Chapter 8

The door was hurriedly flung open, and it slammed hard against Angela's body. However, Daryl didn't even notice her collapsing to the floor in pain and rushed out with a bleeding Cathy in his arms.

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor told them that Cathy's baby was gone. He chided them and said, "How could you have let yourselves loose like this during pregnancy? You should have had more restraint!"

Cathy wouldn't stop sobbing. Daryl lowered his head and said nothing, his eyes filled with guilt and self-blame.

When he turned and saw Angela standing at the door, his expression fell at once.

"Angela… I…"

Angela shook her head. "It's fine. I understand."

She turned to leave, but Daryl ran after her and grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry. She's your best friend, and I was worried that something terrible would happen to her. That's why I rushed her to the hospital as quickly as I could."

Angela couldn't be bothered to watch his pretense anymore. Even coming up with a response to his excuse was nothing but a waste of time.

"Then, please do me a favor and take care of my best friend for me. I'm going home now. Tomorrow… is going to be a long day."

Daryl was stunned for a moment. A complex emotion surfaced in his eyes as he replied, "You've always been so kind and understanding, Angie. Don't worry. I'll go home as soon as I settle the hospital bill."

However, he still hadn't come home even when it was late into the night.

Joe then sent Angela a video. Daryl had probably been too upset about losing Cathy's child and was now drinking with his best friend, Leon Finley, at a bar.

"What? You're thinking of giving Angie's baby to Cathy? Aren't you afraid that she'd get mad at you for that?"

"Angie will never know," Daryl said, rubbing his engagement ring on his finger. "After Angie gives birth to her baby, I'll just put Cathy down as the mother in the registration details. That way, I'll finally have a reason to sever all ties with Cathy. I just have to grant her this one last wish."

"You're out of your mind. I can't believe you'd actually film yourself having sex in front of a camera and posting it online just for that Cathy's sake."

Daryl smiled smugly like he was far superior compared to anyone else. "I thought that Cathy was just promiscuous, but I guess I really fell for her after tasting her just once."

"But you love Angie so much. Everyone knows how you risked your life to save her back then. I don't believe that you actually fell in love with Cathy," Leon countered.

Daryl took a swig of his beer and sighed.

"Actually, I used to look down on Cathy. If it weren't for Angie begging me to give her a job, I would've never given her the time of day. But she ended up being my secretary and willingly took shots on my behalf at networking events just to please our potential investors and business partners.

"She didn't even complain when they began manhandling her and convincing her to sleep with them before they signed our contracts…

"She looked like she was about to cry when she turned around and looked at me, but there was also something in her eyes that told me she would be strong and that I shouldn't worry about her. I could never forget the look she gave me.

"I couldn't hold back anymore that night and brought her to a hotel room. And I could never stop at just once after having her the first time. The rest is history."

Daryl then shook off his memories and said, "Cathy was willing to go that far for me because of how much she loved me, but I was already engaged to Angie. I couldn't give Cathy anything but a fake wedding. At least, it would give her some sort of comfort.

He sighed. "If only I'd met her sooner… Maybe things would never have turned out like this."

Leon didn't say anything more and cracked open another beer for him, saying that they would drink the night away and forget about all their worries.

Angela smiled bitterly. Daryl still didn't know that their baby was already gone. She wondered what he would offer to Cathy in exchange if he found out.

She felt a dull ache in her chest, reminding her that she was still alive, and this nightmare was about to finally end.

That night, she warmed up a glass of milk laced with sleeping pills for Daryl the same way he did for her in the past.

Daryl finished the milk and pulled Angela into his arms, saying quietly, "Thank you for being so understanding, Angie. I promise that I'll give you the grandest wedding tomorrow and make you the happiest bride of the century."

Angela just smiled faintly and pulled the covers over him. "Go to sleep. I promise you'll be very happy in the morning."

Once he was sound asleep, Angela packed up her suitcase and went into Cathy's hospital room.

Cathy immediately understood what was going on the moment she saw Angela with her suitcase.

"I've told the wedding planner to change all names and photos of the bride to yours. You'll be marrying Daryl tomorrow."

Cathy's eyes reddened. She felt a surge of triumph and excitement as she said, "Thank you for making my wish come true, Angie. This is the best outcome for all of us."

"Why did you film those kinds of videos?"

This was the only question Angela left unanswered. Even though she knew that Cathy was more open-minded and promiscuous than she was, she still didn't think that her friend would do something that would be so easily exposed.

Cathy was stunned momentarily. Then, she scoffed.

"Because Daryl and I are the same kind of people, Angie. Did you know? He told me that you were too reserved in bed, and he didn't have the heart to hurt you, so he took his frustration and worked off all of his energy on me.

"He loves making those kinds of videos. You'll never understand the thrill of it. You only got a head-start on him because you met him first. However, I will be a better Mrs. Carson than you'll ever be. At the very least, I know that he's truly happy when he's with me.

"Just admit it, Angie. You might have won the hearts of everyone else while growing up, but Daryl loves me, not you."

Angela felt the last of her hope die out in that instant.

Cathy's words were deeply humiliating. They plunged into her already bruised and battered heart like a sharp knife.

Angela turned to leave. She couldn't see her best friend beneath all the layers of makeup on Cathy's face anymore. However, she didn't feel any pain or resentment. She just felt relieved.

She no longer owed them anything.

As she walked out of the room, Cathy suddenly called out to her.

"We promised that we'd always be there to witness each other's milestones," she said smugly. "So, even if you're not coming tomorrow, I'll make sure to send you all the photos."

Angela scoffed lightly, a hint of pity in her eyes. "Forget about it. I hope you get everything you wish for, Mrs. Carson."

Then, she dragged her suitcase out of the room and left without a backward glance.