I’m hungry. When are we going to eat?” “In a minute, sweetie.” Marcus refused to move, and Brooke had no choice but to stand beside him, turning the sidewalk into a silent, tense battleground. Two minutes later, a sleek black Mercedes cut through the curtain of rain and pulled up smoothly at the curb. The window rolled down. My daughter excitedly poked her head out from the back seat, waving her little hand at me. “Mommy! Daddy and I came to pick you up!”

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1 On our eighth anniversary, Lauren claimed she was working late. An hour later, I saw her live-streaming a wedding. Radiant in red, she exchanged vows with my mother’s illegitimate son on a lavish altar. “Wesley is my forever,” she told the camera. I stormed the venue, but she met me with cold indifference. “He has depression. It’s just a therapeutic ceremony,” she sighed. I choked out that his father had driven mine to suicide. She sneered, calling me selfish and accusing me of weaponizing grief. Shattered, I climbed to the roof’s edge. Just as I teetered, my phone rang with a video call from my eighteen-year-old self. Bright-eyed, he grinned. “Future me! How many kids do you and Lauren have?” I numbly turned the camera toward the courtyard, where Lauren kissed Wesley deeply. His face blanched. “Past me,” I whispered, voice breaking, “whatever you do… don’t marry her.” … “My Lauren… why…” His lips trembled violently, unable to process the sight. I had no comfort to offer. My own heart was being slowly shredded to pieces. “This is the reality,” I said, my voice dry and hollow. “Right before you called, I was about to jump.” On the screen, my younger self stared at me with wide, horrified eyes. “How can that be? We are strong. We survived so much.” I let out a bitter, exhausted laugh. “Maybe the people we love the deepest are the ones who can cut us the sharpest. Gary, I’m begging you. Don’t marry her.” He looked entirely lost, his hands hovering over his camera. “But she isn’t even with me right now. She went to find a way to get the money to pay off my debts.” A wave of memory washed over me. Back then, my father had been driven to ruin and death by my mother and her lover’s joint scheme. They had run off with a massive life insurance payout, leaving me with a mountain of predatory debt. Their son, Wesley, had come with loan sharks, smashing up my tiny apartment and breaking my right hand, laughing as I screamed in agony. Just as he was about to slice my face open with a blade, Lauren had thrown herself over my body. “I’ll pay his debt in three days,” she had screamed at them. “Now get the hell out! If anyone touches him, I’ll kill you!” Her fragile shoulders had shielded me from the entire world. Later, I discovered she had raised the cash by selling her blood and plasma at shady, unregulated underground clinics. I had held her close, weeping with guilt and gratitude. But she had simply smiled, proudly showing me her needle-scarred arms. “This is the proof that I protect you,” she had whispered. “It’s my badge of honor for life.” But today, her protection belonged to someone else. “Do you see the groom on the stage?” I asked, my smile cold and self-deprecating. “That’s Wesley.” The younger Gary grew paler, tears spilling down his cheeks. “So… she ended up with the monster who broke my hand?” Before I could answer, Lauren’s voice drifted over. I quickly slipped the phone into my pocket. She noticed my sudden movement and frowned, though she didn’t care enough to investigate. “How long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?” she asked, her tone heavy with irritation. “Stop acting like a bitter housewife, obsessing over every little thing.” When I didn’t respond, her voice turned even colder. “Wesley was young back then. He was just messing around and took things too far. He knows he was wrong, and his guilt literally drove him into depression. What more do you want? He is practically your brother. Do you really have to drive him to suicide to be satisfied?” She looked at me, a woman I had loved for eight years, yet she felt entirely like a stranger. “Wesley is happy today,” she continued, grabbing my arm. “As his older brother, you should go over and toast him.” Ignoring my silent resistance, she dragged me toward the banquet hall. Through my hidden earpiece, the younger Gary was sobbing hysterically. “That’s not Lauren… that’s not her…” I walked like a hollow puppet, my body moving on instinct. I wanted to scream, to cry, but my tears had run dry years ago. The banquet hall was packed with Wesley’s friends. The moment I entered, a wave of whispers, snickers, and mocking glances swept through the room. I stood there like a circus clown, pinned in place by Lauren’s tight grip, enduring their quiet amusement. “Bro, thank you for coming to my wedding.” Wesley walked over, looking smug in his white groom’s suit. He suddenly paused, covering his mouth as if he had said something wrong, his eyes glistening with crocodile tears. “Oh, I’m so sorry, bro. Please don’t misunderstand Lauren and me. She’s just helping with my therapy, holding a fake wedding to cheer me up.” Looking at the triumphant gleam in his eyes, a wave of nausea hit me. I turned to leave, but Wesley’s smile twisted into something sinister. “How can you leave without having a drink?” He snatched a bottle of champagne and popped the cork directly in my face. A torrent of sticky, foaming alcohol sprayed over my face and head, soaking through my collar. The room erupted into roaring laughter. “Look at him, like a drowned rat!” “So pathetic. It’s disgusting.” The stinging liquid got into my eyes and throat, making me cough violently. I instinctively looked at Lauren for support, but someone kicked my foot from behind. I lost my balance, crashing hard onto the concrete step. My hand slammed against the sharp edge of the riser, and blood immediately began to pool on the floor. Lauren’s face tightened. She took a step toward me, but Wesley immediately let out a loud, pathetic sob. “It’s all my fault. I’m so clumsy. I shouldn’t even be alive.” Hearing his whimpers, Lauren froze. She retracted her foot, turning back to pat Wesley’s shoulder gently. “Don’t blame yourself, sweetie. He did it on purpose just to ruin your day. It has nothing to do with you.” Then, she turned a freezing gaze back onto me. “Gary, are you doing this on purpose? Creating this disgusting scene just to make Wesley feel guilty? How can you be so malicious? Apologize to him right now!” I looked at her, my vision blurred by blood and champagne, and smiled softly. “Yes, I am malicious. I won’t ruin your special day anymore.” I got up, turned, and walked away. Lauren looked panicked for a split second. She wanted to call out to me, but her friends quickly pulled her back into the center of the crowd. I patched up my cut in the restroom. When I came out, I saw Lauren and Wesley playing a wedding game, attempting to bite a suspended apple together. The apple slipped, and their lips met in a deep, lingering kiss. The crowd erupted in cheers and wolf whistles. I stood in the shadows, looking like a thief peering into someone else’s joy. As if sensing my presence, Lauren suddenly pulled back. Her lips were still wet, and a flicker of guilt crossed her face before she quickly masked it with a light chuckle. “Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just a game. Don’t be so petty.” She walked over and tried to take my hand. “It’s late. Let’s go home together.” But Wesley clung to her arm, his voice small and needy. “Lauren, my head is spinning. I feel dizzy.” Lauren immediately turned to support him, looking at me with an apologetic shrug. “I’ll help Wesley sober up first. You go on…” I didn’t even look at her. I simply walked past them and out of the venue. “I’ll be right behind you,” she called out. “Wait for me at the entrance.” The venue was in the secluded suburbs, and finding a ride was impossible. I