Chapter 2

Natasha's POV

The atmosphere in the room turned cold and heavy as broken cries echoed in the air.

Felix discreetly wedged his fingers beneath Vera's naked knees. The sounds of his skin scraping against the floorboards were deafeningly loud.

I forced myself to smile as I reached out and helped Vera back to her feet, saying, "It's alright. I don't blame the two of you."

Vera lifted her head and stared at me in disbelief. Her eyes glimmered with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"R-Really?"

"Really."

"Then, can you please proceed with the wedding? I promise to go somewhere far away where no one will find me as long as you're happy. I'll disappear from your lives forever," Vera exclaimed in a rush as if her life depended on it, pushing me into Felix's arms.

Meanwhile, Felix, who used to be terrified of me being upset and would even lose sleep if I frowned slightly, simply stood rooted to the spot as he stared at her.

He didn't hug me tightly and promise to make me happy like he did when he proposed to me. Instead, he just hung his head in disappointment and held my arm loosely.

"She's right, Natasha. You're the one I love the most. We were together for ten years. Can you give me another chance?"

Vera's back, which was covered in kiss marks, stiffened as a flash of sorrow flickered across her face.

I sighed deeply in my heart as I watched Felix and Vera struggle. They were the most important people to me, but they betrayed me. So, it should be fine for me to punish them a little, right?

I fixed a nonchalant smile on my face. I raised my voice as if I wasn't affected at all by their betrayal, saying, "Alright. That's enough. I already said that I'm not angry with the two of you.

"Both of you are such amazing people, and we've known each other for so long. It makes sense that you would lose control at least once. I was just scaring you earlier. Let's see if you'll have the guts to do something like this again in the future!" I exclaimed playfully before turning around.

I picked up the wedding band from the table and slipped it on my ring finger again. However, I couldn't stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks when the sparkling diamond on the ring winked proudly at me.

Felix and Vera had picked out this wedding ring for me. It was supposed to only cost 10,000 dollars, but an additional 5,000 dollars was added to the price tag because they insisted on wanting the best for me.

"I don't care how much it costs! My best friend deserves the most beautiful diamond ring!"

"Money's not an issue for me! My wife deserves only the best!"

I had simply watched them bicker with each other at the time, wearing a happy and goofy smile while propping my chin on my hands. I never would have guessed that their irritated bickering would inadvertently transform into something else.

A ring that had been discarded could still be found and picked up again, but I could no longer return to the person I once was.

…

I sat between Felix and Vera as always on the flight home.

However, they no longer argued with each other about who deserved to lean their head on my shoulder. Instead, they quietly looked out of the window and down the aisle, respectively. They would respond when I occasionally talked to them, but they didn't dare look each other in the eye for even a second.

Felix accompanied me home after the plane touched down.

We tacitly didn't say anything about the unhappy encounter during the entire car ride. Instead, we discussed the upcoming wedding ceremony that was scheduled to take place in the next three days.

But I could sense that his thoughts were elsewhere with the way he always responded a second later.

I pretended to be oblivious and continued scrolling through my phone.

Suddenly, the ringtone that I had specifically set for Vera rang through the air.

"Hello? Are you Natasha Winters? The owner of this phone fainted. I called you because she set you as her emergency contact—"

Vera's weak but stubborn voice echoed from the other end of the line before the person could finish their sentence.

"I-I'm fine, Natasha. Just go home. I-I'll accompany you to your wedding dress fittings tomorrow. You're going to be the most beautiful bride in the world…"

The line went dead after that, the busy tone echoing around the car.

Felix stiffened upon hearing Vera's words. He didn't say a single word, but he kept drumming his fingers on his knees anxiously.

In the collapsed corner of my heart, I felt an endless stream of dust slowly trickle down. I suppressed the sour, suffocating sensation in my chest and forced myself to open my mouth to voice the flimsy lie I had come up with.

"I might need you to order another cab, Felix. I just remembered that my colleague invited me out for dinner tonight."

Felix's dark eyes lit up for a split second before he said warily, "I can accompany you to where you need to go first."

"No need. I'm not a child. You should head home and get some rest. I want you to be fully energized when you're accompanying me for my wedding dress fittings tomorrow."

I asked the driver to stop the cab. I then opened the door and ushered Felix out of the cab.

Felix frowned as he stood rooted to the spot. He looked a little hesitant, but his desire to see Vera ultimately won over the uneasiness in his heart.

"Come back home soon. No drinking alcohol and no walking around after nightfall. Call me as soon as dinner is over. I'll pick you up."

"I got it," I said, waving at him animatedly before closing the door without any hesitation.

I watched as Felix's silhouette shrank in the rearview mirror. He started walking away with long strides until he eventually broke into a frenzied sprint.

I couldn't stay strong anymore after that. I let the strong front that I had put on crumble and wailed loudly.

Felix was running in the opposite direction from our home.

The path that was supposed to lead to happiness had ultimately fractured under the weight of betrayal.