Chapter 2

The attendant rushed out right behind me, gently offering a cup of water to rinse my mouth.

"If you can't stomach it, you can wait in the lounge for your sister. I'll refund the money to her card later."

I clutched my chest, gulping down the water to force down the vile taste in my throat.

Just then, Serena walked out of her suite.

She looked even more breathtaking than before—her skin glowing like polished porcelain, her face flushed with vibrant life. I stared in stunned silence.

When Serena came over, the attendant whispered to her for a while, probably explaining what happened to me.

I braced myself for Serena to yell at me for begging to come only to waste a golden opportunity.

Instead, she didn't utter a single word on the drive back. Dropping me off at my dorm, she simply warned in a quiet voice, "Whatever you saw in there today, you tell no one."

"I... I know."

I hopped out and sprinted straight toward my dorm.

My heart refused to slow down.

Just as I rounded the corner to the stairs, I froze. My best friend Chloe was wrapped in Lucas’s arms, locked in a passionate kiss.

They were kissing so intensely they didn't even notice me standing right behind them.

Chloe had explicitly told me she wasn't into Lucas. I was the one who introduced them. I told her all about what he liked.

I had shared everything with her.

And this was how she repaid me!

Enraged, I shoved them hard from behind. Both of them lost their balance and hit the floor. The moment Chloe saw me, panic flashed across her face.

"Yvonne? Why are you back?"

"Let me explain—"

"Explain what? I saw everything with my own eyes!" I screamed, tears stinging my eyes. "Chloe, I treated you like my sister! What am I to you? A joke?"

Humiliated and furious, I let it all out. Chloe dropped her innocent facade, scrambled to her feet, and slapped me across the cheek.

"Since you saw it, I won't bother hiding it anymore," she sneered.

"Lucas and I are together!"

"So what? He wasn't your boyfriend anyway. Who he dates is his business. Besides, your skin is dry, you don't even wear makeup, and you're not half as pretty as me. Any guy with eyes knows who to choose!"

I wasn't just mad that they were dating.

I was shattered because I had treated her with nothing but sincerity, while she lied to my face.

If she had just told me from the start, I would have walked away from Lucas without hesitation!

"Is that really how you see me?"

"What else? A plain duck trying to land a swan. Look in the mirror first."

Her words hit me like a physical blow. Tears blurred my vision as I stood frozen.

My closest friend hadn't just betrayed me—she despised me.

The humiliation tore me to shreds.

I cut Chloe off completely that night.

Lying awake in bed, her cruel words looped in my mind, keeping me tossing and turning.

I swore to myself that I would become prettier than her. I would make Lucas regret ever looking past me.

And then, I thought of Serena.

The next afternoon, I took an Uber home, begging Serena to take me back to that zoo.

She refused outright, telling me not to force myself.

I broke down and told her everything that had happened at school, pleading, "Serena, please! I promise I won't run away this time!"

Worn down by my constant begging, Serena finally brought me back a week later.

The attendant recognized me instantly.

"Isn't this the little girl who puked last time? Here to keep your sister company again?"

I shook my head, my voice firm. "I'm going in myself."

The attendant chuckled softly. "Don't push yourself, sweetie."

I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass—dull skin, completely lacking the youthful radiance a girl in her twenties should have.

Remembering Chloe's taunts, I dug my nails into my palms. "I won't run away this time."

I had to see for myself what kind of tiger had the power to make a woman irresistible.