walked for four hours in the pitch black, arriving home just as dawn was breaking. Unsurprisingly, she never caught up. In my pocket, the quiet crying from my younger self hadn’t stopped. “My Lauren would never let me walk alone in the dark,” he whispered, his voice broken. “She would walk with me through any storm.” I looked around the dark, empty living room. “Now, she has someone more important to accompany.” The phone remained silent for a long time, so long that I thought the connection had failed. Then, a cracked, resolute voice came through. “There are still two days before she returns. I will use this time to end things with her forever.” Back in the guest room, I pulled out my suitcase and began packing. My younger self asked quietly, “Are you sleeping in separate rooms? For how long?” I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat. “A year and a half.” The distance began when she hired Wesley as her personal assistant. When I objected to my tormentor being near my wife, we had our first major screaming match. “I just respect his professional talent!” she had yelled. “Can you stop bringing your personal drama into my work like a lunatic?” I had asked for a divorce that night. She had fallen to her knees, weeping and begging me to stay, swearing they were nothing but colleagues. I had softened, believing her promise that she would let him go and never make me sad again. But Wesley stayed. And she began coming home later and later, eventually missing our wedding anniversaries entirely while taking two-week trips with him under the guise of business. She forgot my birthday but kept a detailed schedule of his stomach medications. Finally, one night, Wesley had video-called her, weeping that knowing she lived in the same bed with me made his clinical depression worse. The next day, Lauren threw all my clothes into the guest room, leaving me with a cold command: “Show some compassion for a sick person. You can move back when his depression improves.” The phone went quiet again. Then, my younger self murmured, “Don’t be sad. It will be over soon.” A tear slipped down my cheek. Before I could finish packing, the door was kicked open. Lauren stood there, her eyes wild with fury. She stormed over, pinning me violently against the wall. “Gary, I didn’t think you could be this pathetic! You hired people to threaten Wesley? He is your brother! Where is your goddamn humanity?!” The grip on my throat made me choke, but I stared back at her. “Lauren, are you blind? I don’t know a single soul at that venue. Who would I hire?” She hesitated, her grip loosening slightly. But then, Wesley stepped out from behind her, a fresh, red slap mark prominent on his cheek. He fell to his knees, sobbing. “Gary, you can hit me or curse me, but please don’t be mad at Lauren. She just wanted to help me. I know you hate me. I’ll just go die so I’m not in your way anymore.” I looked at his pathetic, rehearsed drama, wondering how anyone could believe it. Yet Lauren turned a look of deep disgust on me. “You are completely irrational now. Full of lies, bullying the weak. How did you turn into such a monster?” She believed him instantly. I stopped trying to argue. You can’t wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. “Lauren,” I asked quietly, “am I really the only one who changed?” We locked eyes in a silent, stubborn standoff. Finally, she shoved me away. “Gary, if I knew you’d turn into this, I would have regretted ever meeting you!” She turned and ran after Wesley. Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps and a tired but joyful voice echoed from my phone. “Gav, I’m back! I got the money!” “From now on, I will protect you through fire and water.” My body trembled, and tears streamed down my face. It had been so long since I had heard her call me “Gav” with such pure, unadulterated tenderness. “She’s back,” the younger Gary sobbed on the other end. “I can see the needle marks on her arms… it hurts so bad… we loved each other so much, why did it end up like this?” Neither of us spoke for the rest of the night. On his end, the younger Gary greeted Lauren’s triumphant smile with a cold, hollow stare. “Thanks. I’ll pay you back double.” Lauren looked hurt. “Gav, why are you talking about paying me back? I’d give you my life.” When he didn’t soften, her voice began to crack. “Don’t be like this. I’m scared.” I sat in the dark guest room all night, deleting every single photo of her from my phone. At dawn, my younger self spoke again, his voice weary but firm. “The debts are cleared. Wesley wanted to break my other hand, but Lauren chased him off with a kitchen knife. She’s looking for a doctor to fix my hand now. I also saw the ring she bought to propose to me.” “I’m not going to get my hand fixed, and I won’t accept the ring.” Hearing his decision, the heavy weight in my chest suddenly lifted. “Thank you.” I knew how agonizing that choice was for him. But it was the only way out. I rolled my suitcase out into the living room, only to find Wesley already sitting on the sofa, feeding Lauren snacks in an intimate display. He looked up at me, raising an eyebrow in silent triumph. I ignored him entirely, but Lauren grabbed my suitcase. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Now that you’ve brought him into our home,” I said coldly, “I’m clearing out to give you some space. Unless you want me to stay and ruin your fun?” Lauren’s brow furrowed with annoyance. “What fun? I never said…” “It doesn’t matter.” I pulled my hand away and kept walking. “Enough!” Lauren slammed her hand on the table, standing up. “Gary, cut it out! There is a limit to throwing tantrums! You are the one who started this mess, and now you’re running away?” She looked at me with a patronizing sigh of pity. “Do you know that threatening Wesley yesterday could get you detained? It’s only because of his generosity that you aren’t in a cell right now.” I let out a dry sneer. “Well, thank you both so very much.” Lauren kicked the trash can over, her temper flaring. “Enough! I have tolerated you for too long! Gary! Is this how you speak to your wife?!” She glared at me, her voice turning icy. “Apologize to Wesley. Now. Don’t force me to sue you for assault. Even if you’re my husband, I won’t show you favoritism.” In my ear, the sweet voice of the past Lauren drifted in. “Gav, your hand will heal soon,” she whispered softly. “Don’t be afraid. Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side. If it doesn’t heal, I’ll take care of you forever. I’ll be your right hand. Even if you want the moon, I’ll pluck it from the sky for you.” Those sweet promises from the past cut deeper than the cold fury of the woman standing before me now. My eyes grew wet. Lauren, thinking I was finally backing down, softened her tone. “Forget the kneeling. Just say sorry and we can move past this.” “In your dreams.” I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door. Lauren flipped the coffee table in a rage. “Fine! Walk out that door, and don’t you dare think about coming back!” she screamed. Seeing that my pace didn’t falter, a sudden wave of panic flashed across her face, followed by an even deeper rage. She grabbed Wesley by the shoulder. “We already had our wedding, and we haven’t spent the night together yet! If you have any dignity left, don’t come back to disturb us!” She stared at me, tense, waiting for me to break. But I didn’t stop. “Good for you,” I said without looking back. “I hope you two are very happy together.” Her face twisted in fury. She dragged Wesley into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Soon, loud, exaggerated sounds of passion began to echo through the apartment. I walked out, taking a cab straight to the airport. Through the phone, my younger self wept softly. “I didn’t get the surgery. I ran away. I blocked her number.” As he sobbed, the memories in my mind began to blur, rewrite, and fade. Suddenly, the world spun violently out of control.

