He Chose My Best Friend, So I Chose Freedom

I hung up. My red-rimmed eyes stared back at me from the dark screen.

The moment I pushed the door open, the laughter inside died.

Walker immediately moved in front of Anna, shielding her from me like I was some kind of threat.

Judith's smile disappeared the second she saw me.

"Valentina, stop acting like everyone owes you something."

She reached for Anna's hand and shot me an annoyed look.

"Anna is so kind. All she wants is one wedding with Walker. Is that really too much to ask?"

Anna lowered her head with a shy smile. Something green flashed against her chest and stung my eyes.

I recognized the emerald brooch. It was an Ashford family heirloom, passed down for generations.

A year ago, Judith had surgery for uterine fibroids.

I spent more than a month at her bedside, barely sleeping.

I emptied her bedpans, bathed her, and cooked every meal while she recovered.

Judith had been so touched that she'd promised me that brooch.

"Valentina, if that son of mine ever dares to mistreat you, I'll be the first one to deal with him."

And now Anna was wearing it.

Emma didn't even bother looking up from her phone. She snorted.

"If Anna weren't so worried about hurting your feelings, do you think we'd have bothered lying to you at all? You're an orphan. You should be grateful my brother is willing to marry you at all. Anna is generous. She's nothing like you. I asked you for a graduation gift, and you took forever to get me anything."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Emma had finished her SATs and wanted a graduation present she could show off.

Walker thought it would spoil her and refused.

But I'd secretly bought her a car and a laptop. I'd even put a generous amount of cash in a card. I was going to surprise her on her first day of school.

I never got the chance. Somehow, I'd gone from "sweetheart" to "the orphan."

My chest felt so tight I could hardly breathe. I turned to Walker.

"Is that what you think too?"

Walker frowned. "What do I think? You're always so bossy. This is exactly why we didn't tell you."

I repeated his words under my breath and let out a bitter laugh.

"You're my fiance. You cheated with my best friend, and I'm not even allowed to be angry?"

"Anna is sick. She has less than six months to live. She's your best friend. I did this for you too. It's one ceremony. Can't you have a little compassion? Do you really have to be jealous of a dying woman?"

By the end, he was practically shouting at me.

When I first got together with Walker, my father said we would never last.

He said Walker was like one of those colorful sample cakes at a supermarket. Leave him out long enough, and someone else was bound to take a bite.

A man like that could never love only me.

He made a bet with me. If I still wanted Walker three years later, he'd stop standing in my way.

Three years had passed. Dad had been right.

Anna had taken a bite out of him.

The pressure in my chest finally became too much. I snapped.

"She takes my wedding photos. She picks my ring. What's next? Is she taking my place in bed on our wedding night too?"

Walker's expression shifted. Before he could speak, Anna grabbed my hand and burst into tears.

"I didn't mean to take Walker from you. I'm dying. I only have this one wish. Aren't you my best friend? Why can't you do this for me?"

Before today, seeing Anna cry would have had me rushing to protect her.

When her parents found out she was sick, they wanted nothing more to do with her.

I took her in. I burned through my savings paying for her treatment. I worked three jobs and lost sixteen pounds just trying to keep up with the bills.

After everything I'd done for her, this was how she repaid me.

My nails dug so deep into my palm that blood ran between my fingers and dripped onto the floor.

I barely noticed. I just stared at them through tear-filled eyes.

The moment Walker saw the blood, he rushed over and took my hand.

"You're bleeding. Don't move. I'll get the first aid kit."

He quickly returned with a bandage and gently reached for my hand.

For just a second, I saw the old Walker again. The Walker who used to care about me.

It was as if the tension between us had never been there.

"It hurts!"

Anna's whimper snapped me back to reality.

Walker froze. Then he turned, scooped Anna up, and hurried for the door.

"I'm taking Anna to the hospital. Put the bandage on yourself."

The bandage slipped from my fingers and landed on the floor.

Fine, Walker. Anna can have the wedding. She can have you as her groom too.