On the third day of the divorce cooling-off period, I ran into my husband's car on the side of the road.

Sitting next to him was the best friend who had been trying to steal my man for five years.

"Jill Dudley, you really need to stop fighting with Jeffrey. He's been making me stay up drinking with him until dawn every night lately. Last night he even fell asleep holding me—and I wasn't wearing anything underneath."

"If things accidentally go too far, don't come after me about it. Take it up with him."

The man she pointed at immediately spoke up to explain: "Cut it out. If you hadn't suddenly put on her nightgown, would I have mistaken you for her?"

I smiled faintly and didn't respond.

I just looked at the woman in the passenger seat, my tone calm.

"Good for you. He's got a high drive. If you two aren't planning on having kids, make sure you use protection."

The moment the words left my mouth, the man's expression darkened.

"What did you just say?"

His voice carried the weight of an oncoming storm.

A flicker of surprise crossed Laura Fox's eyes, but then she doubled over laughing.

"Jill, I was just joking! We've known each other for almost ten years—don't you know me by now?"

"I've already explained this to you. Jeffrey and I aren't what you think."

As she spoke, she nudged the man beside her with her elbow, the gesture intimate.

"Come on, say something already."

Jeffrey Farley's expression softened slightly before he spoke.

"There were other people drinking with us. We weren't alone together."

"Besides, Laura is your friend of many years. Even if you don't trust me, you shouldn't distrust her."

In the past, hearing words like that would have driven me insane.

But now, I felt nothing.

Laura clicked her tongue in displeasure, though her smile only grew wider.

"Do you even know how to comfort a woman? Even now you're still playing the loyal friend..."

I cut her off.

"Sorry, I misunderstood."

"From now on, I'll believe whatever you two say."

The air went still. The man's gaze landed on me, sharp as a hawk's.

Laura, however, acted as if nothing had happened and changed the subject.

"Oh, by the way—I wore your nightgown because I forgot to bring a change of clothes when I went over last night. I couldn't exactly sleep in your bed reeking of alcohol, right? Don't overthink it."

Seeing that I remained unmoved, something else seemed to occur to her, and she broke into a grin.

"Also, I just grabbed that nightgown at random. I had no idea the slit in the back was that high. Nearly gave me a heart attack—I almost lost face in front of all the guys."

"But it was really comfortable to wear. Like wearing nothing at all. Send me the link? I want to buy one too."

I shook my head calmly.

"He bought it. I don't have the link."

Laura froze for a moment, her smile stiffening.

"Jeffrey bought it? I never would have guessed. He looks so proper on the surface, but apparently he's into this kind of risqué stuff in private."

"No wonder he wouldn't accept those boxers I gave him when I lost that game of Truth or Dare. If I'd known, I would've gone with leopard print."

That was last Valentine's Day.

My relationship with Jeffrey had already hit rock bottom.

He had never been one to back down, but out of nowhere, he invited me to dinner at my favorite restaurant.

When the dishes arrived, I felt a rare flicker of the warmth we used to share.

Then the door to our private room burst open. Laura led a group of people inside, pushing an ugly cake, singing "Happy Breakup," and setting off party poppers.

Jeffrey wore a helpless smile—he had clearly known about this.

In an instant, the soft violin music, the candlelight on the table, the exquisite food—all of it became a joke.

Laura pulled out a pair of matching couple's underwear from behind her back and announced with a bold laugh: "A bet's a bet. We've warmed up the party for you, and I've left my gift right here. The only question is whether you've got the guts to accept it."

And just like that, she left.

She didn't even wait for me to throw the water in my hand.

So I threw it at Jeffrey instead, and slapped him across the face for good measure.

He pressed his lips together impatiently. "It was from that game of Truth or Dare last time. Laura lost and asked me to help her out."

"You know how she is—always causing a scene. She's your friend too. What's there to be upset about?"

Right. Before I met Jeffrey, I thought Laura would be my best friend for life.

We'd shared the same pair of jeans, sipped from the same cup of bubble tea with one straw, whispered our deepest secrets to each other in the quiet of the night.

But I eventually realized we had very different definitions of what we meant to each other.

She was bold and outgoing, surrounded by countless friends besides me.

I was quiet and reserved. Besides her, everyone else was just an acquaintance.

We were destined to drift apart.

Until Jeffrey came along.

During that time, the two of us grew closer than we'd ever been.

Until I became the third wheel among the three of us.

She made a scene; he laughed it off. And I spiraled until I nearly lost my mind.

Just like that day.

I didn't care anymore. I smashed everything in that private room, then collapsed in tears, demanding answers from him.

"Jeffrey, do you even have a conscience? I cut ties with my own parents to marry you!"

His voice was flat, but I'll never forget what he said.

"If you had a conscience, would you have cut ties with your parents?"

That sentence was like a knife straight through my heart. It sobered me up completely.

Thinking of this, I looked calmly at the woman's face.

