Chapter 1

Austin was a self-proclaimed expert at spotting manipulative women.

He couldn't stand my tearful best friend, Chloe.

"Her posture is too fragile, her eyes are too alluring, and she cries at the drop of a hat. She's toxic," he would say.

I always patiently defended her.

"Chloe is just timid, Austin. She's not a bad person."

Austin would pinch my cheek, a mix of exasperation and affection in his eyes. "Silly Alyssa. I'm terrified that one day someone will sell you out, and you'll be thanking them for it. Good thing I have a solid moral compass. I'd never betray you in this lifetime."

Then, Chloe broke up with her boyfriend.

With red-rimmed eyes, she asked if she could crash with us.

"Alyssa, you're the only one I have left."

Austin pulled me aside, looking deeply frustrated. "Alyssa, are you out of your mind? How can you feel safe leaving me under the same roof as a single woman?"

I wiped away Chloe's tears and led her to the guest room. "Chloe is my best friend. She isn't just any other girl."

After that, Austin went out of his way to keep his distance, avoiding being alone in a room with her.

Until the day before Chloe's birthday. I used a fake work trip to the city as an excuse to hunt down an exclusive, limited-edition blind box figure she had been dying to get.

Wanting to surprise her, I drove back through the night.

The moment I pushed the front door open, an intimate, ragged gasp cut through the silence.

Austin's voice sounded low and hoarse.

"Clenching that tightly?"

"The first time I saw you, I knew you were trouble."

Chloe whimpered, her voice dripping with a sultry edge I had never heard before. "So... between Alyssa and me, who do you want more?"

Austin gave a harsh scoff, his movements growing rougher. "She's meant to be a girlfriend. You... you're only fit to be ruined in my bed."

I froze in the doorway, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

A trail of scattered clothes ran from the living room straight to the foot of the bed. Pale moonlight washed over the tangled, shifting silhouettes.

The plush rabbit I had tucked against the pillow before leaving was now lying discarded on the cold floor.

"Austin, when I'm gone, let him keep you company instead of me."

Austin had gently nipped at my neck in response. "Hurry back. I'm going to miss you like crazy."

A soft, breathy moan shattered the memory.

I reached out and flicked on the light switch on the wall.

Blinding light flooded the room. Chloe let out a terrified shriek.

Austin instantly pulled her into his arms to shield her, his eyes snapping toward the door with razor-sharp fury. "Who is it?"

The moment he saw me, the color drained completely from his face. "Alyssa..."

I simply walked forward, bent down, picked up the rabbit plushie, and set it back gently on the pillow.

Then, I placed the blind box beside it.

"Happy birthday."

My voice sounded terrifyingly calm, completely detached from myself.

Chloe's face was chalk-white, tears pouring down her cheeks like rain. "Alyssa, it's not what you think. Please, just let me explain, okay?"

Panic finally cracked Austin's composed facade, rendering him totally incoherent. "Alyssa... weren't you out of town?"

He tried to stand, realized he was entirely bare, and frantically yanked the duvet over himself in humiliation.

"Whatever you have to say, get dressed and come into the living room."

I politely closed the bedroom door and turned back toward the living room.

Sitting on the dining table was a durian cheesecake.

Chloe and I had always loved durian.

Back in college, whenever I was down, she would buy a durian crepe cake. We would sit on the bleachers by the athletic track, sharing bite after bite until our mouths were coated in sweet richness.

"Alyssa, there's nothing a good slice of durian can't fix."

Austin, on the other hand, despised the smell of durian.

Ever since I started dating him, I had never touched it once.

I opened the box, and the heavy, sweet scent drifted through the room.

With trembling hands, I struck a match and lit the birthday candle.

The two of them emerged shortly after.

Chloe was a sobbing mess, her body trembling slightly. "Alyssa, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."

Austin rushed toward me, desperate. "Alyssa, it isn't what it looks like. It was an accident. We both had too much to drink."

I glanced at the unopened bottle of red wine sitting on the counter. The absurdity was almost laughable.

I pushed a slice of cake toward them. "Happy birthday."

Then I picked up my own fork and mechanically shoved a piece into my mouth.

The creamy sweetness melted across my tongue, mingled with the bitter salt of my tears.

Chloe's sobs intensified. "Alyssa, please don't be like this! Take it out on me! Hit me, scream at me, do whatever you want! When you act like this, you're terrifying me!"

She sounded so heartbroken, as if she were the victim here.

A flicker of anguish passed through Austin's eyes.

He reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheek.

Chloe flinched, but she didn't pull away.

A violent shudder racked my body; the fork nearly slipped from my numb fingers.

I wanted to ask: Austin, didn't you always claim you hated it when people cried?

Whenever life overwhelmed me and tears spilled from my eyes, he would sigh and tell me, "Alyssa, crying doesn't solve anything."

Tears did work. They just didn't work when they were mine.

They were standing too close. The lingering, musky scent of their intimacy clung to the air.

I raised my eyes and caught sight of the dark red hickey trailing behind Chloe's ear, disappearing beneath the collar of her silk pajamas.

A wave of violent revulsion hit me like a physical blow.

I couldn't hold it back. I shoved my fingers down my throat, gagging violently.

My stomach heaved, and I retched until I felt like my insides were tearing apart.

Disgusting.

Their loud, sacred declarations of love were so utterly sickening. So foul.

Chloe cried even harder. "Alyssa, it's my fault! Just hit me, please!"

Austin dropped to one knee beside me, gathering my tangled hair back with one hand while gently rubbing my back with the other.

His palm felt scorching hot. Was it the exact same temperature as Chloe's skin right now?

Finally, my red-rimmed eyes locked onto his.

"When did this start?"