"Interested in having a date with me? Hurry up and get over here!"

Elliot Coleman sends me a photo of a venue that's decorated romantically. It's followed by that sentence and an address.

He and his friends laugh hysterically when I arrive in a carefully selected dress.

"I told you, right? She'd come running with just a single sentence! Trust me, she'll do whatever I want her to do!"

Elliot ignores my embarrassment and publicly confesses his feelings for Isabelle Stevens. He even falsely accuses me of refusing to leave him alone and tries to chase me off.

Then, he turns pale when my newlywed husband arrives and shields me.

I stood there like the punchline of a cruel joke, surrounded by Elliot and his friends.

One of them mocked, "Daniella, have some self-respect! Eli already has someone he likes, yet here you are, desperately trying to be his backup plan. We've never seen anyone as shameless as you."

Another voice chimed in, "All these years, and Eli hasn't even given you a second glance. How can you still dream about being with him?"

Someone else added, "I'm so sick of watching her follow Eli around like a lost puppy."

Their harsh words echoed around me as I kept my eyes fixed on Elliot Coleman, desperately searching for even a hint of hesitation or sympathy in his expression. Sadly, I was left disappointed.

Elliot stood with his arms crossed, wearing that signature smirk I once found irresistible. "Come on, Daniella. It's just a joke. You're not going to get upset about it, are you?"

He paused before adding with a mocking tone, "Honestly, I didn't expect you to dress up and come here like this. Are you that desperate to be my girlfriend?"

I used to find his nonchalant attitude cool, but now, it just made my stomach turn with disgust.

Taking a deep breath, I finally asked, "What if I said I am upset?"

Just as I said that, someone shoved me from behind. "You don't get to be upset! You've been clinging to Eli for years—you deserve to be messed with. If you've got any dignity left, don't come crawling back to make up with him this time."

Elliot's eyes met mine, filled with nothing but contempt. "Playing the victim after being a clingy little puppy all these years, huh? Daniella, have I been too nice to you?"

My heart clenched painfully as I realized the boy who once promised to protect me and never let me get hurt had become the one who wounded me the deepest.

Elliot and I had known each other since we were kids. Back in elementary school, when the other kids bullied me, Elliot jumped in and fought them off.

He ended up with a black eye, but he still managed to smile and comfort me, saying, "Don't cry, Dani. I've got you."

That protection lasted for over a decade. Though we never officially dated, everyone knew there was something between us.

For the first 20-something years of my life, Elliot was my whole world. However, his heart now belonged to someone else. Well, I did not want him anymore, either.

I announced firmly, "Don't worry. I'm getting married. I won't bother you anymore from now on."

I took a deep breath before adding, "Elliot, you're free."

Someone snickered. "What's she talking about—marriage? Who's she trying to fool?"

Another chimed in, "Didn't she swear she'd only marry Eli? What happened?"

"Daniella, if you're trying to get Eli's attention, you could at least come up with a better excuse," someone else taunted.

Elliot looked at me with disdain. "Oh, you're getting married? Where's this guy? Bring him out so we can all see. If he's real, I'll give you a nice wedding gift—consider it a thank you for finally leaving me alone."

"Yeah, same here! A big celebration like this calls for fireworks, right?"

Seeing their confident expressions, I let out a cold laugh and reached for my phone.

"Alright. Stop messing with her," Isabelle Stevens, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up.

She pointed at the restaurant across and said, "I'm sorry, Daniella. It's my fault—I only wanted them to play a joke on you because I heard there was a girl with the same name as you having a date at that restaurant. If I offended you, I apologize."

Before I, the actual victim, could even respond, Elliot's friends jumped to her defense.

One exclaimed, "Isabelle, she's trying to steal Eli, and you're apologizing to her?"

Another added, "We know you're kind-hearted, but you need to be careful with someone as manipulative as her. Don't let her steal Eli from under your nose."

Elliot's friends had always looked down on me. In their eyes, Isabelle was the perfect princess who belonged with Elliot, while I was just an ugly duckling reaching above my station.

Ignoring their mockery, I gestured toward the restaurant across. "Did it ever occur to you that I might be that girl on the date?"

The group fell silent for a moment before erupting into loud laughter.

Someone jeered, "Oh, my, Daniella! I didn't realize you were this desperate to find a date! Just because some girl shares your name, you're pretending to be her?"

"Daniella is such a common name. That poor girl would probably be mortified if she knew you were pretending to be her."

Suddenly, Elliot grabbed one of the guys and pushed him toward me. "If you're that desperate, why don't you just date Simon? He had a crush on you in middle school, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking my leftovers."

Simon Turner did not seem bothered by being pushed around and teased. Instead, he grinned at me and said, "Hey, Dani, why don't you give me a chance? I don't mind your past—I'll treat you right if you're with me."

I did not even spare him a glance and decided not to waste my breath arguing. "I'm not lying. That girl on the date is me. If you don't believe me, we can walk over there right now, and I'll prove it."

Elliot's expression darkened instantly. "Daniella, aren't you done making a scene? You can embarrass yourself, but don't drag us into it. Why are you trying to ruin everyone's day?"

Isabelle looked at me disapprovingly. "Come on, Daniella. There's no need to ruin someone else's date just to gain back some ground. That kind of behavior will come back to bite you."

For a moment, I truly regretted not just pulling out my phone to show them the photos of me and my husband. That would have shut them up real fast.

However, they mistook my silence for admission of guilt, and Elliot's friends looked at me like I was some kind of criminal.

"This isn't the first time she's pulled something like this. She knew Eli was dating Isabelle but still tried to confess to him. Karma will get her eventually." One of them sneered.

