Chapter 3

Olivia knitted her brows and spoke in a falsely sincere tone, "Let's just drop it. It's been years. Why bring it up now?"

I was intrigued and asked, "Is there something I need to apologize to Olivia for?"

Olivia looked aggrieved, but I caught a flicker of panic in her eyes.

The girl spoke up, sounding self-righteous. "If it weren't for you, Olivia wouldn't have been so heartbroken and ended up attempting suicide. Isn't this all your fault?"

I glanced at Olivia. Her complexion was flawless, and she looked nothing like the girl I used to know. It was like she'd become a whole new person.

Back in freshman year, Olivia was totally obsessed with Alistair. She fell head over heels for him the moment she laid eyes on him.

Even though she knew he already had a girlfriend, Olivia still went ahead and confessed her feelings anyway.

Alistair had been fed up with it. "Elena, seriously, don't misunderstand. I have zero feelings for her. She just won't leave me alone."

Olivia later cornered me in the cafeteria, slammed her hand on the table, and yelled, "Elena, do yourself a favor and stop fighting over Alistair. You don't stand a chance against me."

Back then, it wasn't just me. Everyone who knew about it was secretly laughing at Olivia behind her back.

They thought she was biting off more than she could chew, mocking her for chasing after someone who was already taken, knowing full well she was the third wheel.

But Olivia didn't care what anyone thought. She kept chasing after Alistair, no matter what.

Over time, I noticed Alistair's attitude toward her started to change.

He'd mention Olivia every so often, though he still sounded pretty annoyed.

Whenever Olivia missed a class, he'd make a copy of his notes and just toss them at her, acting like he was doing her a huge favor.

"These notes aren't perfect. Take them if you want," he'd say.

I sensed something was off and questioned him, but Alistair replied openly, not the least bit guilty, "Seriously, Elena, you know I could never be into Olivia.

"She has bad skin and is very thin. She's got nothing on you. What's there to worry about?"

But in the end, Alistair threw away everything we'd had for nearly twenty years, all because of her.

Now, all those people who used to badmouth and laugh at Olivia are suddenly on my case, telling me I should apologize to her.

"Bow or apologize, Elena. Pick one," the girl demanded. She kept giving me that sly, almost predatory look, her eyes sharp and mocking.

I didn't bother with her and turned to Alistair. "So, you really want me to apologize to her?"

A flash of unease crossed Alistair's face. He stammered, "H-Hey, we're all old friends here. No need to dig up ancient history."

I snorted, my gaze dripping with mockery.

Alistair lived right next door to me. His mom passed away early, and his dad was always drunk. My parents pretty much raised him themselves.

But when I was twenty-two, my parents had to move to another city for work, and they died in an accident.

I'd never faced anything like this before, and I was completely lost. My hands were shaking as I tried to call Alistair, but he kept hanging up on me.

So I had to go there alone and bring my parents back myself.

That day, it was like all the light in my world had gone out.

I felt like a lone hunter wandering through the night, restless and completely alone.

Later, I found out that the day Alistair kept ignoring my calls, he was off messing around with Olivia.

When that video landed in my inbox, all I could do was laugh at how ridiculous it was.

When Alistair finally found out what happened to my family, he left Olivia behind and came running.

But before he even made it halfway, Olivia called him up, sobbing that she was going to kill herself.

I glanced at my phone, brushed past the girl, and walked out the door.

Subconsciously, Alistair reached out and caught my wrist.

"Elena, are you really leaving already?" he asked. "It's been ages since we all hung out together."

Resentment bubbling up inside me, I snapped, "Yeah, I'm leaving now. My boyfriend's coming to get me."

"Boyfriend?" Alistair repeated, sounding genuinely shocked as he stared at me.