Chapter 1

Jessie Newman pinched my face and then slumped back onto the couch.

Noah Lucas pointed disapprovingly at her foot that had returned to his lap, but he did not push it away. "She just drank too much. Don't overthink it."

She was drunk, but Noah was completely sober.

He had tacitly approved of Jessie moving into our marital home, mobilized all his company’s resources to clear her name as a canceled influencer, and allowed her to kiss him on the cheek without even giving me a decent explanation.

My words were stuck in my throat. I suddenly realized I did not have the strength to speak them out because the answer was already in front of me.

A few days ago, I saw several stray dogs in the neighborhood circling the limited-edition plushie Noah bought for me and biting at it.

Jessie had borrowed it and claimed she accidentally left it in the hotel where she was filming her vlog.

I mentioned it to Noah, but he sighed and looked at me as if I were a petty child. "Lola, we grew up together. How can you speculate about her like this? It's just limited edition, not discontinued. Maybe someone else threw it away. How about I buy another one for you?"

Who would throw away a plushie that had been sold on a secondhand platform at five times its original price?

To Noah, I was not even entitled to voice an objection.

The last remnants of my hope shattered completely as I thought, 'Forget it. Let's end things here.'

I quietly retreated to my room and contacted the wedding photographer.

Lola: [Due to unforeseen circumstances, the photoshoot is canceled. No need to refund the deposit.]

After exiting the chat, I saw my phone's screensaver of us as children playing in a stream.

Jessie had snatched my phone and forcibly replaced the photo of Noah and me. It was like a reminder not to forget that sweltering summer day when we jumped into the stream to catch fish, but the floodgates upstream had quietly been opened. It was Jessie who held me tightly until Noah found adults to save us.

From then on, our simple friendship was tied together with a deep bond.

No matter how much she overstepped boundaries afterward, I forced myself to move on.

After graduation, Noah confessed his feelings to me. Jessie left without a word and never replied to our messages.

Later, she showed up at Noah’s and my engagement party. Emboldened by alcohol, she started talking about how her top supporter had scammed her, how she got dropped by her agency, how she was now penniless, and how she was drowning in debt.

Noah frowned more and more before finally putting his arm around her shoulder. "Jessie, move in with us tonight. If no one else will sign you, I will."

I would not just stand by and do nothing.

I had been there for Noah from the very beginning, helping him build his company into a moderately successful one, yet no one had ever asked me for my consent about our marital home.

Another burst of loud cheers erupted from the living room.

I burrowed under the covers, tossing and turning several times. Finally, I decided to get through the night with the sleeping pills Noah had bought for me.

I had been suffering from severe insomnia lately. He had noticed and given me a bottle of pills.

They were bitter but effective.

A short while later, my head began to spin. I felt like I had not slept for long when a pair of large hands shook me awake.

I opened my eyes to Noah's anxious face. "Lola, it's already 11 AM! You know we're taking wedding photos today. Why didn't you set an alarm?"

I recovered from the sluggishness brought on by the sleeping pills and was about to speak when I heard Jessie gagging from outside the door.

Noah immediately released me and ran out.

I followed, leaning against the wall.

I saw Noah scoop Jessie up in his arms. She was wearing a sundress.

"Jessie's been having stomach problems lately, and she drank so much last night. I need to take her to the hospital. As for the wedding photos, we didn't go this morning anyway, so let's reschedule the outdoor shoot this afternoon too."

My chest tightened with anger. Finally, I heard myself say, "Noah, I canceled the wedding photos last night."