I stood at the entrance of the amusement park, feeling disappointed and angry.

James bailed on me again. It wasn't the first time.

I took a deep breath and decided to go in alone and have fun.

As soon as I entered, I saw a familiar figure.

Victor was standing not far away, waving and smiling at me.

"James asked me to hang out with you. Something came up last minute, and he couldn't make it," Victor explained.

A wave of bitterness hit me. James couldn't even bother explaining it himself.

But looking at Victor's sunny smile, my mood instantly lifted.

We rode the roller coaster together. Amidst all the screams, I felt a long-lost sense of joy.

Victor thoughtfully bought me cotton candy, and the sugary sweetness filled my mouth.

We chatted about work and life, and the atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant.

Without realizing it, I found myself glancing at Victor's profile.

In the sunlight, his features looked especially handsome.

Suddenly, I remembered that kiss from the other day, and my heart started racing.

Victor seemed to notice my gaze and turned to smile at me.

In that moment, it felt like I was falling into a warm dream.

We rode the Ferris wheel together, taking in the beautiful view of the amusement park from above.

As the sun set, Victor gently took my hand.

I didn't pull away, letting the warmth spread through me.

After the Ferris wheel, Victor suggested we explore the haunted house.

In the darkness, I instinctively moved closer to him, feeling his body heat.

As we walked out of the haunted house, we shared a smile, like we had just gone through an adventure.

On the way home, I realized I had completely forgotten about James.

Victor walked me to my door, hesitated for a moment, and gently kissed my cheek.

I stood there, watching him walk away, a sweet feeling rising in my heart.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a message from James.

I stared at the screen. James's message left me with mixed emotions.

[Sorry, a friend from abroad returned unexpectedly, and I just couldn't get away.]

I let out a cold laugh. I was so tired of hearing excuses like this.

I couldn't shake Victor's kindness from my mind. It was such a sharp contrast to James.

I hesitated whether to tell James about today. In the end, I chose to stay silent.

Just then, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from Victor.

[Did you have fun today? I hope I didn't let you down.]

Looking at the message, I couldn't help but smile.

I quickly replied: [I had a great time. Thank you for hanging out with me.]

Victor responded almost instantly: [My pleasure. I'd love to hang out with you again.]

My heart raced suddenly, and a strange feeling spread through my chest.

I knew this wasn't right, but I just couldn't stop myself.

Over the next few days, Victor frequently reached out to me, sending sweet messages every day.

We talked about work, life, and hobbies, as if there was nothing we couldn't share.

Gradually, I found myself looking forward more and more to my conversations with Victor.

Meanwhile, James seemed to be slowly fading into a distant corner of my memory.

I knew I was sliding toward a dangerous edge, but I couldn't help it.

Every word Victor said was like a shot of adrenaline, pulling me deeper into this.

I started fantasizing about what life would be like if I were with Victor.

However, just as I was lost in these sweet thoughts, Victor suddenly sent me a message.

It was a picture of James holding another girl, comforting her.

I stared at my phone screen, my heart feeling like it was tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

In the photo, James was holding an unfamiliar girl's shoulders, gently comforting her.

My mind went blank in an instant, and all my trust collapsed in that moment.

[What's going on?] I trembled as I typed a message to Victor.

Victor replied quickly: [I'm not sure either. I just saw it while passing by James's house today.]

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down, and decided to go directly to James to ask for clarification.

Pushing open James's door, I saw the girl sitting on the sofa, crying, while James was busy in the kitchen.

"Who is she?" I struggled to control my tone, trying not to let my anger and jealousy spill over.

James turned around, a flicker of panic crossing his face. "Ashley, what are you doing here? This is my friend from middle school, just back from abroad."

I scoffed. "A friend? Is that why you're holding her so closely to comfort her? Is that why you didn't go to the amusement park that day?!"

James's expression turned slightly annoyed. "What are you thinking?

"It's because her pet is sick and in the hospital. I was just comforting her," he defended.

"And the other day, when her pipe burst, I was just helping her," he added.

I suddenly remembered that over the years, I had always handled any plumbing issues at home myself.

"So you can fix pipes?" I said sarcastically. "I've never seen you lift a finger all these years."

James's face darkened instantly. "What exactly do you want to say? Is there something wrong with helping a friend?"

I felt dizzy, as all my doubts and insecurities erupted in that moment.

"This is a huge problem!" I nearly shouted. "You've kept so much from me, and you expect me to trust you?"

James's demeanor suddenly turned cold. "Believe it or not, I don't owe you any explanations."

I turned to leave, tears blurring my vision, filled with grievance and anger.

Back home, I curled up on the sofa, replaying the scenes from earlier in my mind.

My phone vibrated; Victor's message was: [Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to?]

I stared at the screen, suddenly struck by a bold idea.

Maybe it was time to teach James a lesson.

I focused on the phone screen, my finger trembling as I hit send.

[Victor, I want to see you.]

Almost instantly, Victor replied: [Sure, I'll be right there.]

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil inside me.

Less than half an hour later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see Victor's concerned gaze.

"What happened?" he asked softly, worry evident in his eyes.

I couldn't help but jump into his arms, tears streaming down my face.

Victor gently patted my back, reassuring me, "It's okay, I'm here."

I looked up at his gentle eyes, a sudden impulse surging within me.

Just as I was about to kiss him, the door suddenly swung open.

James stood at the door, his face pale, filled with anger and disbelief.