“Fiona,” she snapped, her voice sharp and angry, “your parents volunteered to give Ethan that money. No one forced them. This lawsuit is ridiculous!
She leaned closer, her face twisted with frustration. “Drop it! Just drop it! You’re not just embarrassing yourself–you’re going to drag the Sherman family’s name through the mud too!”
Looking at her, I realized how much she’d changed. She looked worn, her once delicate features hardened with bitterness
She seemed like someone who’d been constantly on edge, ready to lash out at any moment.
I studied her carefully, trying to find a trace of the person she used to be. Finally, I asked quietly, “Why did you do it, Sarah?”
“What?” she snapped, her voice rising defensively.
“Why did you betray me?” I asked, my tone even. “We knew each other for fifteen years. You were my best friend. Why would you hurt me like that–over a man? And in such an ugly way?”
I paused, my voice softening. “You hurt me more than Ethan ever c
ever could. Why did it have to come to this?”
For a moment, her face faltered, and tears slipped from her eyes. But her voice remained cold.
“You think you’re so innocent?” she spat. “I met Ethan first. I was the one who fell for him, I was the one who confessed my feelings. Sure, he rejected me, but when I kissed him, he didn’t pull away. He liked it. He enjoyed it. If you hadn’t come along, I would’ve ended up with him eventually
Her voice cracked, but she pressed on.
“Then you showed up. Suddenly, he started avoiding me. The next thing I knew, the two of you were together. Do you have any idea how much i hated you for that? So I made a vow: If I couldn’t have Ethan, neither could you.”
I stood there, stunned.
All these years, fd had no idea. I never knew there was this whole backstory between them.
if I had known, I would have never gotten involved.
Anger surged through me, and I snapped, “You have no right to blame me for something I didn’t even know about! And you have the nerve to say you hate me? You knew about your history with Ethan, but instead of warning me, you stood by and watched me walk straight into that
2:43 PM
C
The humiliation of being kept in the dark all these years hit me like a dagger, slicing me open in ways I didn’t even know I could hurt.
Suddenly, I felt like I was going to be sick.
Sarah let out a mocking laugh. “So what if I told you? What difference would it have made? Would you have broken up with Ethan for me? Don’t kid yourself you’re not that selfless.”
“How do you know I wouldn’t?” I asked, staring at her, disappointment etched into every word. “I would have. You were the one person in the world I cared about most, besides myself,”
Growing up, my parents never really wanted a daughter. They gave me little love, little attention.
Sarah was the first person who ever showed me kindness.
Because of that, I’ve always gone out of my way to cherish anyone who reached out to me with even the smallest bit of goodwill.
But she had underestimated my loyalty to our friendship.
If I had!
ad known Ethan was the man she loved, I wouldn’t have touched him–not in a million years.
“Sarah,” I sighed, a bitter smile tugging at my lips, “your arrogance didn’t just make me suffer–it destroyed you too.”
For the first time, Sarah’s confident expression faltered. Her brows knitted ever so slightly, as if she hadn’t expected me to value our friendship over a man.
I kept my composure, my smile calm but
