Chloe shut her door, popped in her earbuds, and tuned out the noise from outside.

Having made up her mind to return home and tie the knot, she knew she would have to resign from her job. Still, she was determined to wrap up her projects, aiming to avoid causing any inconvenience to others.

She sat alone in front of the panoramic window, diligently finishing up her work.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the evening sky faded to dusk.

Chloe removed her earbuds, stood up, and stretched. After a long stretch of focused work, she was finally done.

The building had quieted down completely.

She flicked on her phone for a bit of mindless scrolling.

That was when a message from Helen popped up. Without a second thought, Chloe tapped it open.

[Why didn't you 'like' my post?]

A minute barely passed before another message followed.

[Oops! Sorry, Chloe. Wrong person. Don't be upset, okay?]

Driven by curiosity, Chloe checked Helen's social media feed to see what the fuss was about.

Her screen was filled with photo after photo of presents from Andrew and Stephen, including a luxurious pink princess gown laying spread out, resembling a fluffy pink cloud.

To complement the dress, Andrew had gifted a pair of bespoke crystal diamond shoes that glittered with every turn, the epitome of opulence.

The flashy red sports car had Stephen's name written all over it.

In the photo taking center stage, Helen was flanked by Andrew and Stephen, her hands linked with theirs, her smile radiating pure joy.

In the caption, she declared, [Yay! I got to be a princess for a day!]

Chloe understood all too well. Helen was baiting her, hoping to ruffle her feathers and provoke a reaction.

Once upon a time, Chloe would have been torn apart by the sight of Helen's fake sweetness, and even more by the fact that Andrew and Stephen had given their attention to Helen, a girl they had barely known for a month—a girl who was stepping into what used to be her exclusive territory.

However, with her departure looming, Chloe could not care less.

With a casual flick of her finger, she lit up a heart icon on her phone screen, sealing her approval.

From that moment on, she, Andrew, and Stephen were nothing more than friends. The tough decisions were Helen's to make.

The following day, Chloe strode into the office and handed in her resignation.

When she got home, she began to sift through the mountain of photos that chronicled the trio's shared history.

Over twenty years of friendship had produced album after album of memories.

Childhood games of house with Andrew and Stephen, middle school award ceremonies, college road trips... Each photo brought the past to life, as if she could step right back into those moments. However, those days were gone, and they did not matter anymore.

One by one, Chloe set the photos alight, tossing them into the trash can to burn.

A small fire crackled to life, consuming years of laughter and camaraderie, reducing them to nothing but ash.

Andrew and Stephen arrived home just in time to catch the last act of her personal purge.

Andrew rushed over, his voice trembling as he exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

Chloe shot him an icy look and replied calmly, "Just burning some moldy old photos."

Stephen reached out, a desperate attempt to save what was left, but Chloe's hand flicked, sending the last of the photos fluttering into the flames.

The fire took them eagerly, leaving no chance for second thoughts or salvaged memories.

Stephen cautiously reached for the photo that was still burning at the edges, but the intense heat made him jerk his hand back.

"These are memories, you know! You don't just burn memories, even if they're a bit moldy!"

His voice was tinged with pain as he spoke, and his eyes started to turn red with the effort to hold back tears. Andrew, too, stared at the flames with a sense of loss, feeling utterly helpless.

Chloe could not help but find their reaction a bit funny. There she was, flesh and blood, right in front of them, and yet they kept getting all worked up over Helen.

Just a bunch of photos, and they were getting all sentimental.

She wondered, just for a second, how they would react if they knew about her plans to go home and get married.

Facing the two worried guys, she spoke with a calm she did not quite feel. "They're just photos. We can take more, can't we?"

"The fire did a thorough job, so we'll have to make new memories. It's about time we went on a trip again, anyway."

Andrew, trying to make the best of the situation, was met with Stephen's eager agreement.

"Yeah, and we can bring Helen along this time. She's always wanted to travel."

Chloe could not help but laugh a little at Stephen's words.

Andrew and Stephen took her chuckle as a sign of agreement and let out a collective sigh of relief.

Just as they were about to head back inside, they stopped short at the sight of several boxes in the living room—boxes that were not there when they left that morning.

"What's all this?" they asked together.

Chloe gave the boxes a quick look. "Oh, I quit my job. I'm thinking of trying something new."

She had liked her job before, had she not?

The same doubt crept into both of their minds.

Chloe was acting off, and it left Andrew and Stephen feeling a bit rattled.

Stephen parted his lips, about to dive into a sea of questions, but the sudden jingle of a ringtone cut through the quiet.

Andrew picked up the phone, and Helen's voice came through, panicked and lost.

"Andrew, the power's out at my place, and I'm freaking out! What should I do?"

Stephen, who was right there, heard her and his face changed. He jumped in before Andrew could respond.

"Helen, don't worry, I'm on my way."

Andrew's forehead creased with worry, a rare sight on his usually calm and collected face.

Worried sick about Helen, Andrew and Stephen grabbed their keys and bolted out the door together.

Chloe, on the other hand, was the picture of calm throughout. Once they were gone, she dialed up Natalie.

