Chapter 2
Susan's apartment was small but spotless.
She was wearing loose loungewear, slicing fruit in the kitchen. When she saw me come in, she gave me a quick smile.
"She coughed up blood," I said, taking off my jacket and hanging it up in the entryway.
"Oh," Susan replied, even more nonchalant than I. She put the sliced apples into a glass bowl and handed it over. "That's a sign the medicine is working. The stronger her emotions, the better it works."
I took the bowl and settled onto the couch.
The apartment was quiet, with only the gentle sound of her slicing fruit in the kitchen.
There was none of that lovey-dovey couple stuff between us. We were more like two partners working toward the same goal.
"Two months ago, I first realized something fishy was going on between her and Alex," I said, breaking the silence.
It was our engagement anniversary. Vivian said she was going shopping with her friends and told me to have dinner alone.
When she came home that night, I happened to see her phone screen lit up. It was a message from Alex. [Vivian, that fool Michael is so easy to trick. When are you going to tell him you're marrying him to make your parents happy?]
That message was like a needle, piercing through all my hopes about love and the future.
I didn't lose it right then.
I started keeping tabs on her, and soon realized that whenever she claimed to be working late or out with her girlfriends, most of the time she was actually with Alex.
To make it worse, they used the money I gave Vivian for her car as the down payment for Alex's flashy sports car.
I ended up as the punchline of their whole group—a clueless ATM, handing out cash while getting played.
Was I angry?
Absolutely.
But anger wouldn't solve anything. I wasn't after some messy argument and a breakup. I wanted them to suffer for their arrogance and stupidity, to pay in the most painful way possible.
My eyes settled on Susan.
She was Vivian's best friend, but also the one Vivian had bullied and exploited for ten years.
Vivian stole Susan's spot at university, snatched away her first boyfriend, and even placed Susan in her family's company, calling it "taking care of Susan," but really making Susan a personal servant and unpaid assistant.
Susan endured it for a decade, waiting for the right moment.
And I was the one who finally handed her that chance.
"When did you find out I hate Vivian?" Susan suddenly asked, carrying a plate of oranges as she sat down across from me.
"When you told me Vivian read your secret love letters out loud to embarrass you in front of everyone," I replied. "Someone like her wouldn't let anyone with real talent or self-respect stay by her side. She kept you around to make herself look better."
Susan smiled, her expression tinged with both bitterness and relief. "Yeah, I was never her friend. She treated me as her servant, and she always put me down."
We hit it off right away—teaming up was a no-brainer.
I needed something that would strike Vivian right where it hurt, and Susan needed a springboard to finally escape her grip.
As for the baby Susan was carrying, we both understood all too well that it was the ultimate guarantee of our alliance, and the most merciless retribution against Vivian.
"Her parents will be coming for us soon," Susan said, giving me a heads-up.
"I know," I replied, grabbing a slice of apple and biting into it with a loud crunch. "I'm ready."