It turned out they had built another group chat behind my back.

It wasn't as if I hadn't tried to blend in. I really had.

But in their world of "original members," I was always the outsider—an intruder who didn't belong.

My hands trembled, my chest tightened. I resisted the urge to smash her phone and instead saved every one of those chat records as proof.

By the time Serina walked back in, I had already placed her phone neatly where it had been.

She picked it up, hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Hubby, those people are so clingy, insisting on tagging along with me. Why don't you just be good and stay home this time?"

I calmly reached for my jacket. "Claire has been my friend for more than a decade. If this project involves her, I'm going too."

She froze, then stretched out an arm to stop me.

"You never get along with them anyway. Better not come—you'll just spoil the mood."

She turned as if to leave.

I caught her wrist, locking eyes with her.

"Today is my birthday."

I didn't add anything more. It was the last chance I was willing to give her.

Outside the door, Beckett stomped impatiently.

Serina's expression instantly twisted with annoyance. She yanked her arm free with a violent shrug. "Why are you acting like some nagging old woman? What's so special about a birthday?"

My fist slammed into the doorframe. Pain shot through my knuckles, through my chest.

"Tsk, tsk!" Beckett's hand came up to pinch her cheek.

"Sis, what did I teach you? Be gentle with men. Honestly, I think Marvin's brand of sulky, petty overthinking is pretty rare—you should be grateful for him!"

Serina snorted. "He can't live without making a fuss. If he's not causing drama, he's uncomfortable."

She brushed past me as if I didn't exist, lunging instead for Beckett's side. Her hands darted into his armpits to tickle him.

"And who were you just calling your ‘sis'? Hmm? No manners! Call me Mom!"

Beckett laughed, ducking theatrically, his expression exaggerated.

"Mommy, I want milk~"

Serina smirked and arched her chest forward. "Come on then, son. Mommy will feed you until you're full!"

Their little troupe burst into laughter as they disappeared down the hall together.

I stood there, feeling suffocated, as if the air itself had been sucked out of the room.

Watching them vanish into the elevator, I finally pulled out my phone and dialed.

"Claire, wait for me at the campsite. I'll come find you."

Her reply was short. "Alright."

I've known Claire since childhood—our friendship had boundaries, clarity. I knew what real loyalty, what clean companionship, looked like.

Two years of dating. Three years of marriage.

I needed to see, with my own eyes, just how filthy, how degrading the end of my marriage would be.

The camping base was far from the city. Early autumn winds rustled cool and gentle through the mountains.

Beside rows of white tents, a group of young men and women cheered in excitement.

Claire had saved me a spot on the edge of the camp, handing me a chair.

Across the artificial lake, I saw them—a cluster of men and women circling around Beckett.

Wearing nothing but shorts, blindfolded, he stumbled forward and lunged—wrapping his arms around Serina with perfect aim.

The crowd whooped.

"Serina lost! Truth or Dare, Truth or Dare!"

"Tell us honestly—do you like Beckett?"

Beckett hooked his arm around Serina's neck, laughing as he cursed at them.

"Oi! You guys are so annoying!"

But someone shouted louder, "Oh, come on—it's obvious!"

"Forget Truth, let's go Dare! Didn't Beckett already bite Serina's ass? Come on, do it again so we can see!"

Roars of laughter filled the air.

Beckett smirked, eyes flicking toward Serina with wicked glint.

"I think that sounds like a good idea!"

Before the words had even faded, he reached for the waistband of her pants.

"Hey! Stop it!"

Serina laughed as she dodged him—her movements were light, playful, but not firm.

Suddenly, Beckett slipped, and Serina instinctively reached out to catch him.

The two of them toppled together, collapsing in a tangled heap on the soft grass.

In the chaos, Serina's skirt was pushed up to her waist.

Beckett held her tightly by the waist, his other hand possessively covering her exposed thigh.

Their eyes locked, and heat rose between them.

Neither had the slightest intention of letting go.

The crowd's deafening cheers of "Be together!" cut into me like knives, stabbing again and again until my heart was nothing but shredded flesh.

At that moment, I was no different from those pathetic husbands in movies—watching from the shadows as their wives nestled into another man's arms.

Beside me, Claire's face had gone pale with fury. She was about to storm forward, but I quickly reached out and stopped her.

My hand shook as I dialed Serina's number. Through blurred vision, I saw her pull out her phone. Annoyance flickered across her face at the sudden ringing.

Once. Twice. Three times.

She stared at the caller ID flashing "Husband" but never picked up.

With a mocking snort, Beckett pulled her into his arms, his tone dripping with contempt.

"Your nagging ‘old man' again?"

He casually pressed the decline button, tapped Serina on the nose, and smirked.

"Don't ditch your bestie just because of a man. Otherwise, we won't be friends anymore."

"Don't say that!" Serina laughed, clinging to him even tighter. "My husband is not half as important as my bestie!"

With a swift motion, she powered off her phone and tossed it aside, then rolled with him again across the grass, giggling.

