While I was in the middle of getting intimate with my boyfriend, Hendrick West, a sudden burst of laughter came from under the bed.

A chill ran straight through me. I shoved Hendrick away, scrambling to get up and check, but he pushed me right back down.

"You're spacing out at a time like this? Guess you don't get to leave this bed today."

I didn't question it. I let myself get pulled back in, eyes slipping shut as I tried to relax.

Then the bedframe slammed loudly from underneath.

I yelped and shrank under the blanket. A second later, his best friend burst out from under the bed, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"No wonder you've been ditching us lately," Linda Fairbank said, grinning. "If I had such a horny girlfriend, I'd forget my friends, too!"

The humiliation hit so hard that my face went pale.

But Linda didn't care. She reached over and started tugging at my blanket.

"He won't stop going on about how soft and full you are. What are you hiding for? Let me take a look."

Hendrick finally stepped in, trying to stop her when she went too far.

Linda just smacked his bare backside without hesitation.

"I've been stuck under that bed forever waiting on you," she said lazily. "And instead of taking care of me first, you're busy standing up for someone else?"

Without missing a beat, Hendrick took her calf into his hands and started massaging it. She shot me a smug, challenging smile.

I picked up my phone and called Hendrick's mother.

I said evenly, "Julie, are you aware that your son lets other people run his life like this?"

"Madeline, are you out of your mind?" Hendrick West snapped. "It was nothing! Why would you call my mom over something like this?"

He shoved Linda Fairbank out of his arms and grabbed my phone, ending the call immediately.

"Linda and I are like brothers," he went on, his voice rising. "This is just how we joke around. And you go running to my parents? Are you for real?"

As Hendrick fired off one accusation after another, Linda tilted her chin up, looking down at me like I was beneath her.

"If you want to be with him," she said, "the first rule is you've gotta keep up. He bet me he could have you wrapped around his finger in bed. I didn't buy it, so he told me to hide under there and see for myself. It's not a big deal. Why are you making it one?"

Hendrick nodded like that made perfect sense, then turned back to glare at me.

"Well? Apologize to Linda."

I let out a cold laugh. Under their stunned stares, I raised three fingers.

"Three."

Linda frowned. "What are you doing? Just so you know, I've known him my whole life! You're the outsider here. Don't even think about coming between us."

Hendrick immediately backed her up.

"She's right. Madeline, you might be my girlfriend, but Linda's my closest friend. It was just a joke. Don't use this as an excuse to make things hard for her."

I didn't even bother responding. I lowered one finger.

"Two."

"Did you hit your head or something?" Hendrick snapped. "What the hell are you even counting?"

There was a flicker of unease in his eyes as he reached for my hand.

Linda rolled her eyes and pulled him back, casually pressing his hand against her chest.

"She's probably just freaking out. Girls like her are always this fragile. Not like me."

Hendrick's attention drifted instantly, his focus pulled away as he reacted to her. I was left standing there, completely ignored.

I took that moment to lower my last finger.

"One."

The second the word left my mouth, there was a sharp click at the door.

I raised a brow at both of them. Their faces were frozen in shock.

"Hendrick," I said calmly, "your parents just got here."

I tilted my head slightly.

"So instead of defending her and coming at me, maybe you should start thinking about how you're going to explain this."

"You seriously called his parents over something this private? Do you have no shame?" Linda finally snapped and yelled at me, furious.

I covered my mouth in mock surprise, then slapped her across the face.

"So you do know this is private," I shot back. "Then why did you think it was okay to hide under my bed?"

The moment she got hit, Hendrick forgot all about his parents and rushed forward, shoving me back.

"Madeline! That was way out of line! Linda's just straightforward. She was curious but didn't want to say it, so I let her listen in. It's not like anything happened to you. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Linda leaned into his arms, glaring at me like she wanted to tear me apart.

"Madeline, right?" she said coldly. "Cute name. Funny how you didn't sound so innocent earlier. Maybe I should send that recording to the group chat. Let everyone hear what you're really like."

My head went blank for a second. I turned to Hendrick.

He just stared back at me, his expression cold, like he actually thought I deserved it for hitting her.

The three of us froze there in a standoff, but his parents didn't.

They rushed in like a storm.

Dave West's fist slammed straight into Hendrick's face. Julie West followed with a sharp slap that sent Linda crashing to the floor.

"What is wrong with you two?" she snapped. "Do you even hear yourselves?"

Hendrick and Linda were both stunned.

Linda tried to say something, but Julie grabbed her by the hair and dragged her toward the door, kicking her out without hesitation.

Hendrick moved to follow, only to take another solid punch head-on from Dave.

"I told you before," Dave barked, "any girl who sticks around a group of guys like that under the excuse of being 'one of the boys' isn't there for the right reasons. She's already humiliated Madeline, and you still want to chase after her? What's wrong with you?"

Hendrick clenched his jaw, refusing to back down.

"Who I choose to be friends with is my business," he shot back. "I'm an adult. Can you stop controlling me?"

The words had barely left his mouth before another slap landed across his face.

"Do you think we care about controlling you? We're standing up for Madeline!"

What Hendrick didn't know was that years ago, Dave and my father had served together. Dave had been badly injured and lost the chance to have children of his own. My father had risked his life to bring him back.

