Betrayed by My Best Friend, Wed to a Superstar

The hot pot place was throwing its tenth-anniversary party, running a game called Carry your sweetheart across the finish line, win a discount voucher.

I'd gone to stand in line for ice cream, and when I turned around, there was my boyfriend, my best friend on his back, first across the line.

The waitress handed him the voucher with a bright smile.

"You're impressive. A full round trip and you're not even out of breath. What's your secret?"

His mouth curved with pride. "The secret is she's so light. I could go another mile without breaking a sweat."

Cecily Swanson's cheeks flushed pink. She teased, "You're just bragging, aren't you?"

He bent down at once as if to hoist her up again. "Don't believe me? Let's go again."

I froze where I stood.

My eyes stung.

I'm barely a hundred pounds, forty lighter than Cecily.

Last time I had acute gastroenteritis and threw up until I couldn't stand, I asked Amos Rowe to carry me from the hospital parking garage into the ER.

It wasn't even two hundred yards, and he looked at me like I disgusted him.

"You're this heavy and you still want me to carry you? Are you trying to wear me out?"

So it wasn't that I was too heavy.

It was that I weighed nothing in his heart.

The cold of the ice cream spread from my hand all the way into my chest.

And my heart went cold with it, slowly, all the way through.

Cecily saw me come back, cut across the crowd in a few strides, and ran up to me.

"Narelle Gilbert, Amos is amazing, did you see? He carried me just now and won us the ninety-percent-off voucher. Now we can save a ton of money."

She took the ice cream out of my hand, thrilled, and before it reached her mouth,

Amos snatched it away.

"You're on your period today, no ice cream. You'll get cramps."

Cecily pouted.

"Narelle, do something about your boyfriend. He fusses more than my mom. I only wanted one little lick, it's not a big deal."

His face darkened.

"No. Last time you had cold stuff and your stomach hurt, and I was the one who carried you to the hospital. Not a chance this time."

"I've got hot ginger tea in my thermos. Drink that."

Looking at Amos and that pretend-scolding face of his,

I suddenly felt this was all pointless.

He never remembered when my period was.

The day he carried Cecily to the hospital, I happened to be on mine too.

I mumbled under my breath, "My stomach hurts too."

But he said, impatient, "Could you not make trouble? Can't you see how much pain Cecily's in?"

After they left,

I curled up in bed hugging the blanket, hurting so much my body bent like a shrimp.

Not one word of concern came.

Never mind hot ginger tea, cooked and carried to me.

Cecily took the thermos Amos handed her like it was the most natural thing, and winked at me.

"You know, Narelle, you should be really grateful to me."

"If it weren't for me, would he ever be this thoughtful? You're going to have it good."

My throat felt stuffed with a wad of wet cotton.

I couldn't get a single word out.

I really should thank her.

Thank her for finally letting me see exactly where I stood in Amos's heart.

The ice cream in my hand had melted, running sticky down my fingers.

I made an excuse about the restroom and walked off quickly.

Really I just wanted a corner with no one in it, somewhere to swallow all the cold filling my chest.

Today was supposed to be our fifth anniversary, Amos's and mine.

We'd agreed to celebrate, just the two of us.

Because I had something very important to tell him.

Then Cecily said she wanted hot pot, and it turned into a party of three.

When I came back, Amos was feeding Cecily food he'd cooked in the pot.

"Eat, quick, this steak's done just right. Any longer and it'll be tough."

Cecily picked up a bite and fed it to him too.

"Try this, the appetizer's really tender, and it's perfect with the dipping sauce I mixed."

The two of them sat face to face, feeding each other like no one else existed.

Every bit a couple in the first rush of love.

And I, the actual girlfriend,

I was the outsider who didn't fit.

All I could do was stand in the corner and watch them murmur to each other.

I used to think that for all the years left to me, Amos and I would be together forever.

I'd already planned out our ten years, our twenty, our forty...

But a year ago, after Cecily's breakup and she moved in to share the place with us, everything changed.

A world that had held two people got a third crammed into it.

Meals had to include Cecily.

Shopping had to include Cecily.

Trips had to include Cecily...

The way Amos put it,

Cecily was pitiful enough already after her breakup.

