To give my girlfriend a surprise on our anniversary, I forced myself to finish five days' worth of business in just three.

I rushed back overnight. However, the moment I reached my front door, I stopped. Laughter and lively chatter spilled out from inside.

Only a minute earlier, Sheila Jones had texted me, saying she was home alone and missed me badly.

Then I heard someone call out from the room:

"Sheila, your turn! Truth or dare, and make it a good one!"

"Oh, you're all so nosy," she laughed. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you can't tell Erick."

"Come on, say it already! Like we'd ever tell."

"My first time," she said, "was with Yoel."

The room erupted in knowing laughter and teasing cheers. I stood frozen.

Yoel Lewis?

Was not he supposed to be Sheila's closest guy friend?

Before I could even wrap my head around it, Yoel chuckled and added lightly,

"First time? That's not all. We even had a kid together."

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, smiling as I looked at the two of them.

"Really?" I said calmly. "Then where's the child?"

The room was buzzing with laughter and flirty vibes until a hush fell over it like a thick blanket.

Sheila Jones was wrapped up in Yoel Lewis's arms, their closeness more than a little suggestive.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Sheila stood up, looking caught, but then spun it on me instead.

"Can't you even call first? Have you forgotten that I'm your girlfriend?"

It turned out that she remembered she was my girlfriend, but that did not stop her from cozying up to Yoel.

I could not help but laugh bitterly, "Oh, do you remember you have a boyfriend? I was starting to think you were too caught up in the moment to care."

Sheila's face soured.

"Erick, what's that supposed to mean? You come back throwing around hints and scowling. Who are you trying to impress?"

I was too tired to deal with that.

My eyes landed on the matching cartoon slippers on Sheila's and Yoel's feet.

My own slippers were nowhere to be found.

'Isn't that just hilarious, Erick?' I mocked myself.

I dropped my suitcase and turned to Yoel. "I'm still waiting for an answer. Where's your kid?"

Yoel gulped, looking like he wanted to stand but Sheila held him down.

He gestured dismissively at me, "Erick, don't sweat it! We were just kidding around, playing Truth or Dare!"

The girl with the bubblegum-pink hair next to him chimed in, dramatically clutching her chest. "Totally, Erick. Don't get it twisted! We always spice up the game with some racy jokes. It's all in good fun!"

Everyone else seemed to snap out of it, rushing to smooth things over.

"Exactly, Yoel just says whatever he wants. He doesn't think first!"

"Come on. If Sheila had given it up to him, we'd all know. We'd never hear the end of it!"

"Erick, lighten up, man! It's no fun if you can't take a joke!"

I scanned their faces, all pretending to play peacemakers while actually blaming me for overreacting. My chest felt tight, annoyance bubbling up inside.

That was not my first rodeo with that kind of drama. Anytime Yoel and I hit a rough patch, Sheila and her clique would silence me with "it's just a joke" or "you're too sensitive".

I was done dealing with them, but I locked eyes with Sheila and challenged her, "Was that message you sent a minute ago supposed to be funny too?"

Sheila's eyes flickered away, and she instinctively edged behind Yoel.

Her voice took on a whiny tone as she replied, "I... I was trying to plan a surprise for you, getting them to brainstorm..."

She did not get to finish because Yoel let out a mocking laugh.

"Sheila, your boyfriend can't handle a joke. You try to plan a surprise for him, and he ends up scaring you instead."

I rose to my feet, my gaze shifting to him. "Oh, really? I've got a surprise of my own."

My eyes swept the room, finally settling on the coffee table and the vase Sheila adored.

It was a piece of crystal glass, supposedly crafted by some renowned artist from Itania, Sheila's absolute favorite.

In a heartbeat, I grabbed it, hoisted it high, and slammed it down to the floor.

The vase exploded into fragments at my feet, the sharp sound of shattering slicing through the fake calm.

The room fell silent, stunned by my outburst.

