Chapter 1

My boyfriend secretly took annual leave and didn't tell me.

He hid it from me, traveling for seven days with his female 'best friend.'

After the trip, they were still clinging to each other, unwilling to part ways.

They were wrapped in an embrace right outside my apartment building.

His female 'bestie' quickly pecked him on the cheek.

Her voice, sickeningly sweet and soft, a syrupy whisper.

“You’ve served this queen well this week. Consider this your reward.”

Liam Miller’s gaze was light and wild, but when he looked up, he accidentally met my eyes.

I smirked, walking forward to fling my keys at Liam.

“What, not going to continue? Go on up. I’ll leave the bed free for you two.”

The playful smile vanished from Liam’s face. His pale skin instantly flushed crimson.

It was around eight or nine in the evening, prime time for people to be out in the neighborhood park.

My sarcasm had already drawn quite a crowd.

“Chloe, don’t overthink this. Serena’s just like that, we’re nothing…”

Serena Davis practically stumbled out of Liam’s embrace, giving his shoulder a mock punch. Her tone was overly casual, almost too carefree.

“Chloe, really, don’t misunderstand. We’re just best buddies. I’m just used to it, I couldn’t help it.”

Used to it?

I didn’t get angry; instead, I laughed. Liam and I had been together for five years.

What kind of habit was that hard to break?

Liam was completely under Serena’s spell. Seeing her feigned guilty expression, he playfully reached out to pinch her cheek.

I felt like nothing more than an irrelevant prop in their disgusting little flirt show. Just another pawn in their twisted game.

“Oh, I’m not overthinking. I just think you two have such an amazing relationship. Your ‘brotherly’ bond truly moves me.”

“Go on, keep hugging! What’s the fun if only I know? Let everyone see how you ‘besties’ normally interact. Just hugging isn’t enough, is it? Kiss again! Besties are supposed to be devoted to each other, right?”

The atmosphere around us instantly froze. Liam and Serena wiped the playful smiles from their faces.

The stares from onlookers were like daggers piercing right through us. Even the kids, who had been playing, clung to their parents, seemingly waiting for the drama to unfold.

Serena’s eyes instantly welled up, her voice thick with a sob.

“Chloe, what do you mean? You’re being so disrespectful.”

Liam’s face was awful. He took a step towards me, glaring down.

“All the good mood I built up on the trip, you just ruined it. I even brought you a gift, but I didn’t expect you to make such a big deal out of nothing the moment you saw me. Guess I was just deluding myself.”

He walked towards me, not out of concern, but to shield Serena behind him. His tone was full of contempt and displeasure, aggressive and demanding.

In the past, I would have burst into tears, begging him, emphasizing how much I loved him, panicked and speaking without thinking.

But now, I suddenly felt disgusted.

I even felt a little annoyed at myself for being so tongue-tied, only able to spit out such toothless insults.

My eyes were dry and aching. I looked past Liam to gaze at that simpering ‘best friend’ behind him.

I’d known Liam for almost seven years. I always knew he had a group of close friends he’d grown up with.

But I never expected his relationship with Serena to be this deep.

They drank from the same cup, ate from the same bowl.

They went to the movies together, went hiking and camping together.

I’d questioned him, showed my vulnerability, thrown tantrums, cried.

In the end, all I got was their perfectly synchronized reply:

“We’ve always been like this since we were kids. It’s just habit.”

“We’re just best friends. You’re too sensitive.”

When Liam pursued me, he told me I was the only woman he’d ever love.

Little did I know that Serena, who called herself his “buddy,” had already infiltrated every aspect of Liam’s life.

Because of her difficult childhood, Serena always got more attention from Liam.

“Serena’s just a little girl, who never knew a shred of parental love. It’s only right for me to look out for her, it’s a good deed.”

Right, Serena grew up without parental love.

So what about me? Someone who clawed her way out of an orphanage, fighting for every single step just to get to him?

Guess I was just unlucky.

Every time I got jealous, he interpreted it as unreasonable fussing.

Every time I questioned him, he saw it as distrust.

I couldn’t say anything bad about Serena, because she was his “good friend.”

I had no right to interfere with his friendships, nor could I question how they interacted.

Liam would occasionally give me some sweet words, saying that after we got married and had our own little family, Serena would keep her distance. She’d also get married, and we’d all remain good friends.

But the old me, completely blinded by love, was always fooled by his sweet words and empty promises. For our future, I worked tirelessly, overtime until I was exhausted, just so we could get married sooner.

Yet, he and Serena still refused to change their ways, hiding behind the label of ‘friendship,’ doing every single ambiguous, flirty thing imaginable.

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