If we didn't bring her along too, how heartbroken would she be.

And so, bringing her along, and along, and along,

I turned into the third person, the one squeezed out.

Two people in love is just right. Add one more and it's a disaster.

Since I'd been squeezed out, I no longer wanted to force my way back in.

The air conditioning in the restaurant was running hard.

Somehow the cold from every direction seemed aimed at me alone.

I forced back the tears rising in my eyes, turned, and left.

Half an hour later, Amos called.

"Narelle, there's a whole pile of food left over and nobody's eating it. Where'd you go?"

The hand holding the phone wouldn't stop trembling.

So he only remembered me when there was food left over.

I steadied myself and kept every trace of feeling out of my voice.

"Oh. My stomach's bothering me, so I headed back."

Cecily snatched the phone from Amos, her words coming fast and sharp.

"Narelle, if your stomach hurt, why didn't you say so earlier? Now we've ordered a whole table of food, what a waste!"

"And weren't we supposed to see a movie together? Amos already bought the tickets."

"A movie ticket's a few dozen bucks, you know. He works hard for his money. You really don't know how to be considerate at all."

Every word out of her mouth was about how wasteful I was.

And from start to finish, no one cared whether I was actually unwell.

When you're past words, you really can be angry enough to laugh.

I said flatly, "Box up the leftovers and bring them home. Return the movie tickets."

Amos took the phone back.

"Narelle, what's with the attitude now? Cecily only didn't want it going to waste."

"Listen to how sharp you're being. You've made her cry."

Amos hung up, and I felt like I'd been dropped into ice.

When Cecily was tearing into me, had he not heard a single word of it?

Of course. When someone's biased, their ears only pick up my bad tone.

Just then, my mother's call came through.

"Narelle, the five years are up. Are you still set on staying with Amos?"

I was silent for a moment, then made up my mind.

"No, Mom. I've changed my mind. I'll come home in three days to get married."

My mother had chosen a fianc for me back then.

She told me to marry first after graduation, then build a career.

At the time I was deep in love with Amos and refused to break up.

When she pushed too hard, I stopped eating and drinking.

In the end I even knelt down before her.

"Mom, Amos is the one for me for the rest of my life. I won't marry anyone but him."

"I don't want Amos being seen as some man who lives off a woman. I believe he can carve out a place for himself on his own."

Seeing how resolute I was, my mother gave in with a sigh.

"Fine. I'll give you five years. For those five years I won't interfere."

"If you're still this certain after five years, I won't touch your relationship again, and I'll even groom him to take over the family conglomerate."

I thought our love was unbreakable.

Five short years would be nothing.

Even today I was still imagining him lowering the veil over me with his own hands.

But now the fantasy had finally shattered.

I looked around the apartment.

On the sofa was the throw pillow that was Cecily's alone.

On the coffee table were the snacks Cecily liked.

In the gaming room, Cecily's and Amos's computers sat side by side.

Even the curtains had been changed to a color Cecily liked.

Traces of Cecily's life were everywhere, and mine had long since been slowly swallowed up.

It was time to go.

I packed a few things and moved to a hotel.

A whole night passed, and Amos didn't call once.

Not even a single text.

But he hadn't always been like this.

Half an hour apart and he used to call on his own to say he missed me.

All day long the texts never stopped.

Now I looked at our pinned chat, sitting there quiet.

The last messages were still from a week ago, and there was nothing but work, nothing about life.

I laughed at myself.

The signs had been there all along. I just hadn't wanted to believe them.

I got myself together and went to the office to resign.

The moment I stepped into the elevator, Amos followed me in.

It was just the two of us.

But for some reason it felt crowded, and even my breathing turned shallow.

He glanced at me with a frown and lowered his voice. "You went too far last night. Cecily was upset, got drunk, and cried the whole night."

"She took the day off, so apologize to her later."

I didn't say anything, just kept my head down, staring at the toes of my shoes.

I noticed for the first time that the shoes and the clothes I'd put on today didn't match at all.

It turned out that forcing two things that different together looked this out of place.

A shame I was only seeing it now.

The fifteenth floor.

Amos walked out first, not sparing me so much as a glance.

