"I'll bring you a gift when I get back!"

That was the last thing Iñigo said before hanging up the video call.

I sat alone on the balcony, staring blankly at the city lights. The night breeze was cool, but my thoughts were heavy—like a thick fog that refused to clear.

Before I could sort through them, someone tapped my shoulder.

"Elaine!"

It was Talia.

She was already dressed—but not like the tomboy I'd known my whole life.

Tonight, she wore a tight, body-hugging skirt and heavy makeup. For a moment, I barely recognized her.

"Talia," I said carefully, "are you... seeing someone?"

I wanted to warn her. The man she was texting didn't seem trustworthy, and I didn't want her to get hurt. But before I could finish, her expression darkened.

"Elaine," she said sharply, "we're best friends, sure. But just because you're happy doesn't mean you can control who I love!"

Her sudden anger stunned me.

"Elaine," she snapped, calling my name coldly. "You just can't stand seeing me happy, can you?"

My breath caught.

"I shouldn't have taken leave from work to help you with your wedding," she continued bitterly. "You've really disappointed me!"

She grabbed her purse and stormed toward the door.

"Talia, wait!" I chased after her, calling out, "I didn't mean it that way—!"

But the elevator doors shut in my face.

By the time I ran down to the parking lot, she was gone. The wide, empty space swallowed my voice.

I stood there, completely lost. All I'd wanted was to protect her, yet somehow, I'd pushed her away.

Then I remembered—the hotel location in that man's message.

[Let's play something exciting tonight!]

A sense of dread crawled up my spine.

What if she was being deceived? What if something happened to her because of this fight?

Talia wasn't just my best friend. She was family—someone I trusted even more than my fiancé.

Panic overrode everything else. I grabbed my car keys and drove straight to the hotel.

When I arrived, the first thing I saw was her car parked near the entrance. Relief flooded me—until I saw who stepped out of the hotel next.

My breath stopped.

It was Iñigo.

The same man who had told me he was on a business trip out of town. The same coat he was wearing was the one I had picked out for him.

And right there, under the glowing hotel lights, he pulled Talia into his arms.

They kissed—openly, passionately, as if the world around them didn't exist.

I froze behind the wheel.

Every part of me refused to believe it. But no matter how much I denied it, the truth unfolded right before my eyes.

The mysterious account on WhatsApp—the voice I'd heard—it really was Iñigo.

My hands trembled as I cut the engine. I hid in the shadows, like a thief spying on someone else's happiness.

He gently wrapped Talia's coat around her shoulders. "Are you cold?"

She smiled sweetly. "Not when I'm with you!"

He pinched her cheek, teasing. "How did you explain sneaking out to my wife?"

His tone was full of amusement. "She's so clingy with you, I can't imagine she let you leave easily!"

My heart twisted painfully. It was hard to breathe.

Talia smirked. "I just had to throw a little tantrum!"

Then she leaned in, biting his neck lightly as she whispered, "Don't you know how much Elaine cares about me? She's probably worried sick right now, afraid I'm mad at her and stop talking to her!"

I stared at her—the woman I'd called my closest friend—watching her mock the very loyalty and love I'd cherished.

I thought of how I had run here in desperation, heart pounding with fear of losing her. And yet here they were—sharing a secret joke at my expense.

Something inside me cracked wide open.

The crack in my heart widened—so wide I could almost see myself bleeding through it, and yet, I still waited.

Waited for Iñigo to explain. Waited for the man who once spoiled me beyond reason to say something, anything that could make it right.

But all he said was, in that calm, dismissive tone, "Okay, that's enough. You two are best friends, after all."

That was it.

As if my world hadn't just fallen apart.

I remembered the first time I met Iñigo.

He looked at me seriously and said, "What I hate most in this life are people who steal others' lovers."

Then, almost bitterly, he told me why.

"My mom cheated with my dad's best friend. When my dad found out, he left us!"

"He didn't want me. And she didn't want me either!"

"I was just a ball, kicked back and forth between two people who both despised me!"

He laughed at himself then, eyes filled with emptiness. "So, Elaine, I don't have the kind of happy family you do. My life's been broken from the start."

"Do you understand?"

At that moment, I truly believed his heart was breaking—and mine broke with it.

I sat beside him quietly and said, "Iñigo, someone will love you one day. She'll pick up your broken pieces one by one, saying, 'This part is mine too, that piece is mine as well."'

"And when she's done, she'll stay by your side—help you piece yourself back together, and love you until you're whole again."

I had meant every word.

Later, he chased me openly, relentlessly—until everyone around us was rooting for him.

