Chapter 3

The city lights blurred through my tears as Laila stepped toward me, her hands trembling. We stood on the rooftop terrace where I'd caught them together just days ago, the same place where Daniel had confessed their three-year affair. Now, Laila's face was streaked with mascara, her usual confidence replaced by raw vulnerability.

"Eden, please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I never meant to hurt you."

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the cool night air against my skin. "Then why did you? For three years, Laila. Three years of lies."

She reached into her purse and pulled out something carefully wrapped in tissue paper. With shaking hands, she unfolded it, revealing a delicate embroidery of interlocking hearts and flowers—the traditional Chinese double happiness symbol.

"I made this for your wedding," she said, her voice barely audible. "I've been working on it for months."

I stared at the intricate stitches, each one representing hours of work. The symbol of eternal love and happiness mocked me now, a cruel reminder of what I'd thought I was getting.

"While you were sleeping with my fiancé," I said flatly.

Laila flinched as if I'd slapped her. "I love him, Eden. I've always loved him."

"And I loved you," I replied, my voice surprisingly steady despite the storm inside me. "For twenty years."

She pressed the embroidery into my hands, her fingers cold against mine. "I thought I could let him go. I thought I could watch you marry him and be happy for you. But I couldn't."

I looked down at the delicate stitching, imagining her working on it late at night while simultaneously planning her future with Daniel. The betrayal cut deeper than I thought possible.

"You made this while you were with him," I whispered, tracing the intricate design. "While you were carrying his child."

Laila's face crumpled, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I was going to give it to you at your bridal shower. I thought maybe someday you'd understand."

"Understand what? That my best friend destroyed my life?"

---

"I've known about them for over a year," Mrs. King said calmly, sipping her tea as we sat in her immaculate living room.

I stared at her, unable to process her words. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew." She set down her cup with a delicate clink. "Daniel and Laila are perfect for each other. They always have been."

The room seemed to spin around me as pieces clicked into place—her strange comments at dinner, her knowing glances, her constant praise of Laila.

"You... you helped them?" My voice sounded distant to my own ears.

Mrs. King's perfectly manicured hand reached out to pat mine. "I merely recognized what was best for my son."

"Best for your son?" I pulled my hand away. "You let him betray me. You let them both betray me."

"Eden, dear." Her voice dripped with false sympathy. "Surely you don't think Daniel was ever truly in love with you? It was always Laila."

I remembered all the times Mrs. King had invited Laila to family gatherings while subtly excluding me. All the times she'd made excuses for Daniel's absences. All the times she'd smiled at Laila with approval she never showed me.

"You arranged their meetings," I said slowly, the realization dawning on me. "You covered for them."

Mrs. King didn't deny it. Instead, she reached for a framed photo on the side table—Daniel and Laila at a charity gala, their bodies leaning toward each other despite standing several feet apart.

"They need each other," she said simply. "I was simply ensuring my son's happiness."

---

The rooftop terrace felt different now—no longer a place of betrayal but a place of endings. Daniel and Laila stood before me, their faces etched with worry as I paced the concrete floor.

"You can have each other," I said finally, stopping to face them. "You can have the life you've been planning behind my back."

"Eden—" Daniel started, reaching for me.

I stepped back, out of his reach. "Don't."

The engagement ring felt heavy on my finger—a three-carat diamond that had once symbolized forever but now felt like a shackle. I twisted it off slowly, feeling its weight one last time.

"I thought we had something real," I said, looking at Daniel. "I thought you loved me."

"I did love you," he said desperately. "I still do."

"No." I shook my head. "You don't know what love is."

I turned to Laila, whose eyes were red-rimmed from crying. "And you. Twenty years of friendship meant nothing?"

"Eden, please," she whispered. "I never wanted to lose you."

"But you did lose me," I said quietly. "Both of you did."

With deliberate movements, I walked to the edge of the terrace where the city sprawled below us like a sea of stars. I placed the engagement ring on the stone ledge, its diamond catching the light one last time.

"You can have each other," I repeated, my voice stronger now. "And the life you've been planning. But you can't have me."

I turned away from them, toward the door that would lead me back inside—back to a world where I could start over without the weight of their betrayal crushing my chest.