I drew in a deep breath and followed.

I'd barely taken a few steps when Lena Barrett, the office gossip, pulled me into the stairwell.

She said, all mysterious, "Narelle, guess who I ran into last night?"

I looked at her, confused.

She leaned close to my ear. "It was Director Rowe and Cecily from sales. I saw it with my own eyes, Director Rowe holding Cecily at a bar."

"They've hidden it so well, haven't they? Director Rowe's usually cold as ice with everyone. I thought all he cared about was work. Never figured he'd be dating Cecily."

"Tell me, if the board found out, which of them would leave the company first?"

My head went off like a bomb, and the pain in my chest was sharp as a needle.

Company policy spelled it out in black and white: no office romances, and if one was found out, one of the two had to resign.

Afraid someone would report us, Amos and I had always acted like strangers at work.

We took different routes coming and going.

We never went anywhere crowded on dates.

In public, we never so much as touched.

Five years, and no one had ever caught on.

Yet last night, he and Cecily had somehow been seen by a coworker.

Whether it was carelessness or the two of them unable to help themselves, only he knew.

I brushed Lena off with a few words and walked quickly back to my desk to sort my things.

Then my phone rang.

Amos, anxious: "Come up to the roof. I need to talk to you about something."

I'd barely stepped onto the roof when he yanked me into a corner.

"Narelle, listen to me. Photos of me and Cecily from last night got sent to the board by my worst rival."

"The board won't hear a word of my explanation. Now they want one of us, me or Cecily, to resign voluntarily."

"Cecily's been crying ever since she found out."

"You know how hard she's fought just to get a foothold here. She shouldn't have to get dragged into this."

I asked flatly, "So?"

Amos paused.

"You go tell the board that you and I are the couple. Don't make Cecily take the fall for us."

"Don't worry. This is a critical time for my promotion. Once you quit, I'll take care of you."

Something tore open in my chest, wide, the wind howling straight through.

"So what you're saying is, to save the two of you, I should be the one to resign?"

"Narelle, this is the best solution I can come up with."

My eyes burned. My nails dug deep into my palms and I couldn't even feel it.

"So in your best solution, I'm the one who deserves to be sacrificed. Is that it?"

Amos glanced at me, guilt written all over him.

"How can you put it like that? It's just that Cecily and I need this job more."

"And me? I don't need it?"

Amos gripped my shoulders tight with both hands.

"You still have me, don't you? Once we're married, wouldn't it be even better for you to be a stay-at-home wife?"

"You're going to quit sooner or later anyway, so why not now? This way it's good for all three of us."

There was a thorn stuck in my throat.

I couldn't swallow it, couldn't spit it out.

I could resign on my own terms, but not like this.

All these years I'd given it everything, worked on my proposals harder than anyone.

Every plan I stayed up all night making got filed under his name.

That was what carried him, one step at a time, up to director.

I'd given so much, and in the end I was the first shield he shoved out in front of himself.

Seeing my eyes go red,

Amos gently pulled me into his arms again and murmured to comfort me.

"Narelle, I know I've put you through a lot."

"Here's what we'll do. Once I get the promotion and the raise, we'll get married."

"I'll make you the happiest bride in the world."

My tears wouldn't stop.

Each one landed on my heart and left a dense little crater.

I wasn't going to be his bride.

My wedding was the day after tomorrow, set in the Maldives.

My fianc was busy with the nervous preparations. Mom said he wanted to give me a grand wedding.

The moment I thought of that, the ache suddenly lifted.

Mom was right. The best way to end one relationship is to start another.

I wiped my tears and pulled free of Amos's arms.

"Fine. I'll go resign."

Amos let out a breath and looked at me, relieved.

"Narelle, I knew you were the best. About last night, when I didn't come home, let me explain"

I cut him off.

"No need. One of you is my best friend, the other's my boyfriend. I trust you both."

I saw the panic in his eyes plain as day.

But I didn't call it out.

Everyone has secrets.

He could keep his from me, and I could choose to leave without a sound.

"I want to get away for a bit. I'm leaving this afternoon."

"Then I'll see you off," Amos blurted out.

Something in my chest stalled.