I met Sheila's furious gaze and, with a frosty grin, I taunted, "How do you like that surprise? What's wrong? Not having fun anymore? I'm just spicing things up a bit!"

Sheila trembled with rage. "Erick, what are you freaking out about?"

Sheila's face was all twisted up, and right then, everything seemed totally ridiculous.

"I'm just... Tired."

I left the words hanging there, grabbed the suitcase I had barely set down, and headed for the door without a backward glance.

She yanked my wrist hard and asked with a shrill, "What's your deal? You come back and immediately start flipping out. Erick, when did you get so impossible?!"

I yanked my hand away, feeling the anger I had been holding back start to bubble up.

"Sheila, you're the one making a scene! You text me with 'I miss you', and I bust my butt working night and day to cram five days of work into three, just to rush back to you.

"Since I walked in, have you said one caring thing to me? Do you even remember that today's our fifth anniversary?!"

I was practically shouting by the end, my eyes stinging and scratchy.

However, Sheila just looked lost, like she had no clue it was a special day.

I laughed bitterly. "You forgot our anniversary, huh? So what's the big surprise you planned?"

Sheila stuttered, but she did not have anything to say.

I did not wait for an answer, turning around and walking away.

'What's the point of asking when you know the answer?' I thought.

The door slammed shut behind me, silencing everything.

The noise died down, and my heart just sank.

Sheila did not chase after me.

I stood in the freezing hallway, feeling the cold seep into my bones.

...

I spent the whole night sitting in a hotel room, numb.

When the sun rose, I saw the deep, bloody crescents my nails had carved into my palms.

I grabbed my phone, scrolling through the texts between Sheila and I.

Three years ago, I drained my savings to send her off to art school in Francoria, covering every last penny of her tuition and living expenses.

She clung to me with tears streaming down her face as she said, "Erick, when I'm back, we're tying the knot. You're the only one for me, forever!"

I bought into that promise.

To make sure she had it easy overseas, I juggled three jobs a day, worked myself to the bone until my stomach gave out and I landed in the hospital. Even then, I downplayed it to her on the phone, saying it was just a cold.

Her voice was laced with worry on the call, but Yoel's voice was a faint whisper in the background.

"Sheila, come on. The movie's starting."

She rushed to end the call, promising to ring me later that night.

I waited, watching my phone light up and then fade, but her call never came.

Instead, I saw them together in Yoel's social media feed.

There they were, cozy under the Elfer Tower, beaming with joy.

The caption hit me hard.

[Best friends see the world together.]

It turned out that Yoel was in Francoria too.

Sheila never mentioned it.

Back then, I told myself they were just like family, so there was no need to get jealous.

However, all those little signs I had ignored played back in my head, over and over.

When she came back, we launched our design studio.

I landed a whale of a client, a deal that put us on the map overnight.

On the night of our big bash, I had one too many and wanted her to pick me up.

I called over and over, but got nothing.

Finally, a coworker ended up driving me home.

The morning after, she came to me with puffy, red eyes, spilling the story of how Yoel was heartbroken, how he had drowned his sorrows in booze at the bar, and how she had stayed with him through the night.

"Erick, I'm all he's got. I couldn't just leave him."

My heart ached for her, and I let it slide.

However, I never thought to ask why Yoel's rough night meant she had to stick by his side until dawn, or why her phone had been off the grid.

I shut my eyes, feeling the sting of tears. A moment later, I blinked them open and made a call.

"Hey, Joshua, I need a favor."

Joshua Lawson, my old college buddy, had become a private eye.

"Dig up some dirt for me on Yoel. While you're at it, get the scoop on him and Sheila in Francoria since three years ago, the nitty-gritty, the more the better. Oh, and check if there's any record of Sheila having an abortion at any local hospitals."

I hung up and stared into the harsh daylight, an emptiness settling in my chest.

'Sheila, I’ve given you more chances than I can count. If this is how it is, then all we've got left is the final showdown,' I thought to myself.

