Chapter 1

Leah's POV

I stared at the picture of Zack Warner and Wendy Carter for so long that everything in front of me started to blur and double.

My phone buzzed, and the class group chat exploded with messages.

"When did Zack and Wendy get together? I have to admit, Wendy really is beautiful!"

"Zack is pretty handsome too. But isn't he Leah Quinn's boyfriend?"

"Is this some kind of love triangle?"

A sharp pain tore through my chest. I frantically opened Wendy's chat and demanded an explanation.

"Are you dating Zack?"

There was no reply.

I called Zack.

The few seconds I waited for him to answer felt like an eternity.

The call connected, and Zack's voice came through. "Leah, what is it?"

I fought back my tears. "Where are you? I need to ask you something."

I had always struggled to control my tears. Whenever Zack and I argued, my tears would start falling before I could stop them.

Zack never gave in, but seeing my red-rimmed eyes made him back down at once.

Hearing the tears in my voice, Zack sounded alarmed. "Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?"

I choked back a sob. "Are you with Wendy right—"

Before I could finish, Zack let out a low groan. His breathing suddenly grew heavy.

"Leah, I'm busy right now. I'll call you later!"

He abruptly hung up.

I stood frozen, my mind reeling.

Even though Zack had ended the call so quickly, I had still heard a woman's voice in the background.

It was Wendy.

My blood rushed to my head.

I called again, but no one answered.

By the time I realized what I was doing, I had already run out of the dorm.

Wendy lived in a gated community. She had once held my hand and personally added my information to the security system.

I had been touched by how much she trusted me, but she had only rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm just worried that Zack will take advantage of you, and you'll be too scared to even cry in the dorm when he hurts you!

"From now on, my house is your safe space."

I stood in Wendy's house with tears streaming down my face.

The sounds coming from the bedroom left me stunned.

I shoved the bedroom door open.

Wendy was getting dressed. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

With a smile, she said, "Well, I guess you found out."

Zack was still in bed, looking panicked as he tried to explain. "Leah, it's not what you think…"

But I couldn't hear a word. I could only stare blankly at the wedding picture hanging on the wall.

Once, I came across a video of someone's wedding pictures and told Zack offhandedly how jealous I was.

He said nothing at the time, but he gave me a white dress the very next day.

When he saw how surprised I was, he blushed. "Leah, I can't afford a wedding dress yet, so this is the best I can do for now.

"But I swear to you, once I make enough money, I'll make you the most beautiful bride!"

Instead, I was there to see their wedding photo.

The sight of Wendy's white wedding dress was almost too painful to bear.

I rushed in and smashed the framed photo against the floor. The glass shattered and cut into my palm, leaving it covered in blood.

Zack grabbed my wrist, his voice filled with panic. "Have you lost it? You could hurt yourself!"

I yanked my hand away and screamed through my pain. "Don't touch me!"

Wendy walked toward me barefoot. She looked like she wanted to say something but stopped.

My heart was in pieces, and I spat out the cruelest words I could think of through gritted teeth.

"How does it feel to sleep with your best friend's boyfriend? How could you be so shameless? You had to steal Zack from me!"

Wendy froze for a moment, then slapped me across the face.

She sneered, "Leah, why are you acting so damn dramatic?"