She had grown up in Natalie's care, and Natalie had been nothing but kind, treating her like her own daughter.

Since she was leaving, it was only right to say a heartfelt goodbye.

When Natalie heard Chloe was heading back to tie the knot, her voice was tinged with sadness and shock. "Chloe, do Andrew and Stephen know you're going back to get married?"

Chloe hesitated before replying, "They're in the dark, Aunt Natalie. Please keep it under wraps for me too. I just can't deal with any more drama."

The line went quiet for a beat.

Natalie let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I get it. You've been their gem since day one. It's clear as day those two fell hard for you, always stuck like glue. I really thought you'd end up with one of them. What a shame..."

Chloe chuckled softly. "There's nothing to be sorry about. We just weren't meant to be."

Natalie listened, and without pushing the issue, she said softly, "Chloe, I always knew you'd head back home eventually. I just didn't think it'd happen this fast. I've been by your side since you were a tiny tot. Before you take off, swing by and see me, okay? Once you're back in Kingston City, who knows when we'll get another chance to catch up..."

With a playful grin, Chloe replied, "Of course, I'll come by. I've got some presents for you, and I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet."

Natalie chatted a bit more before ending the call.

The moment the line went dead, Chloe's phone buzzed again.

It was her company's director.

"Hey Chloe, your design snagged an award for us! The trophy just came in, and since you've moved on, I've sent your intern, Helen, to drop it off at your place."

Before Chloe could even respond, the doorbell chimed.

She hung up, swung the door open, and there was Helen, trophy in hand, smiling on her doorstep.

Helen clutched the trophy, but her face was missing the spark of victory. She did not look like she wanted to celebrate, and she definitely was not about to hand it over to Chloe.

Instead, she bit her lip, her eyes wide and pleading as she spoke. "Chloe, the director told me to give you the trophy. It's such a big deal, and you're so awesome. I'm going to be super bold and ask you something. I've never won this award. Can I borrow the trophy for just a few days?"

Borrow?

Chloe had never heard anything so ridiculous. She raised an eyebrow and said with a fake smile, "If you know it's bold, then don't ask. If you want one so badly, go win one yourself."

With that, she reached out to take the trophy from Helen's embrace.

Chloe's frosty response left Helen flustered, looking like she was the victim of some great injustice. "Chloe, why are you being like this? I'm not taking it forever. I just want it at home to inspire me, is that so wrong?"

As Chloe went to grab it, Helen hugged the trophy even tighter, refusing to let go.

Their tug-of-war ended with a crash as the crystal trophy hit the floor and shattered into a million pieces.

Andrew and Stephen, who had just walked up, saw the disaster unfold. They dashed over and wrapped Helen in a protective hug.

"Helen!"

They circled her, faces etched with concern, checking her over for injuries.

Andrew lifted the hem of Helen's dress and saw a cut on her calf, bleeding from the glass.

His face turned to worry as he declared, "I'm taking you to the hospital now!"

He did not wait for her to agree, just scooped her up and carried her away.

Stephen's gaze was fixed on the glass shards scattered across the floor, his expression stormy. "Chloe, you've got it all, so why are you scraping with Helen over this?"

Scrap?

That word nearly made Chloe laugh, but not out of humor.

"That trophy is mine, my hard-earned prize after three grueling months. It's my glory. There she is, holding onto it with those puppy-dog eyes, and you accuse me of scrapping?"

Chloe's anger made her shake, her finger jabbing toward the broken glass, her voice sharp enough to cut through the chill air. "Now that she's gone and broken it, I expect an apology from Helen."

Chloe thought her explanation was crystal clear about who was in the right, but Stephen only got hotter under the collar, his voice booming.

"I thought this was about something that mattered. It's just a trophy. You can get a million of them. How does that stack up against Helen? You've hurt her, and I don't think she owes you an apology—you owe her one!"

With that, Stephen did not even wait for Chloe's response. He was off in a flash to tend to Helen.

Chloe stood there, the broken pieces a mirror of her own state, Stephen's words replaying in her head.

He actually expected her to say sorry to Helen. The idea of the injured party apologizing to the one who caused the harm was absurd.

'Stephen, you're quite the piece of work,' Chloe seethed inwardly.

A sharp pain suddenly gripped her heart, and then she felt it in her leg too. Looking down, she saw a long, jagged gash. With the flesh laid open, it looked more gruesome than Helen's injury.

Biting back the pain, Chloe cleaned up the mess before finally turning to deal with her own wound.

That night, Chloe's phone buzzed with a message from Felicia, who had sent over a slew of wedding dress designs.

[Pick your favorite], the message read.

Chloe skimmed the message once more before dialing Felicia's number.

They had barely started chatting when Felicia picked up on the weariness in Chloe's voice and could not resist asking what was wrong.

The day's unfairness flashed through Chloe's mind, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, but she dodged the question. "Mom, I should have everything wrapped up here in a week. How's the wedding planning coming along?"

Just then, Andrew and Stephen walked in.

Catching the tail end of Chloe's sentence, they both blurted out in sync.

"Wedding? What wedding?"