Chapter 3
Eventually, I ended up helping Samuel out.
I invested in his business and helped him network and find clients.
His company started to take off.
He started treating me a lot better.
Eventually, he popped the question on a regular night, with no fancy ceremony or sweet promises, just a warm ring slipped into my hand.
I froze for a second, and then tears of happiness started streaming down my face.
I thought our love story had finally reached its happy ending, that we'd be happy together, supporting each other and growing old side by side.
Back then, I had no idea that the heroine of our story was someone named Vivian.
The comments said I was just a stepping stone for their big reunion, a villainess whose only purpose was to push their story forward.
But why?
Why should all my years of devotion and sacrifice be tossed aside just to make way for Vivian's so-called fated romance?
Why did Vivian get to waltz in with her heroine aura and wreck everything between us, acting like she was entitled to do whatever she wanted?
Looking at myself in the mirror, eyes red and swollen, I wiped away my tears.
I hadn't lost yet. No one got to make me leave the table, except me.
I walked out of the restroom.
The comments were flying by like crazy.
One read: [Can Sylvia just get lost already? I only want to see Samuel and Vivian being all lovey-dovey. Who wants to watch Sylvia mope around with that gloomy face?]
Another read: [She's nothing but a clown. Just wait, Samuel's about to confess to Vivian in front of everyone. It's gonna be so sweet it'll rot your teeth!]
I closed my eyes, just tuning it all out, pretending none of it existed.
Just as I was about to push open the door to the private room, I caught a glimpse through the crack. Samuel was sitting at the head of the table, with Vivian right next to him.
She was gazing at him, totally lost in his presence, as if he were the only person in the world.
But Samuel just kept his eyes on the spinning bottle in the middle of the table, as if Vivian wasn't even there.
The bottle slowly came to a stop, pointing straight at Samuel.
"Samuel, truth or dare?" one of the guys asked.
Samuel looked up casually and replied, "Truth."
The guy grinned.
He glanced at Vivian, then turned back to Samuel.
He asked, "Samuel, is the person you love in this room?"
The air went dead silent.
Everyone in the room knew all about the bad blood between us.
Vivian had nearly bankrupted Samuel, then coldly turned her back on him.
Meanwhile, I never left Samuel's side, doing everything I could to help him become a rising star in the city's business world.
The answer should've been obvious, so obvious it shouldn't even have been a question. But Samuel just went quiet.
He just sat there in silence, his fingers drumming softly on the table.
My heart started to sink.
One comment popped up, reading: [Here it comes. The big moment. Samuel is about to make a public declaration.]
Another read: [He's hesitating. See? I knew it, there's no way he can ever move on from Vivian.]
One of the guys thought Samuel was just brushing it off, too cool to bother answering.
So he said, "Come on, that's such a lame question. The answer's obvious. Samuel doesn't even need to say it. Sylvia just left the room, so of course the person he loves isn't here."
That was the perfect out for Samuel. But he didn't take it.
Vivian gazed at Samuel, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, looking heartbreakingly vulnerable.
With a stubborn tilt of her chin, she turned away, and one perfect tear slipped down, landing squarely on Samuel's hand.
Samuel flinched, almost as if the tear had scalded him. He instinctively reached out, brushing his thumb over the wet mark, lost in the moment.
Just as Vivian was about to stand up and run off, totally humiliated, Samuel finally exhaled, like he was letting go of all the tension he'd been holding in.
He said, "She's here."
Everyone was stunned.
The guy who asked thought Samuel had slipped up.
He said, "Samuel, look, Sylvia isn't back yet."
But Samuel cut him off. He said firmly, "I told you, the one I love is right here in this room."
Everyone went quiet.
I was nowhere to be seen, but Vivian was right there.
There was no need to spell it out: everyone knew exactly who he'd chosen.
Vivian's tears vanished, replaced by a radiant smile.
She said, "Samuel, I just knew it. You love me just like I love you. I've loved you all this time, and that's never, ever changed."
The comments blew up. One read: [Oh my god! He said it! He finally confessed!]
Another read: [Does that side character really think he's some hero, trying to stand up for Sylvia?
[Bet he didn't see that coming. Samuel's totally whipped. He only has eyes for Vivian. Still trying to test him? He is just gonna get your face slapped.]
A comment read: [Samuel wants Vivian to pay for betraying him, but the second he sees her get humiliated, he can't help but feel bad for her. My ship radar is screaming.]
One comment read: [Sylvia, standing at the door, is giving total clown vibes.]