Chapter 1
My husband, Xander Sherwood, and my best friend, Laura Chambers, who had just returned from abroad, came to pick me up from the hospital.
Laura sat in the passenger seat, acting like nothing was wrong.
"Susi, babe, this seat's getting fried. I'll take the hit for you, okay?"
She cranked the AC to max. I said nothing and headed for the back door.
Xander didn't say anything about it either in the driver's seat.
"So? What did the doctor say?" He changed the subject.
The pregnancy results crumpled in my fist. I opened the back door and slid in before answering slowly. "Just indigestion."
Laura laughed. "Seriously? You're still so dramatic. Indigestion? You went to the hospital for that?
"Total waste of resources, girl."
Then she reached over and flicked one of the little decorations I'd put on the dashboard.
"And Xander, this car's like half a million dollars. But you've got it looking all girly. You even a guy?" she asked.
Xander kept his eyes on the road. But the corner of his mouth curved up. "She likes it."
"Ugh. Well, I don't. Such a hot car, and you made it look like a mess."
"I'll buy you one if you want," Xander offered.
"Please. Don't act like such a big shot in front of me. Who carries you in ranked games, huh?" Laura shot back.
The curve of Xander's lips was downright irresistible. I hadn't seen that smile in a while.
And suddenly I remembered what someone had said to me once. "Susi, I swear. They're totally hooking up."
The AC was blasting. My heart felt just as cold, like someone poured ice water straight through me.
I pulled the light blanket over myself, trying to get warm.
"Are you cold?" Xander asked, frowning at me in the rearview mirror as he reached to adjust the temperature.
But Laura suddenly stopped him, her hand catching his before he could do anything.
"Hey! I'm roasting up here. If you're cold, why not crack the window for some warm air? We're almost there anyway, so just hang in there, okay?" she said.
Their hands overlapped naturally, and Xander only pulled his hand back and focused on driving after he saw me nod.
"One of you can't stand the cold, while the other can't stand the heat. Seriously, how did you two ever manage to share a dorm room?" Xander said.
This time, Laura didn't say anything.
I smiled.
"Don't you remember? She was always running around with you, hardly ever stayed in the dorm," I said.
Xander stayed quiet, and Laura looked down, messing with her phone.
The silence felt awkward, almost guilty, hanging in the air.
Laura and I had been close since childhood.
Her dad passed away early, and her mom was our family's housekeeper.
We shared a bed, dressed up each other's dolls, even used the same pack of pads, and stayed up late talking about the guys in our class.
It was only much later that I realized we both had a crush on Xander.
At first, I'd sometimes bring Laura along on our dates, and Xander would always complain a bit.
But I never expected that, over time, whenever the three of us hung out, somehow I became the designated water-fetcher.
They'd hit up gaming cafés together, go bird hunting in the hills, and take part in racing events.
I never thought they were crossing any lines. I just felt lucky.
My best friend and my boyfriend were basically best buds.
It almost felt like we were this perfectly blended trio, like a real family.
Until one day, she made a bet with me: would Xander choose her or me?
She lost, but it didn't feel like I won, either.
Laura went abroad. Xander footed the entire bill. She said she wanted to study overseas. He did whatever it took to help her, no questions asked.
As for me, I was the centerpiece of this arranged marriage between our families. Xander never had the right to say no.
The gathering was way more awkward than I'd imagined.
I had no idea who ordered the durian pizza, but my stomach did a flip. Covering my mouth, I made an excuse about not feeling well and got up to leave the table.
The restroom was right inside the private room. And the soundproofing was pretty much nonexistent.
So when Laura said she'd come back to go after her crush, I caught every word loud and clear.
A tidal wave of jeering and laughter flooded my ears.
"Who else could make our Laura chase after him? Come on, spill the beans!" someone teased.
"I better not say, or someone's gonna get pissed," Laura replied.
"Just say it. Who's gonna get mad at you? If they do, I'll help you win this guy over," Xander said.
"Then you have to keep your promise."
"Sure," Xander replied.
"You," Laura said.
The room went dead silent, just like my breath, frozen in place.
Then, little by little, the laughter started up again. Then I heard Xander's resigned voice.
"Laura, quit messing around."
I pushed the door open and walked out.
And there she was—Laura had already made herself comfortable in my spot, leaning close to Xander. Her eyes were still holding onto that lingering affection.
Xander was the first to get up and walk over, his eyes full of concern. "Feeling any better?"
Just like so many times before, a single gentle look from him, and suddenly everything felt okay again.
No matter what happened, as long as he spoke, I'd let it all go.
Because his dignity always mattered more than my feelings.
And he seemed to think I'd always be the understanding one.
I met his gaze, then gave him a sharp slap across the face.
His always calm eyes suddenly lost focus for a moment. He was stunned by what had just happened.
Laura's scream rang out from nearby.