Chapter 2

I felt sick to my stomach at the sight of the used condom, almost throwing up right then and there.

I quickly tossed it out of the car, but when I looked down, I spotted something shiny on the floor mat.

Picking it up, I realized it was an earring.

A chill ran through me.

This definitely belonged to her.

With trembling hands, I stuffed the earring into my purse, my face pale as a sheet.

Just then, the car door swung open. Adam waved a box of pastries at me. He said, voice laced with a playful smile, "Babe, your favorite desserts. You can take them to the café and enjoy them with Flora."

I stared at him, using every ounce of strength I had to hold back my tears.

Should I ask him?

Should I say it straight out?

Should I spill everything?

The urge to confront him kept circling in my mind, but in the end, I swallowed it all down.

I couldn't. I chickened out.

I was terrified to ask, afraid I'd hear something I couldn't handle.

Adam must've noticed something was wrong. He reached over and messed up my hair a little, worry in his voice. "Hey, what's up? Not feeling well? Want me to take you to the hospital?"

After a long, heavy silence, I shook my head.

"Just take me to see Flora," I said quietly.

All I wanted was to see Flora. Only when I was with her could I finally breathe again.

Flora was the friend I had grown up with. She had witnessed everything between Adam and me, and even moved to this city for me.

Whenever things got messy between Adam and me, I'd always run straight to Flora's place.

She'd stay up with me, drinking, binge-watching dramas, or watching movies. On countless late nights, she'd hold me tight and comfort me.

"Emily, every time this happens, I feel like moving here for you was the best decision I ever made. If you ever had to face tough times alone, I'd honestly hate myself," Flora had said.

Flora wasn't just my friend, my bestie, or my childhood companion; she was the only family I had in this city.

At this moment, Flora was the only lifeline I had left.

Adam seemed a bit confused, but he didn't press me and drove me to the café.

"You and Flora have a good talk. Should I pick you up later?" he asked.

I shook my head frantically and said, "No, I'm staying at Flora's tonight."

With that, I jumped out of the car and rushed into the café without looking back.

From across the room, I spotted Flora sitting all the way in the corner.

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. They flooded down my face, and my voice broke with sobs.

"Flora, Flora!" I called out.

Flora jumped up the moment she saw me. Her smile disappeared instantly when she saw my tears. She asked, "Emily, what's wrong? What happened?

"Don't cry, don't cry. I'm right here."

I grabbed Flora's hand, sobbing so hard I could barely speak, gasping for air between my cries.

"I... Adam... he did..." I stammered.

But before I could finish, my gaze fell on Flora's ear.

She had an earring in her left ear, but her right earring was gone.

The earring in her left ear looked so familiar.

Because the other one was lying there in my purse right now.

My ears started ringing, and everything went silent around me.

For what felt like minutes, I couldn't hear a thing.

It felt like someone had ripped my heart out, bleeding out, blood everywhere.

Flora looked worried and kept asking me what was wrong. "Emily, what's going on?

"Why are you crying like this? Did Adam hurt you?

"Say something. If he messed with you, I'll stand up for you."

I stared at her blankly. In the past, whenever she said things like that, I always felt so touched and warm inside.

But now, seeing her face full of righteous anger, all I felt was fear creeping in.

I could hardly believe it; these two people who had been with me for ten years, who meant more to me than life itself, would betray me together.

A tidal wave of fear crashed over me. It was like I had been plunged into ice water, every bit of warmth gone, even the tips of my fingers felt frozen.

I have no idea how long I sat there, but eventually, I managed to speak again.

I glanced at Flora, who suddenly felt like a total stranger, and shook my head softly.

"It's nothing, really. Just argued a bit with Adam," I muttered.

Flora laughed and wrapped her arm around me. She said, "Oh, I thought it was something serious. Girl, Adam's totally spoiled you rotten. Honestly, Mr. Foster is a rare catch; don't push your luck too much.

"Seriously, it's only because he's yours. If he belonged to anyone else, I would've snatched him up in a heartbeat."

A sharp pain shot through my chest. How could I have never suspected anything, not even once, when she said things like that so boldly?

Why did I trust them without a second thought all these years?

Was I really stupid?

Flora pulled me into a seat beside her, and it took a while for me to calm down.

I noticed she was missing an earring and asked softly, "Where's your other earring? Why are you only wearing one?"

Flora instinctively touched her ear; her eyes flashed with a hint of panic. "Oh, it was still there this morning. I must've lost it while I was out shopping with a friend earlier," she replied.

No wonder Adam suddenly claimed he had some urgent business at work this morning.

So that filthy condom was used in the car this morning.

A wave of nausea crashed over me, and I nearly threw up.

"I'm really not feeling well. I'm going home," I said.

Seeing how pale I looked, Flora didn't ask any more questions. She nodded right away and said, "Okay, okay. We'll hang out another day. Just take care of yourself, alright?"

Before she could finish, I ran out of the café like I was escaping something terrible.