Chapter 1 Outside His Circle

The chilly night breeze slipped beneath my collar and sent a shiver through my body. I wiped a hand across my face. I was not crying, and my eyes were completely dry. It was only the wind making them sting.

I walked toward the curb outside the apartment complex and pulled out my phone to book a ride home.

Before I could open the app, someone called out to me.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

I looked up and spotted Alex Hudson coming toward me with a convenience-store bag swinging from one hand. He was close friends with both Haiden and Kendall and lived in the same apartment.

"Are you here to see Haiden?" he asked.

"Yeah." I glanced back at the building. "The door is locked from the inside, so I can't get in."

Alex stopped walking and frowned at me. "Isn't Kendall inside? She just sent a voice message to the group chat. She's cooking at Haiden's place right now, and she invited everyone over for drinks."

Alex spoke as though the situation were completely ordinary. He did not seem to notice how quickly the warmth had disappeared from my face.

I forced myself to ask, "Does she come here often?"

He laughed lightly. "She's here all the time. Kendall probably knows Haiden's place better than any of us."

His expression remained amused as he continued, "We even joke that she's basically the lady of the house."

The smile on his face disappeared almost at once.

Alex seemed to realize only then that he had just made that joke in front of Haiden's actual girlfriend.

He explained, "Uh… I don't mean it like that."

I forced a small smile, trying to show him that I was fine. However, my throat tightened before I could get the words out.

A notification sounded from Alex's phone before the silence between us could grow any worse.

He lowered his eyes to the screen, and my gaze followed without meaning to.

The top of the group chat clearly displayed "Haiden's Harem."

Kendall had posted another voice message. Several teasing memes followed almost immediately, and new replies began appearing beneath them.

'I'm on my way.'

'Save me some ribs.'

Alex quickly turned off his screen, but I had already seen enough.

He shifted the plastic bag in his hand and cleared his throat. "Do you want to come upstairs with me? Kendall might be busy cooking, so maybe she didn't hear you knocking."

He hesitated briefly before adding, "We're all friends, after all."

I almost laughed at the idea of all of us being friends.

I was Haiden's girlfriend, yet somehow I still felt like the least welcome person in his circle.

Everyone else seemed to fit naturally into his life, while I was always left standing at the edge, like someone who had never truly been meant to belong there.

I shook my head. "No, it's okay."

I turned away from Alex and continued toward the street.

After walking several steps, I gave in and checked my phone again.

Haiden's latest message was still waiting on the screen.

'Give me a few minutes. I'm heading back now. I'll let you in.'

Ten minutes had already passed since he sent it.

Haiden still had not appeared.