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1 For three years, Ryan loved bragging to his friends about how I was his ultimate partner-in-crime. Gym sessions, backpacking trips, city exploration, if he wanted to do it, I made it happen. His friends always said, “Ryan hit the jackpot. Dating Nora is like having a premium black-card membership.” Until his childhood best friend, Kayla, came back to the country. She wanted to try the trendy glamping style. Without a second thought, Ryan forwarded her the detailed itinerary I had spent an entire week planning. She wanted to see my favorite band. Ryan swiped the pit tickets I had spent three grueling hours trying to get. “You can just buy tickets for the next tour,” he reasoned. “Kayla barely gets to visit.” Then came the engagement party prep. I spent two weeks running errands with his mother, even paying fifteen thousand dollars out of my own pocket to cover the budget gap. But when the digital invitations went out in our group chat, the bride’s name was left completely blank. Instead, Kayla posted a selfie in the chat wearing the exact white dress I had chosen. Ryan’s mom said I look like the bride-to-be in this. This is so awkward, she wrote. Ryan replied with a laughing emoji. Then he sent me a private message: Don’t overthink it. They’re just teasing. I know you’re mature enough not to make a big deal out of it. The day before the engagement party, Ryan asked me to share my Google Calendar access with Kayla. “She’s going to be helping out with a lot of stuff from now on. It’ll make coordination easier.” I unlocked my phone, opened the app, and revoked his access entirely. Within seconds, my phone lit up with his call. “Nora, what is this?” I let out a soft laugh. “Your premium membership has expired, Ryan. I’m not renewing.” “What are you throwing a tantrum about now?” his voice flared with irritation. “It’s just calendar access. Why do you have to blow everything out of proportion and threaten to break up?” In the background, I heard Kayla’s voice, hushed but perfectly audible. “Ryan, is Nora mad at me? Oh god, this is my fault. I shouldn’t have asked to see your schedule. I just thought it would be easier for us to plan hangouts. Go talk to her, please. Don’t let me get between you two.” Ryan’s tone softened immediately. “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. She’s just had too much free time lately and is overthinking things.” Having comforted her, he turned back to me, his voice hardening. “Did you hear that, Nora? Kayla is so considerate, always thinking of you. You’re usually such an open-minded person. Why do you get so incredibly petty the second she is involved?” Clutching the phone, I looked around the living room, taking in the warm lighting and cozy furniture I had spent months choosing. Suddenly, a wave of profound exhaustion washed over me. It all felt so utterly pointless. “Since she’s so considerate,” I said quietly, “she can have the spot. I’m stepping down as your fiancée.” Ryan’s breath hitched. “Nora, do you have any idea how exhausting you are? Kayla just got back. She has no one else here. What’s wrong with me looking out for her as a friend? If there was ever anything romantic between us, wouldn’t it have happened years ago? Do you really have to be this dramatic?” I walked over to the hallway closet and pulled out my largest suitcase. “If I wasn’t dramatic, I wouldn’t do justice to your pure, innocent friendship. The party is off, Ryan. Don’t call me again.” I hung up before he could reply and began packing my clothes. Mid-fold, the doorbell rang. I opened it to find Kyle, one of Ryan’s closest friends. He stared at the suitcase in my hand, catching his breath. “Nora? What’s going on here?” “Moving out,” I replied flatly. Kyle frowned, stepping forward. “Are you serious right now? Ryan posted in the group chat saying you were throwing a fit and threatening to walk out, but I thought he was joking. Come on, don’t do this. Give him a way out. Kayla just got back, and we all grew up together. It’s natural for him to look after her. Why are you picking a fight over his childhood friend?” I looked at his self-righteous expression. “If she’s everyone’s sister, why don’t you go take care of her?” Kyle stammered, caught off guard. “That’s different, Nora. Kayla and Ryan have always been the closest. Besides, you’re about to marry the guy. Can’t you show a little grace? If you actually walk out of this apartment with a suitcase, where does that leave Ryan’s pride?” I pushed him out the door. “His pride is none of my business.” A short while later, the door was knocked on again. This time, it was Ryan. He held out a beautifully packaged cedarwood candle, a brand I had eyed for months. “I got this for you. I know how much you love the cedarwood scent.” I didn’t reach for it. Kayla stepped up behind him, offering a sweet smile to defuse the tension. “Ryan really loves you, Nora. You shouldn’t make mountains out of molehills.” Ryan’s brow furrowed. “Just take it.” Three years ago, he gave me my first cedarwood candle, telling me he wanted my room to smell like his favorite scent. Now, that same aroma made me sick to my stomach. I stepped back, leaving the door open. “Come in.” Kayla followed him inside, her eyes scanning the living room. On the coffee table lay a printed copy of the venue contract, alongside a thick planner. The cover of the planner was worn white at the edges. Tucked inside were the floor plans for the engagement hall, catering quotes, tasting notes, and a handwritten seating chart I had revised countless times. On the very first page, there was a custom sticker I had bought: Nora & Ryan, Day 1096. She reached out and picked it up. “Oh, this notebook is adorable. Mind if I look?” Before I could say a word, Ryan waved a hand. “Go ahead. It’s just the schedule details anyway.” Kayla flipped through the pages, her finger lingering on the sticker on the first page. She let out a soft gasp. “Wow, I didn’t realize you guys were so sentimental.” She kept flipping. “Actually, this floor plan is perfect. I want to film a vlog tomorrow showing the setup to the entrance. Nora, you color-coded this so beautifully.” She whipped out her phone and lined up a shot. I placed my hand firmly over the page. “Don’t photograph it.” Kayla blinked, quickly pulling her phone back. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it was private.” Ryan’s frown deepened. “Nora, it’s just a planning book. Letting her take a picture would make things run smoother tomorrow.” “It’s my book.” “And your book was made for our engagement,” he countered. He paused, perhaps realizing his voice was too sharp, and gentled his tone. “Nora, I know you’ve worked hard. Once tomorrow is over, I’ll take you to that high-end sushi place you’ve been wanting to try.” I looked him dead in the eye. “Do you honestly think this is about sushi?” A flicker of impatience crossed his face. “Then what do you want? For me to publicly cut ties with Kayla? Our families have been close for decades, and she just got back. I’m not going to treat her like a stranger.” Kayla chimed in instantly. “Ryan, please don’t fight because of me. Nora, if it bothers you that much, I don’t have to show up tomorrow.” Her eyes pooled with unshed tears. Naturally, Ryan shot me an accusatory look. “See? She’s already backing down.” “What exactly has she backed down from?” I asked. “Nora,” he said, using my full name. It was always his final warning before losing his temper. “You can’t let your insecurities run wild and expect the entire world to revolve around your mood.” A sudden weight settled in my chest, draining every ounce of energy I had left. I reached for the copies of the contracts on the table and slid them into an envelope. “The final venue deposit for tomorrow is still outstanding. Your mother asked me to cover it temporarily. I didn’t pay it.” Ryan’s face paled slightly. “Why not?” “Because it’s your family’s engagement party.” “Since when do we keep score like this?” I met his gaze. “Since now.” Kayla bit her lower lip, keeping her head low. “Is this because of me?” she whispered. Ryan’s expression turned stone cold. “Nora, making Kayla walk on eggshells and apologize to you like this, does that make you feel good?” “I didn’t ask her to apologize.” “But you’re backing her into a corner anyway.” Watching him leap to her defense, I realized the absolute futility of trying to explain myself. He placed the candle on the coffee table. “I’m not going to argue with you tonight. I’ll be downstairs at nine tomorrow morning. Get your head straight. Don’t bring this attitude to the venue.” Kayla placed the planner gently back on the table. “See you tomorrow, Nora. I won’t wear the white dress, so please don’t be upset.” At the doorway, she turned back with a faint smile. “Though, Ryan’s mom was right, white really is the prettiest color for an engagement.” The next morning, Ryan arrived downstairs. He called three times before I finally answered. “How much longer am I supposed to wait?” “I told you, I’m not coming.” He kept his voice low, suppressing his rage. “Nora, today is not the day for games. My mother is already asking where you are.” Sure enough, a call from Ryan’s mother beeped through. “Nora, sweetie, a little bickering is normal, but this is a major family event. Don’t humiliate Ryan today.” “Mrs. Harrington, I won’t be attending.” “What do you mean you won’t be attending? You booked the venue, you finalized the tasting menu. If you aren’t here, what are the guests going to think?” “My name isn’t even on the invitation.” She let out a tight, dry laugh. “That was just a printing oversight, dear. You and Ryan have been together for years. Do you really care that much about a typo?” I answered quietly, “Yes. I do.” Her tone turned cold. “Nora, girls who keep score like this don’t make good wives.” Hearing those words, a strange sense of peace washed over me. “Then don’t like me.” Ten minutes later, the lock clicked. Ryan used his spare key to burst into the apartment. “Nora, are you finished yet?” “Yes, I am. That’s why I’m leaving.” He stared at me, his eyes wide. “Over a name on a card and a dress, you’re going to throw away three years of our life?” Kayla stood just outside the open door. Pinned to her chest was a delicate white corsage, the exact custom-made piece I had ordered for myself to wear when greeting guests. She self-consciously touched the petals. “Your mom gave me this, Nora. She said it would look good on camera for the vlog. