Chapter 3

"I'll go with you to Elena's birthday party tomorrow," Nathan anxiously said, cutting me off. Then, he planted a kiss on the tip of my ear and hesitated briefly before grabbing Candace's bag and running after her.

That night, I lay alone in bed, unable to sleep even when dawn crept over the horizon.

Candace hadn't returned the entire night.

I hailed a cab and headed to Elena's birthday party by myself. However, I had barely arrived when Nathan appeared, carefully supporting Candace.

Elena quirked a brow as she accepted their gift. She then leaned over to ask me, "Your boyfriend and best friend chipped in to buy me a gift while you bought one yourself?"

My lips twisted wryly, even as my silence spoke volumes.

Candace revealed the bracelet on her wrist, which had a charm engraved with the words, "With love, always," on it. She mumbled, "There was a buy one, get one free promotion, so it was incredibly worth it. That's why Nate also bought this bracelet."

She made a huge show of moving to take off the bracelet.

"No need for that. You can have it," I said impassively.

Halfway through the party, Nathan was dragged off to participate in a game.

Candace had been slowly sipping at a glass of wine when she suddenly leaned over to me and said tipsily, "Lily, if there ever comes a day when you don't want Nathan anymore, you have to tell me, okay?"

My eyes snapped to her in a fierce stare, and under the lighting, her eyes gleamed with intense greed.

I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of me. "Candace Lane, you sure aren't picky, huh?"

She cocked her head to the side, and her long lashes fluttered gently.

"It's not that I'm not picky, but that I can see things way clearer than you. Lily, let me ask you something. If Nate and I are buy one, free one, then what are you?"

"What?" I retorted darkly.

Her lips split into a mocking smile. "Of course, that makes you the extra, the third party! You're knowingly being the other woman!"

The fury that I had been suppressing instantly surged forth, and all the grief I had been enduring the past few days finally overwhelmed my rational side.

Snatching up the bucket of ice on the table, I tossed the contents in her face.

"Candace Lane, since when did you become so shameless?"

She let out a screech before bursting into loud tears, screaming, "Lily, Nate and I didn't overstep the boundaries!"

Nathan charged over to pull her into a hug. Having lost all control, he bellowed at me, "Liana Suther, are you done?"

"No, I'm not done!" I zeroed in on his hand, which was currently gently brushing the back of Candace's hand, and noticed the exact same bracelets on their wrists. The sight of that made my eyes sting. "Nathan Linden, do you dare swear that you two didn't overstep the boundaries? Then, where were you two last night?"

Rage roiled in Nathan, but there was a slight hint of guilt in his eyes as he replied, "Yes, we booked a hotel room last night, but there were two beds, and we slept separately. She was scared, so I simply kept her company. We didn't do anything that was out of line."

Lifting Candace into his arms, he added, "Liana, stop this tantrum of yours. I already told you that I only think of Candace as a younger sister."

With that, he strode off.

Indignant fury coursed through me as I chased after him, reaching the door just as a pink sedan came to a stop in front of me.

Candace, who was seated in the front passenger seat, rolled down the window and tucked away the taunting smile that had been on her face.

"Liana, would you believe me if I said the car dealership was having a buy one, free one promotion?"

I stared intently at Nathan and asked him where the car had come from.

"I bought it and put it under Candace's name. Her leg is injured, and you know how strict the company is with attendance. That's why I bought her this car, to make it more convenient for her to get to and from work."

His reply was smooth and casual, yet he couldn't bring himself to look me in the eye.

Something suddenly occurred to me, causing me to smack the car and demand, "Where did the money you used to buy this car come from? Did you take it from our joint account? Nathan Linden, answer me!"

However, the only response I got was the roar of the car engine as he slammed his foot down on the accelerator and sped out of there like he was fleeing. The abrupt departure threw me off balance, sending me crashing to the ground.

Elena helped me up before letting out a horrified yell, "Liana, your leg is bleeding!"

Nonetheless, I ignored the pain as I grabbed my phone and checked our bank account balance.

The marriage fund Nathan and I had spent the past four years saving up for had been reduced to zero.

How dare he touch this money! He clearly knew that I had had to work two jobs during the summer and winter holidays, all so I could break free of my family. In fact, for the sake of lightening my load, he had also refused to return home and would also find a job.

Our vow to get married after graduation hadn't been said on a whim. That confidence had come from the financial security we had built up over the years, bit by bit.

Yet now, he had taken away everything I had, all for Candace.