He once took a 36 hour hard-seat train ride just to bring me my favorite pastry from another city.

Back when his company was still struggling and he could barely afford dinner, he still spent thousands on a birthday cake because I'd mentioned it once in passing.

When he was on a business trip out of town and heard there was a thunderstorm where I lived, he drove through the night just to tell me, "Don't be afraid."

And as soon as the rain stopped, he turned around and went back.

Each memory, once so precious, now became a blade. The very proof of his love was now the evidence of his betrayal—cutting deep, leaving me raw and bleeding inside.

I watched from my car as Iñigo held Talia close, walking with her into the hotel.

The pain was so sharp it stole my breath. Tears streamed down my face before I even realized I was crying.

In a panic, I grabbed my phone.

Just as he was about to enter the revolving doors, I dialed his number.

He stood outside while I sat in my car, only a few meters away.

Talia's face darkened when she saw my name flashing on his screen.

But he only smiled at her and said gently, "I'll take this call."

She tried to stop him, reaching for his phone, but he lifted his arm, keeping it out of reach.

"I told you," he said coldly, "I'll never ignore Elaine's call."

His tone turned hard, a sharp contrast to his earlier charm. "Talia, we had an agreement."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

From where I sat, I could see her stomp her heel in frustration, helpless as he stepped aside to answer my call.

"Hey," his voice came through, warm and familiar, no different from any other day.

"Wife," he said softly, "do you miss me?"

Tears welled up again, spilling uncontrollably. I tried to speak, but only choked sobs came out. But he didn't seem to notice.

"I'll be home tomorrow," he said. "I bought you a little gift!"

I watched from a distance—he was still playing with Talia's hair, his smile tender as he spoke to me.

"You'll love it," he added.

And at that moment, I couldn't understand.

How could a person split their heart in two?

How could he, who once swore he despised betrayal more than anything, turn into the very kind of man he used to hate?

I still couldn't make sense of it.

Did Iñigo ever really love me?

"Wife?"

He finally noticed something was wrong and asked, "What's the matter?"

His voice—familiar and warm—tore at my chest until it hurt so badly I felt like I might suffocate.

Struggling to hold back a broken sound, I forced the question out. "Iñigo... With everything I have, do you love me? Would you ever betray me?"

I remembered the day he confessed. He knelt on one knee in front of all our friends as witnesses; when I nodded, he wept until he could barely speak. He held me then and swore, "Elaine, I will never let you down. I love you. I will never be like my mother. I will never betray you. I belong to you—forever!"

I believed him without reservation. I gave him my whole heart, convinced that no matter what trials came, we would walk through them together until the end of our lives.

Now, I watched Talia's restless hands wandering over him. She bit at his throat; he made a muffled sound, his breath rough, and told me, "Elaine, don't imagine things. I'll be back tomorrow."

He tightened his arm around Talia's waist as she clung to him, then, as if nothing had happened, he said, "I'm busy—gotta go," and hung up before I could answer.

He walked into the hotel with Talia in his arms, his eyes full of desire. He said to her, low and possessive, "You started this!" Then, pinching her chin. "You'll take responsibility!"

I watched them—my man and my best friend—entwine beneath the trees, hurry into the hotel, and later come out flushed and laughing, joined by several of his friends who had helped deceive me. They joked and chatted as if everything were a game.

I thought the pain of heartbreak would stop after it broke me, but when I heard one of them say in passing, "Talia looks pretty in makeup—she's not that different from Elaine," a new kind of nausea rose in me.

Talia hit the man playfully. "Don't compare me to Elaine. How many people are as delicate as she is and always want to be spoiled?"

They used me as the butt of their jokes, their teasing without limit. My throat dried and clogged with bile until I felt I would vomit. As they walked away, Talia opened the passenger door like she owned the seat I always kept for myself.

I couldn't stand it any longer.

I flung my car door open and ran at them. Iñigo looked shocked, his face gone pale. He instinctively tried to pull Talia down—only to be stopped by the first of my slaps.

"Iñigo!" My voice was raw; my chest ached. All the sweet memories—once like a parade of happy scenes—shattered into tears that fell and smashed on the pavement.

"Iñigo!" I raised my hand to strike again, but Talia grabbed my wrist, eyes red with anger.

"How dare you hit people!" she cried.

I raised my other hand and slapped Talia in the face. "Do I need to pick my moments?" I yelled. I grabbed her hair, slammed her head against the car door, then slapped the stunned Iñigo again. And then I told him...

"It's over between us, Iñigo!"

"I—" I looked him straight in the eye, enunciating every word clearly, "—Elaine, don't want you anymore!"