Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Chapter 1

On the other end of the line, my best friend, Joan Hart, was in tears."A-Andrea, don't you think it's strange? When you came over last weekend, I opened the safe and showed you the gold bars. It's only been a few days... How could they just disappear?""Don't panic, Joan," I said, trying to keep her calm. "Did you call the police? And what did Dylan say?"She sniffled. "I did. And Dylan's out of town on business…"Away on business again. Her husband, Dylan Thorne, was never reliable when it mattered.Joan's sobbing broke off at just the right moment. "The police said it might be someone I know. Andrea… Who do you think it could be?""Don't worry, and don't overthink it. I'll come by tomorrow and help you sort things out," I said softly. "Okay… You're still the best."After I hung up, I couldn't shake the feeling that Joan had been hinting at something between the lines. But I suppressed the unease and went back to the post. In that short span of time, dozens more comments h

Chapter 2

In an instant, my comment was flooded with replies. Someone wrote, "Are you seriously blaming the victim?"Another comment read, "You're the 'best friend,' aren't you? Getting defensive, huh?"And Joan, the person who posted, replied to me directly, "I appreciate your concern, but please don't suspect my husband anymore. He's very good to me."I couldn't help but think how ridiculous it was when I read that. Ever since Joan got married, I'd become her emotional dumping ground. Once, she had whined, "He smelled like someone else's perfume, but he said he picked it up in the elevator.""There was lipstick on his shirt. He said a coworker brushed against him by accident."At first, I tried to reason with her. Later, I realized she didn't want the truth. She just needed me to repeat the answer she had already decided on—that Dylan loved her.I had once strongly advised Joan to cut her losses while she still could. But the very next thing she did was post photos of herself and Dyl

Chapter 3

The instant Dylan saw me, a fake smile spread across his face. "Well, well. Andrea's here. What is it? Visiting Joan, or checking how much we lost?""Watch your mouth, Dylan," I hissed.He let out a cold laugh. "Joan might be naive, but I saw through you a long time ago. You show up at the company every other day. Isn't it just to get close to me?""You really think that highly of yourself, huh?" I scoffed. "I was there to see my boyfriend."Suddenly, Joan's expression shifted. "Then where is he? It's been three years, and you've never introduced him to us. Besides, Dylan checked the employee list. There's no one by the name of Cornelius."Of course, Cornelius' name wouldn't appear on a regular staff list. He was the CEO. "Which department is he in?" Dylan pressed. "I'll go find him tomorrow and confront him myself."I wasn't about to hold back any longer, but I remembered what Cornelius had told me. He had been auditing the marketing department's accounts, and Dylan might be i

Chapter 4

A moment later, Joan called again. But this time, I blocked her without hesitation.I didn't have time to play along with this stupid game. Not when Mom was scheduled for surgery the next day. …Early the next morning, I rushed to the hospital. Mom lay in bed, her face pale. "Mom, don't be nervous," I reassured her. She nodded, yet her gaze drifted toward the door. "Where's Joan? I haven't seen her in a while. She said she'd come visit me."Almost immediately, something twisted in my chest. "She's been busy lately. Once you're discharged, I'll have her come see you," I replied. Mom let out a sigh. "I was thinking… Once I'm discharged, I'll finish that scarf. Joan likes this color."A while back, Joan had come over and seen Mom knitting. She had casually mentioned how pretty the color was, and Mom had remembered. So, she decided to make one for her, too. Just then, a commotion broke out in the hallway. "Everyone, look! This is the 'best friend' who stole my gold! Her m