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was yours.” Ryan turned to her. “Kayla, go wait downstairs.” She didn’t budge. “But Ryan, your mom is panicking at the venue.” The reminder snapped him back to his anger. He turned on me. “Do you hear that? Everyone is waiting on you.” Right. Everyone was waiting. Waiting for me to save a party that didn’t even have my name on the program. Waiting for me to be the sensible, accommodating girl who never made a scene. I picked up the planner from the table and handed it to him. “Everything you need is in here. Take it.” He refused to touch it. “Keep it, and get in the car.” “I’m not going.” He slammed his hand down on my suitcase. “If you walk out that door today, Nora, there’s no turning back. It’s going to get ugly.” “You think it isn’t ugly right now?” His face darkened. Kayla chimed in from the doorway. “Nora, is this about the concert tickets? I can Venmo you the money. Ryan was in a tough spot that day. I was having a hard time adjusting to being back, and he was worried about my mental state.” I stared at her. “If your mental state was so fragile, why did you need my tickets to fix it?” Her lip quivered. “Because I thought we were close enough not to keep track of things. Ryan always said you were the most understanding person he knew.” Ryan jumped in. “Nora, I’ve always cherished how different you are from other girls.” He had said those exact words before, but that time, he had tucked my cold hands into his coat pocket, telling me I never had to play nice or please anyone. “So ‘different’ just means I’m the one who’s supposed to yield?” “It’s not about yielding, it’s about boundaries,” Ryan argued, his voice dropping an octave. “Kayla had a brutal few years abroad. Her father was incredibly sick, and she had to handle it all alone. She reached out to me because she trusts me.” “And what about me?” He looked at me as if the question itself was absurd. “You’re my girlfriend. Of course you’re different.” “How?” He had no answer. From the door, Kayla checked her phone. “Ryan, the videographer just arrived.” Ryan sighed, rubbing his temples. “Nora, please don’t force me to manage your insecurities right now.” I shoved the planning book into his chest. “You don’t have to.” His fingers closed around the cover, his hand instantly wrapping around my wrist. His grip was fiercely tight. “I’ll come back tonight, and we’ll talk this through properly.” I yanked my arm free. “No need.” Clutching the planner, he finally turned and left with Kayla. The front door clicked shut. I sat on the hardwood floor, staring at the empty space. I unlocked my phone and dialed a contact I hadn’t messaged in a long time. Hi, David. I need to consult you on recovering shared premarital expenses and cash advances. His reply was swift. Send over the documentation. Also, that out-of-state transfer opportunity you mentioned last time? The confirmation window closes this afternoon. I stared at the text. My thumbs flew over the screen. I’m in. Confirm my transfer. When I arrived at the hotel, the rehearsal was already underway. The event coordinator had contacted me, warning me that since my signature was on the secondary vendor sheets, any breach of contract or delay fees would fall squarely on my shoulders. I walked into the ballroom to find Kayla holding my planner, directing the videographer. “We’ll shoot a quick clip of me adjusting the floral arrangements here. Then, when Ryan walks in from the side, I’ll hand him the bouquet.” I walked up to them. Kayla froze mid-sentence. “Nora, you made it.” Ryan’s shoulders visibly dropped with relief when he spotted me. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” His mother hurried over, taking my hand in hers. “Thank goodness. A little pre-wedding jitter is fine, but we have a schedule to keep.” I pulled my hand out of her grip. “I’m only here to clarify liability. The primary contract for this venue is under Ryan’s name, not mine.” Mrs. Harrington’s face soured. “Nora, do you have to be so difficult today?” A few relatives nearby began to whisper, turning their heads. Kayla quickly stepped in, her voice trembling. “Mrs. Harrington, Nora is probably still upset with me. Maybe I should leave so I don’t ruin this for everyone.” Yet, her hands remained tightly wrapped around the bridal bouquet. “Kayla, stay, you’ve been such a help today,” an aunt chimed in. “Nora, you really need to be more gracious. Ryan has spoiled you. Throwing a fit on your own engagement day is just childish.” Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nora, let’s talk in the dressing room.” “We can say it right here.” Kayla suddenly thrust the bouquet toward me. “Nora, here. You should hold this. Your mom only had me stand in for the rehearsal because we were worried the delay would ruin the schedule.” I looked down at the flowers. Wrapped around the stems was a faded mint-green ribbon. It had been salvaged from the bookmark of my old journal. Three years ago, on a freezing winter night when Ryan’s first business went under and we couldn’t even afford rent, he had tied that very ribbon around my ring finger. With tear-filled eyes, he had whispered, Nora, on the day of our engagement, I will replace this with the biggest diamond I can find. I reached out, untied the mint ribbon, and slipped it into my pocket. “Keep the flowers.” Kayla stood frozen. His mother finally snapped. “Nora, what is wrong with you? This party is a reflection of our family’s social standing. If you have grievances, air them behind closed doors. Stop publicly humiliating my son.” I looked directly at Ryan. “Is that what you think too?” Ryan avoided my eyes, looking down. “Nora, let’s just get through the ceremony first. I’ll explain the name thing on stage. I have a plan.” Kayla tugged gently at his sleeve. “Ryan, maybe we should skip it. That segment was supposed to be a surprise, but with Nora in this state, she might not appreciate the humor.” A surprise. The word clicked in my head. I walked straight past them to the AV control booth and booted up the presentation slides on the laptop. I clicked to the third slide: Special Thanks: Nora, for three years of companionship, witnessing the beautiful bond of friendship and love. Next slide: Fiancée Candidate Game: Kayla. I clicked through the deck. It was a mock game show. Ryan was supposed to pull cards to choose between Kayla and me, building up fake suspense before dramatically declaring, “Of course, the real bride-to-be is Nora.” A small note at the bottom read: Create initial tension for maximum dramatic effect. Nora must play along. I looked back at Ryan. The color had completely drained from his face. “The emcee suggested that bit. I hadn’t officially signed off on it yet.” “Nora, please don’t be mad,” Kayla blurted out. “I told them it was a bad idea, but everyone kept saying how easygoing you are. We thought you’d find it funny.” Ryan lunged forward to shut down the laptop screen. “Nora, close it.” I stepped back, out of his reach. “Did you know about this?” Silence. Kayla lowered her head, her voice shaking. “Ryan didn’t know the specifics. I coordinated it with the emcee. If you want to blame someone, blame me.” Ryan finally spoke, his voice strained. “I figured the big reveal at the end would make the final toast even more special. The game was just to get the crowd warmed up.” I nodded slowly. “So you decided to make me a laughingstock first.” “It’s not like that,” he said, stepping closer, desperate. “Nora, I wanted to give you a day you’d never forget.” I reached into my bag, pulled out a printed ledger, and slammed it onto the control desk. “This is the itemized list of every expense I’ve covered for you over the last three years. It totals forty-two thousand dollars. My lawyer has already received the copy.” He stared at the papers, completely dumbfounded. “Three years together, and you’re turning it into a business transaction?” I didn’t bother replying. I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit. He chased after me, grabbing my wrist with a crushing grip. “Nora, don’t you dare walk out of here!” “I’ve been playing along for three years,” I said, peeling his fingers off my wrist, one by one. “The schedule is yours, the bill is yours, and the spot next to you is hers.” As I walked away without looking back, Ryan stared at my retreating figure, a cold wave of panic finally settling deep in his chest.

