I stared at Trey, my voice stern. “And you, don’t ever pull something like that again. There are a lot of ways to take someone down, but publicly tearing apart their dignity like that? That crossed a line.”He looked sheepish under my scolding, rubbing the back of his neck.Dolly tugged at both of us. “Come on, let’s get out of here before someone catches us on camera.”At her warning, Trey snapped back to focus and quickly handed us masks.With our heads down and faces covered, the three of us slipped away from the music hall unnoticed.The ride back was quiet.None of us spoke a word.When we finally reached my apartment, I opened the door and stepped out.Trey hesitated, then said in a low voice, “Evelyn, seriously… don’t tell my brother about tonight. If he finds out, I’m dead.”I nodded.Dolly, still fuming, muttered, “This is all your fault. No more of this adrenaline-junkie nonsense, you hear me?”For once, the ever-defiant Trey nodded obediently.They drove off, and I let out a
Chloe’s maniacal laughter echoed far into the night, sharp and chilling.I watched in horror as she swayed dangerously on the edge of the rooftop, her figure unsteady, as if the next gust of wind might send her plunging. Down below, the crowd had grown, with dozens of people now holding up their phones.I tugged at Trey’s sleeve urgently. “Do something—help her!”He pointed toward Julian. “Isn’t he standing right there?”I looked at Julian’s face, and every instinct in me screamed that his presence was only fueling her hysteria.I took a step forward, but Dolly grabbed my wrist.“You’ve lost your mind,” she whispered harshly. “If you go up there and she jumps, they’ll say it was your fault. They’ll put the blame on you.“You’ve fought your way out of this mess. Why throw yourself back into it?”Everything she said was logical and sensible.But I couldn’t take my eyes off Chloe’s trembling figure.Julian, overwhelmed by her spiraling outburst, had already started backing away.Chloe s
Trey, usually so flippant, spoke with a weight I had never heard in his voice.“Seven years. For seven years, you stood by and watched Chloe slander and smear the woman who loved you. You knew she spread rumors, drugged her drinks, and pushed her into drinking with suppliers—nearly got her sexually assaulted.“That’s what you call being a husband?”Julian froze.The long-buried past slammed into both of us with full force.His expression began to crack. “How… how do you know about that?”Trey’s voice turned glacial. “How? I paid for the truth. Dug it out with money and time. Don’t tell me you couldn’t do the same back then. You just didn’t want to.“You chose to believe your so-called goddess. Your ‘true love.’ You loathed Evelyn from the start. Whenever something went wrong, you blamed everyone else because you never thought you could be wrong.”Julian looked like he was shattering from the inside. His eyes were glassy, his jaw tight.And then, I saw it.His eyes were wet.Was he cryi
Chloe screamed in pain as security rushed forward and pulled Julian off her.The entire concert hall descended into chaos.Half an hour later, I dragged Dolly out of that place.Both of us were breathless, our eyes wide with lingering shock.Dolly clutched her chest. “God… oh my God… was that… Was that Mr. Trey?”My hands were still trembling. “Yeah. It was him.”Dolly wiped sweat off her brow, forcing out a shaky breath. “That was brutal. Absolutely brutal. He really went all in.”Even someone like Dolly, who had never hidden her hatred for Chloe, looked shaken.“She’s done. Completely done.”I didn’t know what to say. Chloe was over.All those years she spent crafting her image—playing the part of the devoted woman—it all came crashing down in minutes.Even when she had exposed herself for stealing another woman’s husband just to be with Julian, plenty of people had chalked it up to tragic romance, believing she had simply loved too deeply.But tonight, just a few recordings and scre
It wasn’t until that moment that Chloe finally glanced back at the screen.The second she saw it, she let out a high-pitched scream and leapt up from the piano bench.That’s when it really began.One by one, screenshots of chat messages lit up the massive screen, along with audio recordings."Baby, I miss you so much...""When are we seeing each other again? I think about you every night… I can’t sleep...""Julian and I haven’t had real feelings for a long time. He’s just a complete idiot, always chasing what he doesn’t have.""I know, right? I hate guys like Julian. So self-important. Such a fake.""Baby, don’t believe what people say online. The baby I was pregnant with... that was artificial insemination, okay?""Julian’s company is nothing. So stingy with gifts, it’s pathetic."More messages kept coming. The screen was relentless.The hall erupted, completely unhinged.Dolly and I both slapped our hands over our mouths to stifle our gasps. Around us, stunned classmates were murmuri
We stepped into the concert hall and found our seats—third row from the front, surprisingly good spots.Dolly sat down uneasily, her eyes scanning the crowd.I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.My head was a whirlwind of noise, like a dozen people arguing at once.To be honest, I hadn’t wanted to come. Not from the very beginning. But Chloe’s provocations had stirred my curiosity.And now, I looked around at a hall full of familiar and half-familiar faces, and I wished I could rewind time, drag myself back into my room, and stay there.Dolly had been studying the room for a while. Her voice trembled. “Eve... we’re screwed. So many people from Highridge. I think they all got comp tickets.”Old memories started crawling out of the corners of my mind, tightening in my chest.I swallowed hard. “Let’s leave during intermission. I really don’t want to be here to witness her moment of glory.”Dolly forced a smile. “Yeah... who cares about watching her bask in the spotlight. But wai