Chapter 2

"Winona…"

Benjamin's voice drifted through the door, low and intimate in a way I had never heard before.

Then I heard Winona's breathless voice. "Benjamin, you're so much better than Hector. He's always been so stiff and boring…"

I stood frozen outside the door. It felt as though every drop of blood in my body had turned to ice.

The sounds inside grew louder. I could even hear the bed creaking.

Benjamin let out a quiet laugh. "Winona, Hector intentionally failed his exam for you today. Aren't we being a little cruel to him?"

Winona laughed softly. "I need Hector. I can't live without him, and he has to be my husband."

Then she continued, her voice almost casual, "But Benjamin, only you can give me this kind of excitement. Hector is too proper. He's always acting like some kind of saint. Even holding hands has to be serious with him. He could never be as carefree as you."

Benjamin scoffed. "Then why did you ask him to give up Kingswell University and stay here with you?"

"That's different." There was no hesitation in Winona's voice. "He loves me too much and can't live without me. What would he do if I weren't around to keep an eye on him?"

"So that's it?" Benjamin asked. "You only want me because I give you something he can't?"

"Not just that…" Winona's voice softened. "My heart belongs to you, too."

The voices behind the door continued.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. I welcomed the pain, for it was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Winona sounded like a stranger. And for the first time, I wondered if I had ever truly known her at all.

She was a few months older than me, but ever since we were kids, she had followed me everywhere.

Whenever the adults teased her, calling her my future bride, she would happily play along.

"Of course! Hector's going to marry me someday!"

Back then, I had believed her.

And somehow, Winona had been there through nearly every important moment of the first half of my life.

Then, in high school, Benjamin came into our lives. He and Winona clashed from the moment they met.

Benjamin couldn't stand seeing me upset, and whenever Winona showed up, the two of them would inevitably start arguing like sworn enemies.

I was always caught in the middle, trying to keep the peace. After all, they were the two people I trusted most.

Before long, the three of us became inseparable.

Winona and Benjamin still bickered whenever they were together, constantly competing for my attention, but somehow, I found those days incredibly happy.

On my 18th birthday, Winona and I officially started dating.

We promised each other that we'd attend the same university.

Surrounded by our friends and family, we endured endless teasing and congratulations as we excitedly planned our future together.

Everything seemed too perfect to be real.

But around that same time, Benjamin began to fall apart. As his best friend, I stayed by his side as much as I could.

I was so focused on helping him that I ended up neglecting Winona, even though we'd just started dating.

Looking back now, I realized I had ignored every forced smile Benjamin gave me.

My thoughts snapped back to the present.

A wave of nausea suddenly rose in my stomach.

Without making a sound, I turned and walked away. The moment I stepped outside the motel, the sunlight was so bright that I had to squint.

Still, I didn't let myself show a single sign of weakness.

From that day forward, Hector Hamilton—the man who had once been willing to throw away his entire future for Winona—was gone.

When I got home, I went straight into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Cold water hit my face as I tried to force down the anger burning inside me.

Just then, the phone on the counter lit up again.

Another message from the same unknown number appeared. "If you hadn't gone to that motel today and discovered the truth, then exactly seven years from now would have been your wedding night."

I dried my hands and stared blankly at the screen.

Another message appeared. "That night, you rented out the largest hotel in Kingswell for your wedding. But before the ceremony was even over, Winona received a call telling her that Benjamin had been seriously injured in a fight and was being treated at the hospital."

The messages kept coming, each one revealing another piece of the future I had narrowly escaped.

"Winona completely lost control. She pushed past you and ran out before the ceremony was finished. She abandoned you at your own wedding and turned you into a laughingstock among Kingswell's elite.

"She stayed by Benjamin's bedside all night. When he finally woke up, he told her that he had lost everything. Winona was devastated for him. Later, the two of them went to a motel near the hospital, where they betrayed you again."

My fingers slowly tightened around the phone.

Then another message appeared.

"Afterward, you confronted her. But she didn't show the slightest bit of guilt.

"Instead, she said, 'Hector, you're already my husband. You have everything. Benjamin has nothing. I'm all he has left. I was only trying to comfort him. You're a grown man. Do you really have to be this unreasonable?'"