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1 Ten years after I walked away from James, I became the target of a rain-slicked serial killer. As the lead detective on the case, he saved my life, but afterward, he treated me with the cold, sterile professionalism of a stranger. Until I ran into him in my apartment building’s elevator. He smirked, utterly convinced I had stalked him there. “Jennifer, you don’t have to do this,” he said, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. “Following me all the way here? If you wanted to explain yourself, just say it.” The elevator chimed, stopping at the twelfth floor. I stared at him, completely speechless, before calmly stepping out. I pointed to the door right behind me. “I’m home, Lieutenant.” … The rain started in the evening. It began as a soft, rhythmic patter against the bookstore’s glass windows, slowly swelling into a heavy, continuous wall of white noise. It was the perfect backdrop, letting me lose myself completely in the pages of a psychological thriller. A sudden flash of lightning shattered my focus. I blinked, pulling myself back to reality, only to realize how late it had gotten. As I packed up to close the shop, I glanced at the wall clock. It was 10:42 PM. The torrential downpour had cleared the streets, leaving the asphalt dark and empty. My apartment wasn’t far. Opening my umbrella, I stepped into the chill of the damp night air. Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket, the vibration making me jump. It was a local news alert. A serial killer targeting lone women had struck again, and the active search area was right here in Southside, my neighborhood. A cold shiver snaked down my spine. I instinctively quickened my pace. Of course, that was when I heard it, the heavy, wet thud of boots splashing in the puddles behind me. Peeking past the edge of my umbrella, I stole a glance over my shoulder. I barely had time to register a dark silhouette before a heavy arm swung upward. “Ah!” A blinding pain exploded at the back of my skull. My vision swam, and the world began to tilt. As the darkness rushed in to swallow me, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a tall, familiar figure sprinting toward me through the rain. Was I hallucinating? The sharp, medicinal sting of disinfectant was the first thing that hit my senses. My eyelids felt like they were weighted with lead. I struggled to focus on the man sitting in the chair beside my hospital bed. He wore a crisp police uniform, his broad shoulders slumped with exhaustion. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees, eyes closed, his brow furrowed in a deep, tight frown. My head throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache. Everything in the room seemed to have a hazy, glowing edge. I rubbed my eyes, squinting to make out his features. He was alert. The slightest rustle of my sheets was enough to make his eyes snap open. “You’re awake,” he said. As he sat up, the fluorescent lights caught his face. The sharp lines of his jaw, the familiar depth of his voice, it all came rushing back. I couldn’t believe it. “James?” “Yeah.” He stood up, turning to call the doctor. James and I had been high school sweethearts. We shared a desk, shared our secrets, and fell in love with the easy intensity of youth. We had promised each other we would go to the same university. If it hadn’t been for the car crash right before graduation, we probably would have been married by now. The doctor walked in behind him, conducting a brief, routine check. “Nothing to worry about. Just a mild concussion. Get some rest, and you can be discharged tomorrow morning.” “Thank you, Doctor,” James said, politely escorting him to the door. “What time is it?” I asked, my voice sounding thin and raspy. “Twelve-thirty.” He walked back to the bedside but didn’t sit down. He stood there, tall and imposing, looking down at me. “So, what were you doing out so late?” He gestured to the gold lieutenant’s insignia on his shoulders, making sure I saw it. “Is it that hard to figure out? I’m the lead detective on this case. In the last seven days, two young women have been targeted in that exact block. Both on rainy nights. Both about five-foot-five, just like you.” He delivered the facts with a flat, clinical detachment, but the reality of it made my stomach drop. The danger had been right on my heels. “Did you… did you catch him?” My voice trembled. “We were patrolling nearby when we heard the struggle. I ran to get to you, and he used the distraction to slip away.” His tone remained utterly level, devoid of any warmth. “But at least you’re alive.” “I’m sorry…” “Jennifer,” he interrupted, using my full name. I looked up, meeting his dark, intense gaze. He was broader now than he had been ten years ago, his handsome face weathered by time and the harsh realities of his job, giving him a rugged, mature edge. But his eyes were exactly the same. “What exactly are you apologizing for?” He paused, his voice dropping a fraction colder. The question hung in the air, wrapping around my throat. I couldn’t find the words, and the silence stretched between us like an ocean. A flicker of disappointment crossed his features. “Never mind. Don’t worry about it. Saving you was just me doing my job.” I knew I should say something. I knew exactly what he wanted to hear, but there were too many ghosts, too many unspoken misunderstandings piled between us. Seeing me remain silent, he picked up his jacket from the chair. “Since you don’t have anything to say, I’ll head out. I’ve got an officer stationed outside your door. Get some rest.” “James.” He reached the doorway, and the name slipped past my lips before I could stop it. He paused, looking back at me over his shoulder. “Thank you for tonight.” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Just ‘thank you’?” 2 By the next morning, my vitals had stabilized, and the doctor cleared the police to take my official statement. The door pushed open, and James walked in, followed by a younger officer. James had dark circles bruising the skin under his eyes, and a rough shadow of stubble dusted his jaw. “Miss Jennifer, Lieutenant James gave us the overview, but we need you to walk us through the timeline of last night in your own words,” the young officer said, his tone gentle and encouraging. I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat as I tried to piece the memories together. “I was locking up the bookstore. I stepped outside at exactly 10:42 PM. The rain was coming down hard.” “Did you notice anything unusual when you first started walking?” “No, not at first. I turned the corner onto the main street, walked maybe one or two hundred yards, and then I heard footsteps behind me. I went to look back, and that’s when I saw him, a man in a black raincoat with the hood pulled low.” A wave of cold dread washed over me as the memory replayed. My voice faltered. The young officer pressed gently. “Did you notice any physical characteristics? Height? Build?” “He was a bit taller than me, maybe five-foot-nine. Very thin. I couldn’t see his face,” I said, straining to remember any detail that might help. “Wait, his left hand. He had a large, textured scar on his wrist, running up his forearm. It looked like an old, severe burn.” James, who had been listening silently, stopped scribbling in his notepad. The look on his face, the intense, hyper-focused scowl, was identical to the way he used to look in high school when he was trying to crack a difficult math problem. For a split second, the man in front of me overlapped perfectly with the boy from my past, and a sharp ache bloomed in my chest. “The scar,” James said, his voice husky from a night of no sleep. “Can you be more specific