Chapter 3

Carissa's alternative account handle was "@traceless_wind", and she'd only ever posted two things.

The first one was from seven years ago. "Tania just told me she likes Wendell. I didn't say a thing, but wasn't I the one who knew him first? I was merely vetting him, waiting to see if he would confess to me a second time!"

There were no comments below it.

The second one was from three years ago, posted on the exact same day as Wendell's tweet.

@traceless_wind: "Stop it, Wendell. Tania's my best friend. We can never be together."

@youthfulreverie: "I'm only dating her to punish you. Have you ever regretted your choice?"

@traceless_wind: "I have, but Tania's my best friend. I can't do this to her."

Gaping at their exchange, I felt as though I had been submerged in freezing water. Seven years. Wendell and Carissa had known each other for seven years and had been pining for each other for just as long.

Meanwhile, I had been a tool from the very beginning—a tool for Wendell to punish Carissa and a tool for Carissa to prove she was a "good friend".

With trembling fingers, I dug deeper. The last activity on that alternative account was three months ago.

Carissa had left a comment on one of Wendell's tweets. He had already deleted his post, but her reply was still there.

@traceless_wind: "How many times do I have to tell you, Wendell? Tania's my best friend. Stop pestering me! I'm going to marry my boyfriend, so you should treat Tanya well, too."

My hands were literally trembling when I read that. Boyfriend? Carissa didn't have a boyfriend back then.

She only told me about her and Gavin last week. Who the hell was she referring to three months ago?

I pulled up Carissa's social media and started scrolling backward, all the way to three months ago. Everything she had posted at the time was the kind of content a single woman would share.

Carissa: "I love eating barbecue alone. It's the best!"

Carissa: "Got rejected by another blind date today, boohoo."

Carissa: "Watching other couples show off their love is making me so jealous."

It was all an act.

When on earth did she and Gavin even become a thing? Could it be that… Gavin wasn't her actual boyfriend?

All of a sudden, I remembered the day Carissa brought Gavin to dinner. Gavin barely said a word the entire night. He only mechanically placed food on her plate, refilled her glass, and wiped the corner of her mouth.

He was like an actor who was hired specifically to put on a show.

My heart missed a beat. I opened a search tab and entered his name.

Carissa had previously tagged his workplace in a post. It was a tech firm where he supposedly worked as a programmer. I searched that company, but no such person existed.

I looked up Gavin's contact number next. It was a newly registered number, activated just a month ago.

My blood ran cold. Carissa had hired an actor to play her boyfriend. But why? Why the hell would she stage a relationship right in front of me?

I scrolled through her recent posts. The very first time she flaunted her relationship was last week. The dinner when she introduced Gavin to us was also last week.

All of a sudden, the scales fell from my eyes. She had brought Gavin to dinner so Wendell would see him. She'd done that to provoke him, to drive him over the edge, and to force him to break up with me.

Carissa was using her fake relationship to force my boyfriend's hand.

She wanted Wendell, but she didn't want the infamy of stealing her best friend's man, so she put on this performance. She wanted Wendell to take the initiative to break up with me. Then, she could reluctantly accept him, keeping her reputation flawless.

Meanwhile, I was expected to thank her for "being considerate of me". I guffawed and burst into tears.

Ten years. For ten long years, Carissa and I had been friends. Yet, she had been playing me for a fool for seven of them. This final stroke of hers was the most lethal.

I stared at her feed. I had actually liked that photo of her and Gavin being all lovey-dovey.

At the time, I was genuinely happy for her. I had told Wendell, "Carissa's finally found someone."

I had even comforted Wendell, telling him, "Don't read too much into it."

I locked my phone and took a deep breath, thinking, "Carissa, I've been playing my part for a decade, but the curtain falls here."

Rising from the couch, I flung open the wardrobe and hauled out a suitcase. I began to pack my clothes, my skincare products, my laptop, and my savings book holding three years' worth of my salary. I crammed them in, one by one.

When I got to the third drawer, I spotted a small red box. I opened it. It was the ring Wendell had given me last Valentine's Day. I had mistaken it for an engagement ring.

I had been so excited that my hands were shaking that day. Yet, when I'd opened it, it was just a plain silver band. There was no diamond.

He had smiled and said, "Let's not get caught up in superficial things. I'll make it up to you when we're better off."

I had been deeply touched. I'd genuinely believed he wanted to build a life with me.

I hurled the ring into the trash. It hit the bottom with a harsh clink. The sound reverberated through the room, snapping like a tightly wound string inside my heart.

I was only halfway done when the rattle of keys came from the front door. Wendell was back. He pushed the door open and walked in with a takeout bag.

Noticing me kneeling on the floor, packing my things, he froze. "What do you think you're doing, Tania?"