Chapter 3

I washed my hands and took a moment to calm down. Then I stared at my reflection in the mirror, but the more I looked, the more I felt like a stranger to myself.

My makeup was flawless, and my hair perfectly styled. Everything about me was just the way William wanted. But I couldn't stand the sight of myself.

"You're upset," Rebecca suddenly said behind me.

I spun around at the sound of the voice.

Rebecca walked over, her face calm, and lifted her arm to show me.

She told me, "See this scar? Five years ago, I took a knife for William. It went all the way to the bone. I'd die for him without a second thought. Would you?"

Staring at that scar, a few inches long and crawling across her arm like a centipede, I was left speechless.

A smile crept onto her calm face, and she just kept talking, almost as if she was talking to herself.

She said, "We grew up together. When we were little, he'd drag me out to the garden and pretend we were getting married, saying he'd make me his wife someday.

"Whenever I was down, he'd pull silly faces to make me laugh. If anyone messed with me, he'd always have my back.

"When I got sick at thirteen, everyone else was too scared to come near me, but he stayed up all night taking care of me, helping me clean up, and changing my clothes."

She seemed totally lost in her memories, getting happier as she spoke, but her eyes stayed locked on me the whole time.

"Wow, I didn't realize you and Mr. Carter had so many sweet memories together. Sounds like something anyone would envy. Too bad..." I said.

She frowned.

I continued, "Too bad all your stories are from when you were kids. What about after you grew up? Did you two just stop being close or what?"

Her smile finally faltered for a split second, but she quickly pulled it back together.

"William always wanted to be a translator, but when it came time to pick his major for college, he chose law instead. Do you know why?" she asked.

The tables had turned. Her words hit me, and I was the one left frowning.

In my first year of high school, for the first time ever, I wasn't number one but came in second.

I couldn't accept it, so I just had to see who beat me. Once I found out William's name, I started watching him, almost without realizing it.

Whatever study guide he used, I got the same one.

Whatever book he was reading, I'd read it, too.

Little by little, he ended up filling my life, and before I knew it, he was all I could think about.

A few months before the SAT, I overheard him telling someone he was planning to apply to Evergreen University for Gremarian.

I kept it to myself, and when it was time to fill out my own application, I picked the exact same major.

But when I finally got to Evergreen University, buzzing with excitement, I realized his name was nowhere to be found on the Gremarian list.

I wondered if he didn't make it, but then I dropped the thought. After all, he was always at the top of the class.

Later, at the opening ceremony, I saw him up on stage, speaking as the law-school student representative.

Why did he end up in law school? That question kept echoing in my mind.

Even after I changed my major to law for him, and even when I ended up working at his company, he never told me why.

Rebecca caught my blank stare, a flicker of triumph crossed her face, and she "kindly" decided to clear things up for me.

"He did it for me. I told him I liked the male lead in a TV show, just because he was a lawyer," Rebecca said.

I gave a wry smile, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

I had never expected the reason to be like that.

I tried to calm myself down, but Rebecca wasn't finished yet.

"Go home and hand in your resignation today. Don't show your face around him anymore," she ordered.

Her words made me want to unleash a whole string of curses in my head.

I didn't know why she and Claire thought they got to decide my fate. A single careless sentence, one fleeting whim, and the years I'd poured in were suddenly worthless? That wouldn't happen.

I forced down my resentment, met her gaze, and gave her a faint, almost mocking smile.

"What? You're not confident in your romance after all?" I said.

Her face darkened, and she gritted her teeth.

"Take the offer or face the fallout," she spat.

With that, she raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face.

My cheek was on fire, and all the frustration I'd bottled up over the past few days finally boiled over.

I slapped back, and Rebecca's head whipped to the side, but her eyes gleamed with satisfaction, like she'd gotten exactly what she wanted.

While I was still trying to figure out what she was up to, someone suddenly screamed behind me.