Alle Kapitel von The Night My Best-Friend Ruined Me: Kapitel 41 – Kapitel 50

Adrian’s POVWatching them was like watching a slow-motion car crash. You see the metal twisting, you hear the glass shattering, and you know there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop the impact.When Aria grabbed his face, I stopped breathing. I actually think my heart just quit on me for a second. I watched her fingers dig into Julian’s cheeks—the same way she used to hold me when we were younger and the world was quiet. I watched her lean in, and when her lips met his, I felt a physical rip in my chest.It was more than just a kiss. It was an execution. For me, at least. I didn’t say a word. I couldn't. If I opened my mouth, I was either going to vomit or scream until my lungs gave out. I just stood up, the chair scraping against the deck with a sound that felt like nails on a chalkboard. I didn't look at Lydia’s smug face. I didn't look at Julian’s shocked one. And I definitely didn't look at Aria.I just walked.I headed out into the dark night, my feet hitting the sand as I

Lydia’s POVThe sun was barely up, and I was already in a foul mood. My head was pounding from the stress of that pathetic Truth or Dare game, and Adrian’s coldness was starting to feel like a permanent frost. I hadn't slept a wink, mostly because I kept seeing Aria’s smug face when she kissed Julian.I stepped out onto the boardwalk, clutching my designer wrap around my shoulders. I needed a coffee, or maybe a drink, or maybe just to scream into the ocean until my lungs gave out.That’s when I saw him.The brat.Leo was sitting on a lounge chair near the main deck, completely absorbed in some tablet. He looked so much like his mother it made my skin crawl. That same quiet, observant look that made you feel like he was judging your soul.I took a deep breath, smoothing my hair. If I was going to be the future Mrs. Blackwood, I had to at least pretend I liked the kid, right? Maybe if I won him over, Adrian would finally look at me without wanting to gag."Good morning, Leo!" I said, pu

Aria’s POVThe world suddenly turned gray. Everything around me lost its color as I suddenly saw them in nothing but black and white. I was on the floor, my knees raw against the wood, clutching Leo’s cold, wet body against my chest. I didn't care about the people standing around us. I didn't care about the cameras around or the fact that my hair was a bird's nest and my face was probably a mess of salt and snot."Leo? Leo, baby, please," I whispered into his hair. It smelled like the pool he'd drowned in. Not like the baby shampoo he usually smelled like. "Please don't leave me. You're all I have. You’re everything. Leonel, please open your eyes. You can't do this to Mommy. You can't snatch the little light left in Mommy's eyes. Come on, baby. Stay with me."I looked up, my vision so blurred I could barely see. Julian was still sitting back on his heels, his face as white as a sheet, his hands trembling. He looked defeated. And Julian never looked defeated. That scared me more than

Adrian’s POV"Adrian, darling, you’re scaring me. Please, say something."Say something? What was I even supposed to say? I feared that if I opened my mouth, I'd hurt her so bad, we'd both regret it Lydia was sitting on the edge of the sofa, dabbing at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. She’d changed her dress, but she still looked like a mess. Good for her, though. I wanted her to feel like shit."Say something?" I turned on her, my voice low and vibrating with a rage I couldn't even put into words. "What do you want me to say, Lydia? Thank you? Thank you for pushing a five-year-old into a pool and watching him drown?""I didn't watch him drown! I told you, he attacked me!" She stood up, her voice getting that shrill, defensive edge. Like there was anything she could say that'd change the fact that she fucking drowned a child. A child that was likely mine. "He was being a brat, Adrian. He called me names. He needed to learn some manners. Honestly, the boy deserved it low-key. He nee

Aria’s POVThe thermometer beeped. My heart turned to lead. 102.4."Mommy, my head feels like it has drums inside it," Leo whispered, his voice small and weak. He was a curled ball on the sofa, buried under three blankets, but he was still shivering.My world stopped. I knew kids get colds. But after the Maldives trip—the stress, the near-drowning, the travel—his body was weak. With the virus spreading in the city, I couldn't think straight. Every cough sounded like a death sentence. Every shiver looked like a sign of the plague I was fighting in the lab every day."I know, baby. I know," I said, my voice shaking as I brushed his sweaty hair off his forehead. "We'll get you some medicine. You'll feel better soon."I didn't go to the lab. I couldn't. I called Sarah and told her to handle the sequencing, then I shut off my work phone. I couldn't deal with Edmund’s yelling or the WHO’s demands. Not when my son felt like a furnace.Julian showed up forty minutes after I texted. He didn't