My phone buzzed with a text from Sheila.

A string of voice messages popped up, her voice cracking with tears.

"Erick, where have you vanished to? I'm freaking out here.

"I was out of line yesterday, I know, but that vase was my favorite, Erick. How could you just break it like that?

"All that stuff I said, it was just messing around. Can't you take a joke? Are our years together really worth less than a prank?"

It was almost laughable.

She did not see the issue with her and Yoel.

No, she was upset because I did not buy her story.

I sent a response without a hint of emotion.

[Sheila, are you seriously clueless about what's wrong between us? Cut the act. It's way too phony.]

No sooner had I hit send than Sheila's call lit up my phone.

"Erick, please don't be like that, I truly realize my mistake."

Her voice was rushed and tearful, dripping with a kind of desperation that made her sound pitiful.

"Can't you just stop being mad at me?"

Then, through the phone, I heard the faintest sound of heavy breathing. My grip on the phone tightened, and I couldn't help but ask, "What's going on over there?"

"It's... it's nothing," she stammered shakily.

Before she could finish, a muffled groan burst through the line.

My head felt like it was about to explode.

I could practically paint the picture in my mind. There she was, apologizing to me, yet her body was betraying her words, lost in the arms of another guy.

My fists clenched until my fingers turned pale. The thought of it was nauseating.

"Is Yoel there with you?" I managed to ask, keeping my voice even.

Panic vibrated through the line, and then Yoel's cocky voice cut in.

"Erick, man, don't sweat it. I'm just here keeping Sheila company for a workout."

He did not bother hiding it, adding, "You're always so tied up with work, never around for her. As her guy friend, I should step in, right?"

Out of nowhere, a sound like glass shattering rang out, followed by Sheila's playful yelp.

"Hey! Easy…l"

Yoel's triumphant laugh followed.

"Erick, the coach is here! I... I need to go. We'll talk later!" Sheila blurted out in a fluster. With that, the line went dead.

The dial tone echoed in my ear, and for the first time, I felt my heart crumble into dust.

I sat frozen on my bed, tears streaming down my face no matter how hard I tried to hold them back.

Time seemed to stop until Joshua's call broke the silence, his voice grave.

"Erick, we've got some answers. Brace yourself."

A chill ran through me, my hand white-knuckled around my phone.

"Sheila had an abortion at a private clinic in Artemis City three years ago. The emergency contact? Signed as Yoel Lewis.

"The day before, you sent Sheila seven thousand and five hundred dollars. The memo said 'urgent family use'."

My vision blurred, a ringing in my ears.

It all came flooding back.

Sheila's tearful call, her mom's heart attack, the desperate need for surgery money.

I scrambled to help, sending the cash without a second thought.

It turned out that 'urgent family use' was code for getting rid of the baby she had with Yoel.

Me? I was just the unwitting hero with an open wallet.

Joshua's voice kept going. "I've dug up some more stuff. I just sent it to your email.

"Erick, are you holding up okay?"

I inhaled deeply, fighting the bitter taste rising in my throat.

"I'm good. Thanks, Joshua."

I ended the call, my hands shaking as I opened my email.

Photo after photo, each one a knife twisting in my heart.

There they were, kissing in front of Lovan Art Hall, embracing by the Sennel Riverbank, laughing amidst the lavender fields of Provalle.

In one snapshot, Yoel's arms were wrapped around Sheila, their fingers intertwined and resting gently on her belly. There was a caption written underneath.

[In memory of our angel who flew away too soon. Next time, we'll keep you safe. We promise.]

The photo was posted just three days after she had gone through with the termination.

That same day, I was out schmoozing at a business dinner, knocking back drinks until I felt like my stomach was on fire, all to get her that painting she would not stop talking about.

What a joke.

I fought back the urge to hurl my computer across the room and instead, I encrypted every last shred of evidence.