about the size and shape?” “It was on the outside of his left forearm, right near the wrist. It was jagged, irregular, about the size of a palm.” James nodded, his pen scratching against the paper. “Understood. This suspect is highly likely to target you again, so you need to be extremely careful. You’re our primary lead and our main concern, so we will be keeping a very close eye on you.” He paused, reaching into his tactical vest to pull out his personal phone. He unlocked it and held it out to me in one smooth, practiced motion. “Put your number in. Call me immediately if you see anything off. And try not to go out alone unless it’s absolutely necessary.” I quickly tapped my digits into the screen. “My social media is linked to that number too…” The words slipped out before my brain could stop them. James looked up, a faint glint of surprise softening his eyes. I quickly lowered my head, my cheeks burning. A thick, awkward silence settled over the room. The young officer suddenly cleared his throat, looking between us with a knowing grin before backing out of the room. James’s thumb swiped across his screen a few times. A second later, my own phone buzzed on the bedside table with a new friend request. The doctor walked in, breaking the tension. “Miss Jennifer, your discharge papers are signed. Just make sure to get plenty of rest, avoid any strenuous activity, and follow up if you feel dizzy.” “Thank you, Doctor.” I gathered my things, ready to leave. “I’ll drive you,” James said, his eyes fixed on the rain sliding down the window pane. “Excuse me?” He turned around, his expression flat. “Do you see anyone else in this room?” “There’s no need to trouble yourself, Lieutenant,” I said quickly, trying to re-establish the boundary between us. “I can just call a cab. It’s a short ride.” After the cold way he had spoken to me the night before, I didn’t think I had the stomach to sit in a cramped car alone with him. His jaw tightened, as if he wanted to argue, but he ultimately just pressed his lips into a thin line and opened the door for me. “Officer Cole, escort Miss Jennifer downstairs and make sure she gets into a cab safely.” 3 The taxi pulled up to the curb outside my apartment complex. The air outside smelled of wet earth and fresh rain. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as I walked toward my building. I scanned my key fob at the entrance, hurried through the lobby, and headed toward the elevators. One of the cabs was sitting open on the ground floor, the doors just starting to slide shut. I jogged forward to catch it, but before I could reach out, a large, calloused hand slipped between the sliding metal doors, forcing them back open. My eyes met James’s. For a second, we both just stood there, frozen in mutual shock. What on earth was he doing here? The doors closed, sealing us inside the small metal box. The faint, comforting scent of tobacco and clean spice radiated off him. He was tall, his broad frame taking up a significant portion of the space as he stood just half a step behind me. I kept my eyes down, quietly reaching out to press the button for the twelfth floor. “Jennifer,” he started, his tone light and self-assured. “If you wanted to explain things, or if you just wanted to talk, we exchanged numbers. You could have called. Or asked to grab a coffee.” He paused, a smug little smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You didn’t have to follow me all the way here. Seriously.” I didn’t say a word. I just turned my head and stared at him with a look that I hoped conveyed my deep concern for his mental sanity. Ten years apart had apparently turned him into an incredibly delusional man. James met my gaze, the smugness in his eyes giving way to a tiny, hopeful expectation. “Now that you’ve followed me to my building, what is it you want to say? Go ahead, I’m listening…” Ding. The elevator announced our arrival at the twelfth floor. Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, I stepped briskly out of the elevator. I turned back to face him, pointing to the apartment door directly opposite the hallway. “Lieutenant James, this is my apartment. I live here.” The elevator doors began to slide shut. Through the narrowing gap, I saw him spin around, his back to me, suddenly incredibly busy. He yanked out his phone, rubbed his nose, and frantically started pressing buttons on the control panel. It turns out, even tough detectives look incredibly stupid when they’re dying of embarrassment. Back inside my apartment, I couldn’t help but wonder. Did he live here too? I had been here for six months and had never run into him once. But then again, given his erratic hours and demanding job, it made sense. My phone vibrated. A text from James. Which unit? I replied with a question mark. A long pause, then: Protocol. We’re setting up a perimeter around your residence and frequent locations. Since I live in the building, I’m taking this sector. Apt 1203. Thanks, Lieutenant. For the next two days, my life fell into a quiet, repetitive routine. On the surface, everything seemed normal, but the unmarked car parked near my bookstore and the unfamiliar faces lingering in my building’s courtyard were constant reminders that the threat was still out there. Since adding James on social media, my phone would buzz like clockwork twice a day, once at 7:30 AM and again at 10:30 PM. Morning. Night. Never a second late. Never an extra punctuation mark. It was clear he was just keeping tabs on his high-priority target, making sure I was still breathing. On the third day, the storm returned. What started as a light drizzle in the afternoon turned into a roaring deluge by nightfall. Heavy sheets of rain whipped against my living room windows, the wind howling through the concrete corridors of the building. Anxiety settled deep in my chest. I curled up in the corner of my sofa, trying to lose myself in a book to block out the storm. Suddenly, a sound cut through the noise. Knock. Knock, knock. It was soft, but in the quiet of my apartment, it sounded like a gunshot. Who could it be? I had no family in this city, and my few friends never dropped by unannounced, especially not in a storm like this. My heart hammered against my ribs. I quietly picked up a heavy metal dumbbell from the floor and crept toward the door on tip-toe. Knock, knock, knock… The sound came again, faster this time. Panic, cold and sharp, flooded my veins. The Southside Slayer. Rainy nights. Lone women. The words flashed in my mind like a neon sign. I held my breath, leaning in to look through the peephole. But the hallway was pitch black. The motion-activated lights outside hadn’t turned on. I couldn’t see a thing. Had they left? Or were they standing right out there, waiting for me to open the door? Cold sweat broke out across my forehead. I couldn’t just stand here. I dialed James’s number. It rang once. Twice. “Jennifer?” James’s voice came through, tense and alert, accompanied by the faint, muffled sound of rain in the background. “James…” My voice cracked, tears hot against my eyelids. “Someone is knocking on my door. I can’t see who it is. The hallway is completely dark.” “Are you at home? Apt 1203?” “Yes.” “Stay on the line. Lock the door, don’t make a sound. I’m on my way.” His words came in a rapid-fire clip. I retreated to the corner behind the sofa, clutching the phone to my ear as I heard him bark orders into his radio: “All units, we have an active suspect at Apt 1203! Perimeter team, seal the lobby immediately! I’m moving in.” Seconds stretched into agonizing eternities. Suddenly, heavy, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway outside, rushing straight toward my door. Knock, knock, knock. The wood rattled against the frame.

