Chapter 1

George Allen had promised me that we were getting married this year. Now, his face paled, and his eyes darted away from mine.

"Is that so? Marriage is a huge step, you know. You should... find someone who actually loves you. Don't just..."

George's mom, Debra Allen, gasped, cutting him off.

"Wait, what? You have a girlfriend? Since when?"

She let out an awkward laugh and glanced between us. "You two are together every single day. Remember last time when she had a fever? You even took time off work to stay home and nurse her back to health. I honestly thought you guys had feelings for each other..."

I pressed my lips together as a chill crept into my chest.

Nobody knew that I had actually been George's secret girlfriend for two years. I had wanted to go public before, but he always insisted the timing wasn't right. So, we kept it hidden until now.

George stood there, as if answering his mom's question, but also as if making sure I heard every word.

"We just started dating... about a month ago."

My mind went blank, ringing with a sharp buzz as my thoughts spun out of control.

Just a month ago, we were still tangled up in bed together. In the heat of the moment, he had even leaned in and asked if I wanted to have a baby with him.

The brutal contrast left me completely numb. My heart was pounding out of control when, suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Harlow Jackson was standing at the door, holding a gift box.

The second George opened the door, she set the box down, stood on her tiptoes, and eagerly planted a kiss on his cheek.

"George! Surprise! I missed you so much, so I just couldn't wait to see you! Come on, tell me, did you miss me?"

He chuckled and ran a hand through her hair, his eyes filled with delight. Then he took her by the hand and proudly led her inside. "Mom, this is my girlfriend I was telling you about."

Harlow looked around the room with curiosity. But when her eyes landed on me, she looked taken aback.

"Oh? Who's this?"

Before I could even open my mouth, George rushed to jump in.

"Her? Oh, that’s my... neighbor, Madison. She just dropped by for a bit."

Harlow nodded, but then her eyes locked onto my face, and she started picking apart my makeup.

"Madison, don't take this the wrong way, but your makeup looks a little off. Your eyeliner is super crooked, that foundation color really doesn't suit you, and it looks totally cakey..."

She kept going without missing a beat. "We girls really need to take care of our skin, you know? Especially at your age..."

Mid-sentence, she suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled self-consciously.

"Oh gosh, am I talking too much? I'm so sorry! I... I just get comfortable with people really fast. I didn't mean anything by it!"

My hands tightened into fists, gripping the edges of my skirt.

Just this afternoon, after finishing my makeup, I had specifically asked my best friend to check it for me.

Even she, who was notoriously hard to please, had gasped and said, "Girl, your makeup looks amazing today!"

Being put on blast like this felt awful. However, I forced myself to stand up and squeezed out a smile.

"It's fine. I actually just remembered I have something to take care of, so I should head home."

I was desperate to get out of there, but as I turned to leave, my tights caught on a sharp corner of the coffee table, tearing a long run straight up my leg.

Harlow immediately burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, what brand of tights are those? The quality is so cheap!"

She stood up and slid her phone right in front of me.

"Here, add me on Instagram. I'll send you the link to the brand I wear."

Heat flooded my cheeks as humiliation settled in.

"No thanks, I have—"

George cut me off impatiently. "Come on, what's wrong with just buying nice stuff for once? Harlow is super picky. If she says it's good, it's good!"

He pulled her close and laughed. "You have no idea, but back in high school, Madison wore this one sweater until it was all pilled and still refused to throw it away. By the end, the fabric was practically worn bare!"

I stared at him in utter disbelief.

He had forgotten that the sweater was a cherished birthday present from him? Yet here he was, taking Harlow's side without hesitation and using it as a weapon to tear me down.

My eyes stung, and tears threatened to fall.

Harlow pouted, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Wait, how do you know what happened to her in high school? Are you two that close?"

Panic instantly flashed across his face. "Who's close with her? That's totally not true!"