"I used to think she was just stupid, but now I see that she's downright manipulative. No wonder Eli doesn't want her."

"Women like her deserve to be shunned by everyone forever."

I had heard this kind of humiliation so many times over the years that it barely fazed me anymore. Just then, one of Elliot's friends perked up.

He said, "Hey, Eli, instead of dealing with her endless pursuit, why don't you make things official with Isabelle? That way, she'll finally stop clinging to you."

"Exactly! We're definitely on your side!"

The group immediately started chanting, "Make it official! Make it official! Make it official!"

Isabelle blushed furiously, her face turning the color of a ripe cherry. She protested, "Stop it, guys! Eli and I haven't been seeing each other that long—it's too soon."

Despite her words, her eyes kept darting to my dress with a hint of envy.

Elliot did not disappoint his audience. With a charming smile plastered on his face, he said, "I was waiting for the perfect moment to make it official, but since she's destined to be my girlfriend anyway, why not claim her now?"

After delivering that cheesy rom-com line, he pulled a necklace from his pocket like a magician performing a trick. While I was surprised, I was not exactly shocked—since Elliot had been pursuing Isabelle for a while, he must have had that necklace ready for some time.

His friends erupted in whistles and cheers, creating such a racket that my ears hurt. One of them even jumped forward, yanking the hair clip from my head and messing up my carefully styled hair.

I felt a surge of anger as his friend handed my clip to Elliot, who then smiled and placed it in Isabelle's hair before dropping to one knee.

He declared dramatically, "Belle, I fell for you the moment I first saw you. Every moment with you makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world. I want to be with you forever. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Isabelle's eyes welled up with tears as she threw herself into his arms before he could even finish. "Yes!"

Elliot's friends went wild, jumping and hollering like they had just won the lottery. Their excitement was so over-the-top, making them seem more thrilled than the couple themselves.

Unlike the gut-wrenching pain I felt when I first learned they were seeing each other, I now felt surprisingly calm.

While they shared a sweet kiss as flower petals conveniently floated down around them like a scene from a rom-com, I was starting to feel disgusted with the whole display.

"Congratulations," I said flatly. "Now that the grand confession is over, can I have my hair clip back? I have a date to get to."

The atmosphere was dampened instantly, and one of Elliot's friends shoved me. "Daniella, are you doing this on purpose? Why are you trying to ruin Eli's moment?"

"Exactly! If you want to cry about it, go ahead, but Eli only loves Isabelle. So, why don't you just disappear and stop being an eyesore?"

I was baffled by the accusations. After all, I only wanted my own hair clip back—how was that wrong?

Elliot glared at me, clearly annoyed that his perfect moment had been interrupted. On the other hand, Isabelle awkwardly tried to remove the clip.

Whether from rushing or intentionally being rough, there was a snap as the clip caught on her hair accessories, pulling out several strands.

Isabelle yelped in pain and mumbled, "I'm so sorry, Daniella. How much was the clip? I'll pay for it."

"Why should you? It's obviously some cheap thing from a street vendor. No wonder it broke so easily." One friend scoffed.

Another added, "It's just a hair clip! Don't be petty with Isabelle. Consider it a congratulatory gift for their relationship."

I laughed mirthlessly at how generous they were with other people's belongings. Without arguing further, I pulled out my phone and opened my payment app.

"This is a custom-made hair clip my husband ordered from Froise. It cost 8,800 dollars," I stated matter-of-factly. "But since we're all friends here, I'll round it down to 8,000 dollars. You can Venmo me."

Isabelle froze, her face pale as she glanced desperately at Elliot. His friends erupted in outrage, practically spitting in my face as they shouted at me.

"Are you kidding? 8,000 dollars for a hair clip? You've got to be making this up because you're bitter about Eli's confession!"

"This was probably her plan all along—bringing a damaged clip and waiting for us to take the bait!"

I almost laughed at the absurdity. They were the ones who took my clip, yet they had the audacity to accuse me of setting them up. Besides, it was common sense to pay for something you broke.

"If you don't believe me, I can have my husband bring the receipt."

"Enough!" Elliot's face darkened. "Daniella, how long are you going to keep this up? Let me make this clear. No matter what schemes you come up with, I will never like you."

He added, "Apologize to Belle now, and we'll forget this happened."

I stared at him in disbelief. They broke my hair clip, yet he was expecting me to apologize.

Isabelle's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Daniella, I know you don't like me, but Eli and I truly love each other. Why do you have to make things difficult?"

How and when did I make things difficult? The irony of it all nearly made me laugh out loud.

Elliot pulled her protectively into his arms while looking daggers at me. "Well, Daniella? Are you going to apologize?"

I scoffed. "Why should I apologize when she's the one who broke my property?"

Elliot's lips curled into a cold smile. "Do you realize that accusing us of something like this is extortion? Asking for 8,000 dollars counts as a serious offense. Are you trying to land yourself in jail?"

"Why are we even arguing with her? Let's call the cops. Let's see how far she can take this."

I did not care about their threats, but I did care about being late for my date—I did not want to keep my husband waiting any longer.

When I received Elliot's message earlier, my husband and I were just heading to the restaurant, but I had stepped out thinking I could get closure with my past. Now, I realized what a mistake that had been.

Once again, they mistook my silence for fear. They looked at me triumphantly and taunted, "Finally scared? Too late for that."

"Custom-made hair clip from Froise? What a joke! If you're so brave, call this non-existent husband of yours. Otherwise, enjoy your time in jail."

Just then, a deep, steady voice suddenly came from behind me, "Dani, are they talking about me?"