He didn't even care where I was going, for how long, or when I'd be back.

"Go to work. I'll take a cab to the airport myself."

"All right. Text me when you land."

I handed my resignation letter to the board.

Within half an hour, the whole company knew: I was the one who was Amos Rowe's girlfriend.

But the way everyone looked at me landed on me like a spray of fine needles.

Surprise. Mockery. Amusement.

And that faint thread of contempt

Lena was furious on my behalf.

"Narelle, Amos cheated, and then he dragged you out here to take the fall. Don't be a fool!"

"If anyone should be resigning, it's him. What kind of man shoves you out front like this?"

"And to think I actually believed he had a sense of responsibility, that he owned up to things."

I gave a careless shrug.

"Relax. I'm not being a fool."

Before, I really had been foolish.

Blind to whatever was going on between Amos and Cecily.

Blind, too, to what was in his heart.

But now I was clear-headed.

I knew exactly what I was doing.

Seeing that she couldn't talk me out of it, Lena shook her head helplessly and walked off.

I just never imagined it.

That I would leave the company in a way this undignified.

Still, it didn't matter.

Everything has two sides, and this actually spared me a lot of trouble.

Ignoring the pointing fingers, I gathered up my things and walked out of the place where I'd worked for five years.

From start to finish, Amos never came to see me off.

He watched every bit of it through the blinds.

He took in the expression on every single person's face.

But still he chose to let me face it alone.

Whatever last trace of attachment I'd had for him vanished completely.

Amos stood by the window.

He watched Narelle's figure until it disappeared down the street.

Somehow.

His heartbeat suddenly went ragged.

Frustrated, he drove his fist into the wall.

Just then, his phone rang at the worst possible moment.

He hesitated a long time before answering.

"When exactly are you planning to come clean with Narelle?"

On the other end, Cecily's voice was pushy, nothing like the gentle, sweet tone she used to have.

Amos pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Can we hold off a little? She just cleaned up this crisis for us. Bringing up a breakup right now, isn't that too cruel?"

Cecily's voice jumped an octave.

"And it isn't cruel to me? For the last six months I've had to hide in the shadows."

"On the surface I have to play her good best friend, and behind her back I have to sneak around with you."

"You told me to wait. I've waited half a year and you still haven't brought up the breakup. Are you trying to back out?"

Amos let out a sigh.

"All right, all right. Narelle went away on a trip. Once she's back I'll come clean with her. That works, doesn't it?"

After a lot of coaxing, he finally smoothed Cecily over.

But there was a hollow ache in his chest, a stifled, restless misery he couldn't put into words.

Six months ago, Narelle had been working late at the office.

Cecily had taken the chance to throw herself at him, saying she'd fallen for him and couldn't help herself.

He didn't know what had gotten into him that day; as if driven by something, he'd ended up in bed with Cecily.

Afterward, he'd regretted it, and he'd suffered over it.

But he was greedy for the thrill Cecily gave him.

And he couldn't bear to give up a five-year relationship.

After all, back when he had nothing to his name, it was Narelle who'd been with him without a hint of disdain.

More than half the credit for where he was today belonged to Narelle.

And so Amos went on juggling the two women, sinking deeper and deeper.

Now Cecily was forcing him to make a decision.

It was like being held over a fire and roasted again and again.

All he could do was use work as an excuse, dodging Cecily for two days straight without going home.

Seeing Amos take this attitude, Cecily felt more and more wronged the longer she thought about it.

She couldn't take it anymore. In the end she packed up all her intimate photos with Amos and their chat logs and sent the whole thing to me.

She sent Amos the screenshots too.

Since you can't make up your mind, let me make the decision for you.

The moment Amos saw the message, the color drained from his face.

Even his breathing turned chaotic.

Panicked, he dialed a video call, wanting to explain.

And I was in the middle of my wedding.

On the screen, I wore a white gown, my arm linked through that of the handsome, dashing groom at my side.

Amos's throat was so dry his voice cracked. "Narelle, what are you doing?"

A faint smile rose at the corners of my eyes. "You can't even tell? I'm getting married."

The words had barely left my mouth.

There was only a dull thud.

Amos's phone slipped from his hand and crashed hard to the floor.