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1 My best friend Manon volunteered to get the campus heartthrob’s number for me. She had a massive crush on his best friend, Nate, so she figured she could kill two birds with one stone. Thanks to her help, Chase and I ended up in a late-night, sweet-talking online relationship that lasted for three months. By the time we decided to meet up in person, Manon had also managed to win over Nate. We planned a double date to finally take things offline. But when the guys arrived at the restaurant, they both walked straight past me and grabbed Manon’s hands. Nate immediately threw a playful punch at Chase’s shoulder. “Your girl is right there, man. What the hell are you doing holding mine?” Chase froze. His gaze slowly drifted to my pale, bloodless face, his jaw tightening as he looked back at Manon. “This isn’t fair,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, strained whisper. “When I gave out my number, I thought she was the one asking for it.” He looked at Nate, his eyes flashing with stubborn defiance. “I’m going to compete with you, Nate. Fair and square.” “As for Hazel…” Chase turned back to me, his expression suddenly washing clean of any emotion. “Let’s just end this. Let’s pretend none of it ever happened.” The moment the words left Chase’s mouth, Nate lost his temper. “What kind of garbage are you talking?” Nate growled, pulling Manon closer to his side as if he was terrified she might vanish. “Manon and I actually love each other. I’m not competing with you over anything.” But Chase didn’t back down an inch. “May the best man win. Otherwise, I’m not letting this go. I’m certainly not going to stand by and bless your relationship.” Manon stood trapped in the middle of their glaring match, looking completely stressed and helpless. I kept my head down, staring at the polished wooden table. I didn’t say a single word. From start to finish, not a single person in that huddle looked at me. Except for Chase, when he casually tossed out that cold, clean breakup. He had been so incredibly quick to declare his loyalty to Manon. Yet, just twenty minutes before we walked into the restaurant, his text was sitting in my inbox: Can’t wait to see you, baby. I adore you. As the two boys continued to argue, their voices rising, the other diners in the restaurant began to turn and stare at our table. “Shut up, both of you. Stop making a scene,” Manon snapped, her eyes flashing with anger. “Go home. My head is a complete mess right now. I need some time to think.” She grabbed my wrist, her grip firm and reassuring. “Hazel, let’s go.” I didn’t say a word, letting her pull me along like a ghost. But Chase stepped into our path, blocking the exit like a solid brick wall. “I’ll drive you guys back.” “If anyone is driving them, it’s me,” Nate shot back, pushing his way forward. Manon shoved past them both. “I said I need space! Neither of you follow us!” She dragged me out of the restaurant and hailed a cab, leaving both of them standing on the sidewalk. As we sat in the backseat of the taxi, Manon turned to me, her eyes brimming with guilt. “Hazel, I’m so incredibly sorry. I had no idea Chase had confused us. I swear to you, I’ll never say yes to him. I know how much you care about him. I’ll make sure he understands.” She looked closer at me, her voice dropping into a gentle, worried whisper. “Hazel, are you okay?” I forced myself to look out the window, blinking rapidly against the hot tears stinging my eyes. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” “I’m just really tired. I think I’m going to close my eyes for a bit.” I pulled my face mask up over my nose, nearly to my eyes. Underneath the fabric, the tears finally overflowed, tracking silently down my cheeks. We didn’t speak for the rest of the ride. When we got back to the dorm, my roommates immediately crowded around me, their faces bright with excitement. They had spent hours that afternoon helping me curl my hair, doing my makeup, and picking out the perfect outfit. They had teased me, saying I was going to make Chase’s head spin. But when they saw my swollen eyes and the ruined tracks in my makeup, their smiles vanished. “What happened, Hazel?” “Why are you crying? Did he do something to you?” I swallowed the heavy sob rising in my throat, my voice trembling. “We… we broke up. It turns out I wasn’t the girl he wanted.” The moment the words left my lips, I lost all control, burying my face in my hands and sobbing until my chest ached. Three months of sweet messages, of late-night calls, of believing I was finally loved, gone in a single second. I had truly believed the universe was finally being kind to a quiet girl like me. But it was all just a cruel, humiliating joke. 2 That night, I lay in bed, staring at the blue light of my phone screen. I scrolled through the endless log of our chat history from the last three months. Chase had been incredibly clingy, constantly blowing up my phone with sweet, trivial updates throughout his day. Good morning, baby. I grabbed some breakfast for you. Get up, get up! Class is so boring today. I need a kiss to get through this. I miss you. Why aren’t you replying to me? Your boyfriend’s daily subscription has expired. Please pay ninety-nine kisses to renew. Select electronic transfer or manual delivery. Every single word, once a source of secret joy, now felt like a jagged piece of glass twisting in my chest. My thumb hovered over his profile picture, eventually tapping it open to reveal a photo he had sent me during his summer trip to Paris. He was standing beneath the Eiffel Tower, looking effortlessly handsome, his dark hair slightly windswept, a bright, confident smile on his lips. Next time, I’m going to kiss you right under the Eiffel Tower. My tears wet my pillow, drying only to be replaced by fresh ones. I kept my finger pressed against the delete button. I knew that letting him go was the only way to heal, and that I had already been humiliated enough. But my heart was a stubborn, foolish thing. It still fluttered at the sight of his face. Ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to delete him. The next day, I sat through my lectures like a hollow shell, my mind completely blank. On my way back to the dorm, I saw Chase standing near the entrance of my building. I immediately lowered my head, trying to slip past him, but he stepped directly into my path. “Excuse me,” I whispered, my fingers tightening around the edge of my textbook. “Hazel.” His voice was just as beautiful as I remembered, but the warmth was gone, replaced by a polite, clinical distance. It was hard to believe this was the same boy who had gently cooed me to sleep just two nights ago. “Do you need something?” I kept my eyes fixed on his shoes, terrified he would see how swollen my eyelids still were. “Can you send me Manon’s contact card?” I froze, my breath catching in my throat. “Nate won’t give it to me, and Manon has blocked my number,” he continued, completely oblivious to the pain radiating off me. “Since you’re her best friend, I figured you’d have a way to reach her.” He was so incredibly cruel. He was standing right in front of me, asking me to help him pursue my best friend, as if the last three months had been absolutely nothing to him. I shook my head slowly. “No. If she wanted you to have her contact info, she would have given it to you herself.” “I have to go.” I made a move to step around him. “Are you keeping it from me out of petty jealousy?” Chase asked, his voice sharp. I stopped dead in my tracks. Chase took a step closer, looking down at me with a hard, defensive expression. “Hazel, you’re only refusing to give me her number because you don’t want me to chase her, aren’t you?” “Come on. We only talked for three months. It’s not like we had some deep, life-altering romance. And I only put effort into those chats because I believed I was talking to Manon.” “In this entire mess, I’m the one who got screwed over. Why didn’t you just ask for my number yourself instead of sending your gorgeous friend to do it? You were too cowardly, too afraid of rejection to stand in front of me.” “Now the girl I actually wanted is dating my best friend, and I’m left with nothing. How are you going to make this up to me?” His words felt like physical blows, bruising my chest. In his eyes, I wasn’t the sweet girl he had fallen for online; I was a manipulative, deceitful coward who had tricked him. My fingernails bit deep into my palms. I forced my spine to go perfectly straight. I kept my head down, keeping my voice as level as possible. “I’m sorry, Chase.” “I can’t make it up to you. If I could go back to that day, I would never have let anyone ask for your number on my behalf. It’s my fault there was a misunderstanding, and you can think whatever you want of me.” “But Manon is my best friend. If she doesn’t want to talk to you, I will never make that choice for her. You can pursue her, you can get her number from anyone else on this campus, but it will never be from me.” “I don’t betray my friends.” As the last word slipped out, a heavy tear slipped from my eye, splashing onto the pavement between us. I quickly wiped my cheek and lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his eyes. Seeing my raw, tear-streaked face, Chase froze, a sudden flicker of panic crossing his features. “If we’re done here, I’m leaving,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. Chase ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly frustrated and deeply annoyed with himself. “Fuck… I didn’t mean… look, I wasn’t trying to…” He trailed off, letting out a sharp breath. “Whatever. Just go.” I turned and walked away, keeping my back perfectly straight even though my vision was a blurry mess. It was truly over. The end of a three-month mistake, and the death of a five-year secret. I never got to tell him the truth. I never got to say: Chase, I’ve loved you for five years. 