Yes. Her husband was nothing compared to her so-called best friend.

What more did I need to understand?

The wind cut through me, leaving me trembling. I pointed at the laughing pair not far away.

"Claire, does this spot have cameras?"

Claire caught my meaning immediately. "I'll have someone save the footage right now."

My chest felt hollow, bleeding out from a wound no one could see.

'Serina, if you've already made your choice... Then the outcome is inevitable. You will lose everything.'

Not far away, the group had started barbecuing and drinking again. The more they drank, the looser their tongues became.

Beckett lifted his bottle with a wistful grin.

"You know, the day Serina got married, I was so heartbroken I went drinking alone by the river. I even posted about it online."

He laughed and leaned forward. "Guess what happened? She showed up in her wedding dress! We sat there like idiots, watching the stars all night."

My throat tightened.

I remembered our wedding night—how she claimed there was an urgent matter and left me waiting on the marriage bed until dawn.

"And later," Beckett went on, "I told her I'd never get married, but I wanted a kid. You know what she said?"

He paused deliberately, milking the suspense, before bursting into laughter.

"She looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘Fine. You give me the sperm, and I'll carry the child for you!'"

The crowd erupted into laughter and cheers.

"What a loyal friend!" someone hollered.

Beckett nudged Serina.

"Hey, with that kind of loyalty, what about Marvin then?"

Serina lowered her eyes, her voice casual, almost bored.

"After every time with him, I just take the pill. It's not like I ever planned to have his child."

"What the hell!"

The group gasped, and Claire exploded beside me. "You've put up with that?"

The sunlight pierced my eyes, so sharp it hurt. A laugh broke from my throat, bitter and cracked.

Laughing, until the tears spilled over.

"Ridiculous, isn't it?" My voice shook. "She even said she wanted to be childfree with me."

For three years, Serina and I had tried again and again to conceive, but she never once became pregnant.

I always thought the problem was mine. Not once did I doubt her.

She was so gentle, so tender, always whispering to me, "Marvin, it's okay. We can live as a DINK couple. Just the two of us forever. You're all I need."

But now I see the truth.

The only joke in this story—was me.

Beckett's laughter still echoed in my ears.

"Having a bestie is a thousand times better than marriage—no bride price, and I still get all the benefits. Tsk, what kind of good karma did I rack up in my past life?"

Enough. I'd had enough.

I stood up, refusing to watch that nauseatingly warm and cozy scene a moment longer, and walked away.

After copying the surveillance footage, Claire and I went straight to the law firm to submit the evidence, ready for one last negotiation with Serina.

The moment I stepped out of the firm, my phone rang. It was a police officer friend of mine—he lived next door, and we'd always been on good terms.

When I answered, his voice carried a strange weight.

"Has Serina been acting... off lately?"

A bad premonition surged in my chest. "Enzo, just tell me directly."

"At the camping base, someone made a few frivolous remarks at the guy. Serina snapped, smashed a bottle over his head, and was taken to the station for mediation." He hesitated. "It's hard to explain... I'll send you the footage from the station's security cameras."

Not long after, my message notification pinged.

With trembling hands, I opened the video.

On the screen, Beckett had his arms wrapped around a bruised Serina, tears streaming down his face.

"Serina, there's something I've held back for so long. But today—I have to say it."

"I like you. I really, really like you."

"If Marvin hadn't gotten in the way, I would've confessed first!"

Before his words even faded, Serina cupped his face and kissed him deeply, like two long-suffering lovers finally crossing mountains and rivers to find each other again.

And me? I was the intruder. The third wheel.

My ears buzzed, my hand shook so violently I nearly dropped the phone.

Another message from Enzo came through.

[After mediation, the two of them went straight to a nearby hotel. I'll send you the address.]

Almost at the same time, Serina's message popped up.

[Hubby, the project is a little complicated. I won't be home tonight. Get some rest early, love you~]

My knuckles turned white from clenching my fist. Claire noticed and looked at worriedly.

"Marvin, are you okay? Just say the word—your friend is ready to roll."

I wiped away my tears, the last trace of warmth in my eyes completely gone.

"Of course. We'll let everyone see exactly what a good bestie does in a hotel room."

Serina cared most about her precious reputation. So I'd tear that mask right off her face in front of the world.

—

Outside the hotel.

I opened a livestream, with a caption: "How Close Can a Wife and Her Male Bestie Get?"

A few viewers trickled in.

[Another baseless rumor, I bet.]

[Ugh, just another case of platonic friendship being slandered.]

[The host must be petty as hell—what kind of grown man acts like this?]

Watching the skepticism and mockery scroll across the screen, I smiled and nodded.

"You're right. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Maybe I even picked fights with my wife's best friend over nothing."

"So here I am—with top-shelf wine and cigarettes—to apologize to him in person."

With Serina's ID number, I had a duplicate room card made. Then I strode toward the room.

The door swung open.

On the messy bed, Beckett lay shirtless, tangled up with Serina.

I lifted my phone, smiling.

"Look—this is what it means to be so close you share the same bed."