Chapter 3

Since I returned to the table only moments before Frederick and Elaine did, no one noticed anything unusual. However, when Elaine came back, she was looking at me with a pointed look on her face.

"Sorry, everyone. I was being immature again. Let me make it up to you all by buying everyone a round of drinks," she offered. "But I can't really drink because of my sensitive stomach. Would you mind finishing my drink for me, Frederick?"

Smiling sweetly, she handed her drink to Frederick. Without the slightest hesitation, the latter took the glass from her and downed its contents in one go. He even made sure to place his lips on the lipstick stain she left on the glass' rim.

I scoffed inwardly. They didn't even bother to hide it from me anymore.

"Please don't get the wrong idea, guys. Frederick and I grew up together, so we're practically siblings. He's just used to looking out for me," she told our course mates.

Then, she stuck out her tongue playfully before turning toward me. "I hope you don't mind, Nancy. This is just how Frederick and I have always acted around each other."

I set down my utensils and slowly wiped my mouth with a napkin. "Why would I mind? You're friends. It's perfectly normal for friends to look out for each other."

I paused before adding casually, "Although… I didn't know you had a sensitive stomach. Frederick used to get called away in the middle of the night all the time. Whenever I asked, he'd say you had an upset stomach and that he needed to go take care of you.

"Back then, I thought he was making you out to be the problem. After all, what kind of woman would ask someone else's boyfriend to come over in the middle of the night and keep him there until morning? Now that I know that it was you, I feel a lot better."

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table looked like they'd just been handed the juiciest piece of gossip.

After all, Frederick had done an excellent job at keeping up appearances throughout our relationship over the years. To everyone else, he was the perfect boyfriend who adored me.

As for Elaine, she was nothing more than a carefree, close friend of his. No one could've imagined that she'd be hiding such a disgusting truth.

Frederick tried to explain himself several times. But every time he opened his mouth, I changed the topic and left him with no opportunity to speak.

Once he had missed the window to explain himself, nothing he said afterward would be able to make a difference.

I knew Frederick understood that too, but I didn't really care. I wanted to completely ruin their reputation, and this was only the beginning.

…

After several rounds of drinks, everyone eventually went their separate ways.

Elaine only had one drink at the beginning of the evening. Yet by the end of the night, she was leaning against Frederick's chest as if she couldn't even walk.

"I don't feel very well, Frederick. Can you take me home?" she asked.

Moments later, she added weakly, "Never mind… Nancy won't be happy about it. You should just leave me alone. I'll make my own way home."

Elaine tried to stand up, but she kept ending up back in Frederick's arms somehow. Frederick, on the other hand, already seemed visibly uneasy after what I had said at the table.

I knew him too well. To him, nothing mattered more than his public image. So, when Elaine threw herself into his arms, he hesitated. But before he could say anything, I graciously gave him an excuse to leave.

"I'm not upset. Go ahead and take Elaine home. I still have to go to the reading room to work on my report. If you decide to come back after you drop her off, you can just meet me there."

My calm response made Frederick frown. However, after thinking it over, he ultimately chose to prioritize the woman he loved the most.

"I'll come and look for you later. Elaine can't hold her liquor very well. She needs me to look after her," he told me.

Before he could even finish his sentence, I got into my car and left.

I didn't care about who was drunk or who was taking care of whom. I wasn't concerned about whether or not he'd be returning home either. After all, how could he possibly pass up on such a great opportunity?