"He's bought plenty of nightgowns like this. If you like them, take them all."

"I don't want them anymore anyway."

The moment I finished speaking, the man let out a cold laugh.

"Jill, one-tenth of the cooling-off period has already passed. I thought it might help you grow up a little."

"Turns out you've just switched to a new game—playing hard to get."

"All this drama, day after day. Aren't you exhausted?"

The divorce was my idea.

On our wedding anniversary, Laura showed up unannounced with all our friends to "celebrate together."

She called it sharing in our happiness.

So what was supposed to be a day for just the two of us turned into a party for everyone else.

In the middle of that party, Laura—emboldened by alcohol—confessed in front of everyone that she had fallen in love with a friend's husband.

Everyone exchanged knowing glances at Jeffrey.

He just smiled and said helplessly, "Stop messing around."

And I flipped the table.

After Jeffrey had smoothly sent everyone away, I screamed at him that I wanted a divorce.

He just looked at me coldly for a long time. Then he agreed.

I moved out of the Farley house. He didn't stop me. He only sneered, "Thirty days. That should be enough time for you to cool off."

My phone chimed—my rideshare was almost here.

"Whatever you say."

I kept my eyes on my phone, not wanting to argue with him.

His expression darkened, then darkened again. Finally, he spoke.

"Get in the car."

"It's our teacher's birthday banquet today. If she sees me show up without you, she'll read into it."

"No need. My ride is already here."

The car had pulled up beside us. I walked straight over, opened the door, and got in.

The moment I shut the door, Jeffrey's car shot past—so close it grazed the spot where I'd just been standing. The driver jolted in his seat and cursed out loud.

"Driving some fancy car like he owns the damn road."

"Miss, you okay?"

I shook my head calmly and said nothing. I just rolled down the window and let the breeze wash over my face.

It suddenly occurred to me—even back when he was too poor to afford an electric scooter, Jeffrey had always been like this.

Even with no parents to speak of, his blue school uniform washed so many times it had faded to near-white, and a face that seemed to resent the world itself—

None of it could stop him from being the most dazzling presence in any crowd.

Because before he became the city's most outstanding young businessman, he had been a painting prodigy who'd stunned countless people with his talent.

One year, he nearly missed an important competition because he couldn't afford the entry fee. I gritted my teeth and paid it with my living expenses, then stretched what remained to feed us both.

Until my mother found out.

She humiliated him in front of everyone on the crowded school grounds, tearing him apart until there was nothing left of his dignity.

While I was still dreaming of the trophy he'd bring home—

He turned in a blank exam paper.

And never picked up a brush again.

He started skipping class, staying out overnight, launching a business with people I'd never met.

When I asked why, he only said he wanted to give me a better life.

He was still gentle. Still attentive. But sometimes it felt like I was living through a long, silent punishment.

Later, I learned the full truth and had a massive fight with my family.

Out of guilt, I threw myself into supporting every plan he had for the future.

So when Laura first promised she'd look after Jeffrey for me outside of school, I felt nothing but gratitude.

They started having more and more in common.

At first, I stood between them, arms linked with both, laughing as I brought them closer together.

Later, they were the ones with their arms around each other, joking like old buddies, while I stood off to the side with a smile.

Unable to get a word in.

Then came that New Year's Eve. Jeffrey was in low spirits—his business had hit a rough patch.

I gathered a big group of his friends and organized a party.

As the countdown began, I finally saw a hint of relief break through on his face.

"...Three, two, one—zero!"

The moment the fireworks exploded, my smiling eyes went wide with shock.

Laura had grabbed his tie and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

The cheering and noise around me went mute. The heart pounding in my chest simply... stopped.

Then came the endless fall.

The woman met my gaze, gave a playful wink, then kissed my cheek too, completely unfazed.

"Jill! Happy New Year!"

My lips moved, but no words came out.

A friend's joke from not long ago surfaced in my mind.

"Jill, I don't know what you're thinking, but honestly? It kind of seems like your boyfriend's fallen in love again."

"I saw them at a bar the other night—they were practically glued together."

...

The rumors had never stopped. And I'd never believed them.

But looking at the smile on his face, I wasn't sure anymore.

I became paranoid. Suspicious.

I started showing up at every gathering, watching their every interaction.

I'd probe his friends for their opinions, studied those relationship advice posts online to figure out whether what they had was really "just friendship."

Until one night, I crept out of bed, grabbed his phone, and went through every app.

The moment I turned off the screen, I saw his eyes—wide open in the darkness.

In my panic, I accidentally called Laura.

The call connected almost instantly. Her voice was thick with a coyness I'd never heard before.

"Jeffrey? Did you actually put a tracker in my brain? I was just lying here thinking about you, and you called. What, don't tell me you were thinking about me too—"

"Laura." My voice cut through. "Have you no shame?"

Silence on the other end. Before I could say another word—

Jeffrey snatched the phone from my hand.

"Jill, that's enough. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough these past few weeks?"