He adopted Hendrick later on.

In the Wests' eyes, I mattered far more than the son they had taken in.

Faced with his parents' anger, Hendrick finally backed down.

"Madeline, Linda really didn't mean anything by it," he said, forcing the words out. "If she crossed a line, I'll apologize for her, okay? I've already taken enough hits today. Can you just let it go?"

Under his parents' expectant gaze, I let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

My parents had appointed Dave and Julie as my godparents since I was a kid. The Wests had built a massive business empire over the years. Worried Hendrick would run it into the ground, they came to my family, hoping to tie us together through marriage.

Back then, they had promised my parents that no matter what Hendrick did, I would never be wronged.

Looking at things now, at least that part was true.

Afterward, Hendrick's allowance was cut off. Whether he had actually learned his lesson or was just putting on a show for his parents, he eventually cut ties with Linda.

Seeing him fall in line, I got my things in order and decided to focus on becoming the Wests' future daughter-in-law.

The two families quickly settled on a wedding date. Once the venue and decorations were all arranged, Hendrick pulled me aside, hesitating.

"Madeline, so, uh… My old friends want to throw me a bachelor party. Wanna go with me?"

After everything that had happened, I didn't even hesitate.

"Is Linda going to be there?"

"She's not coming!" Hendrick answered quickly, watching my expression like he was trying to read every shift.

"After what happened, I stopped hanging out with her. The guys did, too. Everyone else there's a guy. I swear. Not a single girl."

If that was the case, I didn't see a problem. I agreed to go without thinking much of it.

I wasn't close with his friends, and they didn't really talk to me either. They kept to themselves, drinking and joking around, and I was perfectly fine sitting off to the side in peace.

But just as things were getting loud and loose, the door to the private room swung open.

Linda leaned in, dressed in a tight black dress.

The same group that had barely acknowledged me suddenly lit up.

"Whoa, Linda? Since when do you dress like a real woman?"

She clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed, then dropped into a seat across from Hendrick, legs casually spread.

"Can you guys ever talk like normal people? I've always been a woman."

The room burst into laughter, the energy instantly shifting.

When Hendrick didn't react, Linda stood up under the noise and plopped herself straight onto his lap.

"Everyone else notices me, but you won't even look?" she teased. "What, are you shy now?"

Hendrick's face flushed. He forced out a weak smile, but his hands hovered awkwardly, making no move to push her away.

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Linda's eyes. Then, as if she had just remembered I existed, she hopped off his lap.

"Oh, right," she said lightly. "Madeline's still here. Guess I forgot to keep my distance again."

She tilted her head at me, smirking. "It's his bachelor party. You're not about to call his parents again, are you?"

I was about to fire back when Hendrick tugged lightly at my sleeve.

"All my friends are here. Don't embarrass me, okay?"

I didn't want to cause a scene, so I swallowed it for the moment.

But Linda took my silence as a win. She lifted her chin, looking at me like she was in charge.

"Hendrick's marrying you in a few days," she said. "So yeah, I should probably see what you're worth first."

She turned and waved at the others. "Hey, someone bring a bowl of warm water."

They didn't even question it. Laughing, they actually went and got one.

Linda shoved the bowl into my hands.

"Go on," she said casually. "Take care of him. Wash his feet, loosen him up a little."

She shrugged. "He's got money. He takes care of you, so you should take care of him. Seems fair."

My expression didn't change.

Then I lifted the bowl and dumped the water straight over her head.

"You keep talking like you own him," I said flatly. "What are you, his manager? Didn't his mom make enough of an impression last time?"

Linda clearly hadn't expected me to do that in front of everyone. She shrieked, stunned.

"Hendrick! Look at your girlfriend!" she snapped. "If she's already acting like this now, what's she going to be like after you're married?"

I slapped her again before she could finish.

"If you have feelings for him, just say so," I said sharply. "All this posturing, all these little games. You just want to prove you matter more, don't you? Let me make something clear. His family asked me to marry into theirs. Not the other way around."

The anger still hadn't burned off. I lifted my hand again, ready to strike, but Hendrick caught my wrist midair.

A vein pulsed at his temple, his gaze ice-cold.

"That's enough, Madeline," he said. "Do you need to drive away every single person in my life before you're satisfied?"

He grabbed a towel from someone nearby and draped it over Linda's soaked body.

"You're going to catch a cold," he said, his tone softening. "It's just washing feet, right? I'll do it."

Linda let out a small laugh. "Knew you still had my back."

Something twisted in my chest as I reached for him, but he didn't even look at me.

Instead, he brought over another bowl of warm water, kneeled down, and took off Linda's shoes himself. One hand held her ankle while the other tested the water temperature.

The room erupted.

"Damn, Hendrick, you've got guts! Doing that in front of your fiancée? Aren't you scared of what happens when you get home?"

"What are you talking about? He and Linda go way back. No one's replacing that!"

"Linda's right. Gotta put his fiancee in her place early, or she'll think she runs things."

Their laughter and jeers filled the room.

I pulled out my phone, glanced at the screen, then lifted my shoulders slightly.

"Julie," I said calmly, "your son's out here acting like he's some kind of servant. You and Dave might want to keep an eye on him."