NOT MY BEST FRIEND

 “Away from you.”

Those words left my lips with a tone that made it pretty clear they were cold and final. For a long second, Lyra just stood there and stared at me like she had not heard me properly. Then, her expression cracked from confusion to anger.

“What?” she snapped, “the fuck is wrong with you, Nyssa?”

I kept silent, and that only angered her more. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she took a step forward, her anger almost boiling over.

“I am trying as much as possible to be your best friend!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the street and getting the attention of even some bystanders, “I gave you space when you started acting weird. I did not question you when you rejected Adrian, and even when you started doing all of this insane shit -”

She gestured wildly from the movers, the boxes and me.

“And now?” she continued, her tone filled with disbelief, “I hear you have bought a duplex? Where the hell did you even get all this money?”

I tilted my head and studied her, really studied her. I was almost impressed. The outrage, the concern and even the way the hurt was so perfectly woven into her voice was so convincing. If I didn’t already know that she was a traitor, then, I might have believed that she was actually concerned for me.

A faint smile tugged at my lips as I took a step forward, “You really are good,” I whispered,

She froze, “What?”

“You almost have me convinced,” I continued in a light tone, “All of this is an act, and I know that. Your emotional outrage was very convincing, but it was all an act.”

For a second, her face paled, but then as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, managing to sound confused.

I stepped closer to her while also locking my gaze to hers.

“When you say things like that,” I said softly, “At least try to believe them yourself,”

Uncertainty flickered in her eyes before anger rushed forward and clouded it completely.

“You are insane.” she snapped in rage,

I shrugged, but did not answer.

Lyra continued, “You are hiding something from me, your best friend. Why?”

I held her gaze for a while before shaking my head, “See, this is where you are wrong,” I started, “You are not my best friend. You probably haven’t been for years.”

Silence descended around us and Lyra froze completely.

Those words hit harder than anything I could have ever screamed out. Her lips parted slightly, but no sounds came out. This time, I could tell she was actually shocked and hurt.

Good.

I did not feel anything, not even satisfaction, all I felt was clarity. I broke eye contact first and turned to face the movers.

“Get back to work,” I ordered, my tone sharp and commanding.

They hesitated for a second, their gazes flickering from Lyra to me and back again.

“Now!”

They immediately started moving. They lifted boxes, carried furniture and loaded everything into the truck with renewed urgency in their steps.

Lyra stepped back as all of these happened. She was pale now, like the world had somehow tilted beneath her feet.

She did not speak again, nor did she try and stop me. Instead, she just stood there, frozen as I packed away.

I stayed and made sure everything was loaded into the truck before I turned away and got into my car. Not once did I turn back.

This time, the drive to my new home felt different.

By the time I arrived, the movers were already there. Kellan was waiting outside with his hands on his hips and pursed lips.

He straightened the moment he spotted me and his arrogance practically disappeared from his eyes. His posture grew stiff, and his expression was careful as he turned to stare at the moving truck.

“Everything has been prepared… ma’am.” he said, stumbling over his words, “We’ve had everything cleaned and even-”

“Good,” I cut in before he could finish, “Make sure they move everything inside without a scratch.”

“Yes, of course,” he said with a strained tone.

His compliance was immediate and frankly, that was all I cared about right then. Inside, the house was exactly as I imagined it. The large windows let in soft, natural light and the air felt new and untouched.

For the first time since I had woken up in this life, I felt at peace. This space was mine. There were no watching eyes, no hidden knives behind smiles and no roommates who had poisoned me in the past.

It was just me.

Behind me, I could hear Kellan directing the movers. His tone was sharp, and the arrogance was back in his voice as he made sure everything was handled carefully.

I walked deeper into the house with my fingers brushing lightly against the walls, the counters and even the furniture as they were brought in.

Hours passed and I stood as boxes were unpacked and furniture was arranged.

My personal space slowly began to take shape around me, and by the time they were done, I could not help but break into a grin.

The movers left when the sun was setting. Kellan was the last one to leave, and he lingered near the entrance.

“Is there anything else you need,” he paused, swallowed then continued, “...ma’am.”

I glanced at him, and I actually considered his question, but finally, I shook my head, “No,”

He nodded quickly, “I’ll take my leave, then.”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me alone.

I locked the door shut behind him and silence returned to the estate. But this time, it wasn’t suffocating. No, this was peaceful. I let out a slow breath and walked to my new bedroom.

The bed was already set. It had clean sheets and soft pillows.

I took my bath first, then changed into more comfortable clothes before lying down on the bed.

A small smile spread across my lips as for the first time in a long time, I could rest without looking over my shoulder.

And with that thought, I closed my eyes, and let sleep take me.