3 I had been in love with Chase for five years. He had probably forgotten, but our very first meeting had been during our freshman year of high school. I had just moved to the big city prep school from a tiny, rural middle school, feeling completely out of place. During the opening ceremony, Chase had stood on the stage as the student representative. Even in the plain school uniform, he looked incredibly handsome and bright. I had been standing at the very back of the crowd, but his clear, confident voice had cut through the chatter of the students and the rustling wind, settling deep into my heart. Perhaps the weather and the light had just been too perfect that day, but love had found me in an instant. Of course, I knew we belonged to different worlds. Chase was the golden boy, beloved by everyone. I was just a quiet, plain girl from the countryside. I kept my crush tucked away, using it as a sweet secret to bring a little color to my ordinary life. Our only actual interaction in high school had happened on a rainy evening during junior year. Most of the students had parents picking them up. My parents were working in another province, and my elderly grandmother had bad knees and couldn’t walk in the rain, so I was left waiting alone in the lobby. Watching the torrential downpour, I braced myself, wrapping my backpack over my head, preparing to dash into the storm. Suddenly, a hand caught my shoulder, and a heavy umbrella was shoved into my grip. When the umbrella shifted, Chase was standing there. He gave me a bright, easy grin and winked. “Girls shouldn’t walk in the rain.” With that, he dashed out into the storm, letting the water soak through his jacket. I shouted a thank you after him, but he didn’t turn back, simply waving a hand over his shoulder as he disappeared into the grey sheet of water. That rainy day, and the frantic drumming of my heart, had stayed with me all the way to college. But now, the storm had finally cleared. I had never harbored any grand illusions about us, until I crossed paths with Manon again in university. Manon had been my best friend in elementary school before her parents divorced and she moved to the city. Reuniting on campus felt like a miracle. She was a dance major, gorgeous and graceful, while I studied literature. Despite the years apart, our friendship was as strong as ever, and she remained just as beautiful as she had been as a child. She spent a lot of time with me, and she was the one who noticed how I looked at Chase when he played basketball. She told me I was terrible at hiding my feelings. I insisted that watching him from afar was enough, but Manon pushed me to be brave. “Life is short, Hazel. You have to go after what you want.” She eventually volunteered to get his number for me, pointing out that she was planning to ask Nate for his number anyway, so she might as well ask for both. I should have said no. But greed got the better of me, and I agreed. When Manon walked onto the basketball court, every eye in the stands followed her. She was a natural head-turner. I should have realized then that anyone would look at her first. I had been so nervous my chest felt tight, terrified Chase would reject her. From my seat in the stands, I saw Manon point in my direction. I quickly looked away, my cheeks burning, but managed to peek back just in time to see Chase smile and nod, handing over his phone. I felt like I had won the lottery. The days that followed had been so sweet, so effortless, as we quickly fell into an online relationship. But eventually, the clock struck midnight, and Cinderella was sent back to her reality. On our double date, I had watched Chase stand up with a massive bouquet of blue bells, my favorite flowers. He had smiled, walking straight past me, and taken Manon’s hand. I missed you, baby. That was the moment I realized the last three months had been a stolen dream. The basketball court had been too loud that day, and Chase had assumed the gorgeous girl asking for his number wanted it for herself. If only I had been a little braver. If only I had stood in front of him myself, even if it meant being rejected. It would have been better than this humiliating mess. 4 The next day, I blocked Chase’s number and deleted his contact, determined to return to my quiet, orderly life. I threw myself into my studies, spending my days in the library and my nights in the dorm, pretending the last three months had never happened. Meanwhile, Chase began to pursue Manon with an aggressive, public intensity, as if trying to make up for lost time. Nate, of course, fought back just as fiercely. The campus forums were filled with threads analyzing the love triangle, with students placing bets on who the star of the dance department would choose. When someone in the comments pointed out that Chase had recently been dating someone else, Chase had replied to the thread himself: We broke up. I had the wrong girl. It was a simple, brutal summary of our relationship. My roommates quickly learned not to mention his name around me, keeping a careful watch on my expression whenever we passed the athletic fields. I always offered them a small, reassuring smile, letting them know I was fine. A month passed, and I hadn’t reached out to Manon. I knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, but my heart was still too tender, and I needed time to heal. She understood, giving me the space I needed. Until one afternoon, she showed up outside my lecture hall, holding a small box from my favorite bakery. “Hazel, I’ve missed you so much,” she said, her eyes shining with a soft, pleading look. “I bought your favorite chocolate hazelnut cake. Can we grab dinner tonight?” Looking at her nervous, sweet face, my heart softened. It really wasn’t her fault. I nodded, offering her a genuine smile. On the way to the restaurant, Manon chattered happily, catching me up on everything I had missed over the last month. I listened quietly, nodding along, until she casually mentioned a necklace Nate had bought her. She froze mid-sentence, her face instantly falling. “I’m so sorry, Hazel. I shouldn’t have brought that up.” Looking at her panicked expression, I couldn’t help but laugh softly. “It’s fine, Manon. Really. I’ve moved on.” But my words only made her eyes well up with tears. She knew how deeply I had cared for Chase, and she knew about the five years of quiet longing that had preceded it. She threw her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Hazel. I should have been clearer when I asked him for his number. It’s all my fault. I owe you a million apologies.” “Chase is an absolute idiot. How could he not see how amazing you are?” “I promise you, I will never date him. I don’t care how hard he tries.” I patted her back gently, comforting her. “It’s okay, Manon. Even if you do date him, I won’t mind. I only care about you.” My words only made her sob harder, and we ended up canceling our dinner plans, heading straight to a quiet campus pub instead. She ordered a row of shots, claiming she was going to help me release all my pent-up sadness. But after a few rounds, she was the one who ended up completely wasted, crying into her glass. As I struggled to figure out how to get her back to her apartment, her phone rang. It was Nate. Hearing that Manon was drunk, he insisted on coming to help, promising he’d be there in ten minutes. He arrived quickly, but my heart sank when I saw the tall figure walking in right behind him. “He’s like a bad shadow,” Nate muttered, looking annoyed. “He overheard me on the phone and insisted on tagging along.” I looked up, my eyes meeting Chase’s dark, unreadable gaze.

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