Chapter 2

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Sophie asked as tears fell from her face.

She did not want to believe that the boyfriend she had loved for the last five years would betray her with her best friend of ten years, and that they had managed to hide their relationship from her.

Carter let go of Ruby's hand and quickly went over to Sophie to explain. "I just happened to be passing by the area and wanted to visit her. That's all."

"Do you take me for a fool, Carter? I saw you two kissing, and you're trying to tell me that there’s nothing between the two of you?"

Sophie was enraged, and she flung her bag hard at Carter. Carter did not dodge, so it hit him in the head. He staggered for a second before managing to stand still. "Don't be this way, Sophie. Just listen. We can explain."

Ruby shielded Carter behind her while crying. She tried to explain, but Sophie did not give her the chance. Instead, she slapped Ruby hard across the face.

Slap!

It was a loud slap, and the sound drew the attention of other students nearby. The crowd got bigger as Ruby had one hand to her face, looking at Sophie in disbelief. "Aren't we best friends, Sophie? How could you slap me?"

"Oh, so you still remember that I'm your best friend? If we're best friends, why would you steal my boyfriend? Why would you cheat with him behind my back?! Why? Why?!"

Sophie went crazy as she slapped Ruby over and over.

Ruby's face was bruised from all the slapping, but she did not dodge, nor return any of the slaps to Sophie. "This is all my fault. I just couldn't control myself!"

Ruby said while shaking her head and sobbing, "We never wanted to hurt you. We made a pact to break up after our four years of university. Sophie, please forgive me."

"You never wanted to hurt me? And you even made a pact to break up after four years? You're disgusting! You're both disgusting!"

Sophie slapped Ruby even harder, and Carter finally could not take it. He grabbed Sophie’s hand and said seriously, "Stop hitting her, Sophie. Ruby's classmates are all around us. It would be bad for her reputation if you blow this up."

She could not believe that Carter was more concerned for Ruby's reputation than Sophie’s dignity. Sophie watched him protect another girl and saw Ruby hiding behind him, trembling.

She knew then that she had lost and suffered a complete defeat.

"If this is bad for her reputation, what about mine? Have you even given me any thought, Carter? I'm not made out of stone. I have a heart, and it can bleed too. Do you know how much pain I'm in, finding out that my boyfriend and my best friend have betrayed me?"

"Oh my gosh! Isn't that Ruby Wrenly from our lecture class? I can't believe she's the other woman."

"Isn't that guy her boyfriend? We've studied at this university for three years, and I see him here every semester when he visits her. I can't believe a handsome, loving guy like that is two-timing them!"

"I never understood what that cute guy ever saw in Ruby. Compared to that girl, she really isn't that pretty."

"If I were her, I'd be heartbroken to be betrayed by the people closest to me. It'd be like your parents passing away."

…

While everyone was gossiping about this, Sophie slowly pulled her hand away from Carter's. Whoever said that was right. It was almost the same as having her parents pass away, because she had treated them like family.

When Ruby was in the 8th grade, her parents passed away in a car accident. She had no money for school, so Sophie secretly used the money her parents gave her for school to help Ruby. When Ruby refused to accept it, Sophie paid her school fees directly to the administrative office.

Sophie never revealed what she did for Ruby, even after her parents found out she had not used that money for school.

When Ruby had no money for food, Sophie told her parents she did not like the school canteen food and insisted on bringing food from home. She convinced them that she was a big eater and doubled her usual meal size, but she was really bringing the food to share with Ruby at school.

Since then, Sophie and Ruby became best friends, and everyone used to joke that they were Siamese twins.

This continued until high school, when Sophie and Ruby took different electives and were no longer always in the same class.

After that, Sophie got to know Carter, who had good Chemistry grades. She would ask for his help whenever she had questions about the class. As time passed, someone eventually teased Carter, "Hey, Carter. Are you being so nice to Sophie because you like her?"

Carter straightened up and replied without hesitation, "Yes, I like Sophie!"

After that, they started dating, and Sophie introduced him to Ruby. The three of them became good friends. However, it never occurred to Sophie that Carter would fall for Ruby.

If they chose to be together, Sophie decided she no longer wanted them in her life. She took a step back and looked at them, saying slowly, "Carter, Ruby, since you're in love with each other, I'll back out of this relationship.

"I'm breaking up with you, Carter! And Ruby, we're no longer friends. Let's just pretend that I've never done anything for you!"