Chapter 2

Lara had blocked me.

I lay on the bed, completely drained.

I didn't understand how it had come to this.

However, no explanation came.

Instead, there was only rejection.

Lara had the hotel security escort me straight out of the lobby. I stood in the cold, clutching my luggage, staring at the massive wedding portrait in the hall.

I called the groom, Simon Hall.

I needed to know why. Even if it killed me, I needed an answer.

The call connected, but the man who had been polite and courteous just yesterday now sounded sharp and cruel.

"You have the nerve to call me? How could she end up with a friend like you? What bad luck. Get out of here and don't ever show your face again."

In that moment, something clicked.

I grabbed the bridesmaid gift I was given yesterday, then dodged security and went back to her room.

She looked at me with nothing but disdain. I spoke quietly.

"Do you think I'm after these things? I'll give everything back to you. All of it. I don't want anything. I just want you as a friend."

The truth was, I'd felt the gift was too expensive yesterday and had tried to refuse it.

Lara was the one who said that not accepting it meant I didn't see her as a friend. Maybe she'd been testing me from the start.

She scanned the gifts like they were trash, then looked at me the same way.

"Do you think these things matter to me? I'll say it one last time. Get out. If you don't, I'll call the cops and report you for trespassing. My groom has connections, and he's on my side. Just wait until the cops get here."

I watched her call the police.

Before the call connected, I turned and walked away.

I didn't take any of the gifts with me.

But I hadn't gone far when they were thrown out like trash.

"Filthy things, filthy person," she shouted. "Take everything you touched and get out of here."

I picked the gifts back up.

In the end, no one really held a grudge against money.

I had taken a day off and booked a flight. I'd already lost enough financially.

I scheduled an afternoon flight home, just in case she changed her mind and called me. That way, I could get back immediately.

I told my boyfriend, Harry Cooper, everything. I sent him the photos from the day before, when I tried on the bridesmaid dress.

[This one. It's nothing flashy, and I didn't steal the spotlight. I wore the simplest hairstyle, subtle accessories, and didn't even wear heels. I thought of everything, checked every detail. And yet, I still don't know why.]

He sent me a hug emoji in reply.

[If your conscience is clear, then the problem isn't you. Come back home, don't waste your energy. I'll take you out to dinner tonight, and we'll relax.]

I sighed. A small part of me still hoped she might send me a message.

But even when the boarding call came, she still hadn't reached out.

I returned to my apartment feeling like a shell of myself.

Harry had promised to pick me up, but a last-minute business trip kept him away. The dinner he had promised was postponed indefinitely.

My college roommate and now housemate, Jennifer Lane, noticed my mood and asked, "Weren't you supposed to go to a wedding? Why do you look so down?"

I told her everything.

Her eyes went wide in shock.

"How could she do that?"

I smiled bitterly. "I don't know either."

-

The next morning, I got up to find breakfast waiting on the table, along with a note from Jennifer.

[Cheer up. I'm off to work.]

My heart warmed. Back when we'd just graduated, neither of us had money, so we shared the apartment. Later, even when I started earning more, we stayed together.

Our friendship was built on true sincerity.

I finished breakfast, took a photo for her, then packed up to head to the office.

My boss had only approved two days off. He reminded me that the project I was leading was important. If I didn't get back soon, my pay would be docked.

The moment I stepped into the meeting room, I saw the chairwoman, Isabella White, who rarely appeared in person.

I nodded at her and smiled, and she smiled back.

But as soon as I sat down, her expression changed. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

She pointed a finger at me, and her tone was sharp. "Leave the company immediately. You're fired."

I froze.

The scene felt almost identical to yesterday.

I asked instinctively, "Did something go wrong with the project?"

She shook her head.

"The project is going very well."

"Then is it because I took leave?"

"Your leave was completely reasonable and legal."

"Then why are you firing me?"