Chapter 1

Before my best friend Joel's wedding, I gave him a box of intimate toys as a gift.

He laughed and asked me, "Aren't you worried the bride won't be able to handle it tonight?"

My girlfriend Kelly stood nearby, forcing an awkward smile.

After Joel left, Kelly confessed to me:

"Actually, the one marrying him today is me."

Seeing my stunned expression, she quickly explained with a smile, "Don't worry, it's just a fake marriage. I'll explain everything after the ceremony."

Later, I stood in the groomsman's position, watching the two people I loved most exchange rings.

I'm letting you go, but there's no longer a place for either of you in my world.

I'd imagined countless endings for Kelly and me, but never this one.

After she completed the wedding ceremony, with kiss marks still visible on her collarbone, kneeling at my feet begging for forgiveness—

I suddenly remembered that year.

The stubborn way she half-knelt to confess her feelings to me, refusing to get up until I agreed.

Ten years. I spent ten years helping her overcome autism.

In the end, she kicked me out of her life in the cruelest way possible.

The door pushed open. Joel walked in.

He said nothing, but I could read the victorious gleam in his eyes.

"When did this start?" I asked.

"Joel's fiancée ran away, so I'm just going through the motions with him. He'd already sent out all the invitations, and his parents came all the way to Los Angeles. They couldn't handle the shock..."

So I guess my parents and I deserve to bear it instead.

"Wallace, we're best friends. Just help me out this once... Kelly and I aren't really together."

Joel clutched at my pant leg, eyes reddening as he pleaded in a low voice, playing the role of the humble subordinate to perfection.

I ignored his words and scrolled through his social media on my own.

[Thank you Miss Kelly for joining me...]

The attached photo showed two silhouettes embracing while bungee jumping—taken during the days I was recovering from my car accident, when she claimed to be on a business trip.

Scrolling further down, I found photos of candles and red wine, along with two hands clasped together.

Kelly hadn't even bothered to remove my engagement ring first.

My finger kept swiping.

Countless posts pieced together a Kelly I didn't recognize.

Bubble tea, trendy restaurants, chocolate desserts—with me, she'd always frowned and said, "I don't like those things."

But behind my back, she'd tried them all with Joel.

She who was always obsessively clean and protective of her hands had even put on an apron and cooked for Joel herself.

I stared at the food in those photos, feeling sick inside.

Two years ago, when I had a terrible flu and couldn't get out of bed, I'd asked her to cook for me. She'd said:

"Wallace, I'm a doctor. My hands can't go in the kitchen. Just order takeout."

Over these ten years, I'd grown accustomed to her obsessive care for her hands, her cold indifference.

I'd huddled under the covers, listening to her talk on the phone in the study, her tone gentle and careful.

At the time I thought the fever had made me delirious. Looking back now, I was such a fool.

The shock had long faded, leaving only the hollow numbness of exposed truth.

I held those social media posts up to Joel's face.

"You also said we were best friends. Is this how you repay me?"

Before he could answer, I turned my head to stare at the woman before me.

"Since you two are together now, I'll step aside."