Chapter 5

Joan turned in the direction I'd pointed, her gaze sweeping past the people in the hallway. Just outside the OB-GYN department, Dylan was gently guiding a young woman out. She looked barely in her early 20s. She rested one hand on her abdomen and slipped the other through his arm. And the gold bracelet Joan's mother had left her was now gleaming on the stranger's wrist. "Dylan Thorne!" Joan ground out the words through clenched teeth. "Who is this woman?"Dylan's expression changed instantly. Clearly, he hadn't expected to run into Joan here. He instinctively tried to pull away, but the woman cooed, "Dylan… I feel faint.""Why is she wearing my bracelet?"Joan's voice rang out sharply through the hallway. By then, people began to gather again."Joan, that's the woman I saw at the mall the other day," I said evenly. "Your husband bought her a five-thousand-dollar bag. I didn't make that up."Dylan shifted, hiding the report behind his back. "Joan, just listen to me—""Give

Chapter 6

With every sentence, Dylan's face grew visibly paler. "Weren't you always curious about my boyfriend? Well, now you've finally met him," I said softly. Joan's eyes widened in shock as her gaze fell on Cornelius. She muttered, "M-Mr. Jenkins… Andrea's boyfriend is actually Dylan's boss."Suddenly, she remembered how I had only smiled when she bragged about Dylan's "six-figure salary". Back then, she had thought I was jealous. But now, she realized it had all been a joke. Cornelius looked down at me, his expression gentle. "Andrea, I've always wanted to meet this 'best friend' of yours. I just didn't expect our first proper encounter to be under these circumstances."Bracing herself against the wall, Joan forced herself upright and staggered toward the young woman. Her eyes locked onto the bracelet on her wrist as she demanded, "Take it off!"The woman shrank back at once, shooting Dylan a helpless look. "I said take it off!" Joan screamed. "That was my mother's! You have no r

Chapter 7

Mom was discharged a week later. I kept a steadying arm around her as we waited outside for Cornelius to pick us up. Suddenly, a familiar figure approached us from across the street. Joan wore a cream-colored dress, her makeup flawlessly done. If not for the dark circles under her eyes and the way she forced herself to seem lively, I might've thought she had turned back into the young lady she used to be. Holding a beautifully wrapped bouquet, she walked up to us with a smile. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fletcher. I got the wrong idea about Andrea before. I heard you were being discharged today, so I wanted to come see you."Mom looked at her in silence. After a long while, she finally gave a quiet hum. Joan held the bouquet out to me, but I didn't take it. Even so, she didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest and just drew her hand back. She let out a sigh before saying, "Andrea, I've done a lot of thinking these past few days. I don't blame you for what happened anymore."I raised

Chapter 8

That night, Joan posted on social media. In the nine-photo grid, the center image was a picture of her and Dylan. She nestled into his embrace as he kissed her cheek, every bit the gentle, attentive partner. The caption read, "After everything we've been through, we're still standing strong. Thank you to everyone who's supported us. We're going to keep moving forward together."One after another, friends flooded the comment section with their blessings. "I'm honestly jealous of what you two have! Your relationship's been through so much and still holds up.""This has to be true love. So happy for you both!"Only a handful of people who knew the truth stayed silent—no likes, no comments. I was still staring at the post when Cornelius walked out of his study. He sat down beside me and asked, "What are you looking at?"I handed him my phone. His gaze lingered on the photo for a few seconds before a faint, dismissive smile tugged at his lips. "Dylan was still in the office

Chapter 9

"Joan, do you understand now?" I asked softly. "He was never going to build a life with you. Making up was just to keep you calm until he could get out of the country. What he left you with were debt and lawsuits."For a long time, Joan said nothing. She simply sat there and listened to me with her gaze lowered. The room held its breath for what felt like forever. At last, she lifted her head. Bracing herself against the armrest, Joan struggled to her feet and staggered toward the door. As her hand closed around the doorknob, she paused. "Andrea… I was wrong."Then, she was gone. Her back was hunched, her silhouette that of someone ten years older. …The next morning, while I was making breakfast, Cornelius wrapped his arms around me from behind. "There's news from the police. They detained Dylan at the airport last night."I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at him. He went on, "His girlfriend panicked the moment she saw the police. She told them everything abo

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