Caleb was considerate and even offered to get me a pad.

While I washed my underwear, he leaned against the doorframe, looking distracted. After a long pause, he hesitated and said, "Babe, I'm afraid I might lose control if I stay with you tonight. Can I go grab some drinks with the guys? I promise I'll be back soon."

My gut instinct told me he wasn't just going out for drinks. Still, I let out a relieved sigh and kissed him lightly. "All right, but don't stay out too late."

Caleb left in high spirits.

Once he was gone, I pulled up the freshman group chat and tried to track down the girl from his messages by matching her profile picture.

What I found stunned me.

It was the same girl everyone had called a stinking thief during her first year—Jane Cooper.

Back then, I'd been on the welcoming committee and even helped her move her luggage. But right after leaving the dorm, I realized that my phone was missing. I panicked and ran back, only for her roommates to find it tucked away in her drawer.

I wanted to give her a chance, so I asked her roommates to keep quiet. But within days, she was at it again. She stole her roommate's makeup and even skimmed class funds to buy jewelry.

Eventually, she lashed out and shoved a roommate down the stairs, resulting in the latter being hospitalized for a month.

Her reputation spread throughout the department after that. Thanks to her size and the stench that seemed to cling to her, everyone ended up calling her the "stinking thief".

I'd never imagined that she would be the one Caleb chose.

Before I could reach out and warn her to stay away from him, I received a video from her.

The video showed a group of guys surrounding her like a pack of wolves. She clung to Caleb's neck and pressed her drunken lips to his.

The second their lips touched, bile rose in my throat. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up.

I couldn't believe it. The same guy who'd been so respectful while pursuing me and so gentle after we started dating was cheating behind my back.

I was ready to call him and confront him. I wanted to end things right then and there.

But then, I noticed something on the table in the very last second of the video. It sent chills down my spine.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. Then, my blood surged through me all at once. My heart pounded so quickly that I had a hard time catching my breath.

It was a peculiar little hair tie. The design showed two girls hand-drawn with uneven lines.

No one else would recognize it, but I knew exactly what it was. As kids, my best friend, Kylie Zimmer, and I had drawn the design ourselves and had two custom hair ties made.

Only two of them existed. One was packed away in a box I never touched, and the other one was with Kylie. It had been buried with her when she died years ago.

And yet, here it was, in the video.

Panic ripped through me so fast that it felt like a stampede rushing through me. I sat frozen in place until the door creaked open.

I realized that I'd been staring into thin air for two hours, and by then, my legs felt numb.

I pretended to scroll on my phone as I made up my mind. I wasn't going anywhere until I found out the truth.

Caleb was so exhausted that he didn't notice a thing. He took a shower, collapsed on the bed, and was out in minutes.

I silently lay beside him, my back turned to him, while the image of that hair tie etched itself into my brain.

The next morning, I went to class with Caleb as though nothing had happened. We'd just reached the lecture hall doors when Jane blocked our path.

"Caleb slept with me! Do you still think you're his girlfriend? Do us all a favor and step aside, or I'll have his baby and dump it on you!" she announced.

Students who'd been rushing to class stopped in their tracks, watching the scene unfold before them. My face flushed.

Caleb rushed to explain himself. "Babe, don't listen to her! You know what kind of reputation she has around here!"

A few of our classmates chimed in to defend him.

"Yeah, Caleb's crazy about you. Everyone knows that."

"That Jane chick's always stealing stuff, and now she's trying to be a homewrecker? She should take a look in the mirror. As if Caleb would ever go for her."

Their insults didn't faze Jane. She glared at Caleb. "I've got proof that we slept together. If you don't dump her, I'll post the video online and let the whole world see what you really are."

A cold sweat broke out across Caleb's forehead. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.

I, on the other hand, stayed calm.

I studied Jane. She looked the same as she had the first time we met. She was short and plump with acne scars pitted across her face.

Then I thought of Kylie. She'd always been a natural beauty and managed to make countless boys in school fall for her, even without makeup. On top of that, she'd also had curves that made even me envy her.

I was sure that she and Jane were not the same person.

But how did Jane end up with that hair tie then?

I pushed my unease aside and walked right up to her in front of everyone. "I believe in Caleb," I said. "And I'm not breaking up with him because of you."

Jane's eyes widened as she stared at me in disbelief.

Caleb looked relieved, but deep down, he was terrified. What he'd done with her last night was real, and the thought of the evidence in her hands scared him.

That night, he slipped out again with some excuse about meeting the guys at a cybercafe.

I followed him.

He led me to an old housing block. The streets were pitch-black, and there were no surveillance cameras in sight. I glanced at my phone, which showed that it was 11:57 pm.

I was about to follow him into the apartment building when a hand landed on my shoulder. I held my breath, but then a wave of heat hit me, carrying a thick, foul stench.

"What are you doing here?" A girl's voice echoed in my ear.

I spun around and shook her hand off. Jane stood before me with a trash bag in hand. I clamped my hand over my nose to block out the stench.

Jane tilted her head down and chuckled. Then, she looked at me, her eyes filled with mockery. "Disgusted, huh? You think you're better than me? Last night, your boyfriend was begging for me. You should've seen how hard he held on to me at the end. I could barely breathe."

With that, she aimed the trash bag at my face and loosened her grip on it.

Inside was a tangle of used condoms.

The sight of the condoms made me gag. I stumbled to the trash can and vomited until my head spun. Jane watched me in silence.

When I finally stopped, she turned away with a blank face. "Don't come here again. And don't fight me over Caleb. If you do, I won't go easy on you."

I stared at Jane's back, too shaken to move. I no longer had the courage to follow her.

Luckily, I didn't have class the next day. I texted Caleb that I was going home for a while, but instead of going there, I took a cab to the neighborhood I grew up in.

The place hadn't changed much over the years. After Kylie's sudden death from an illness, I'd cried so much that I made myself sick. I even fell into depression.

Desperate to give me a new start in a new environment, my parents decided to move to the city. Since then, our old apartment in the suburbs had been left to collect dust.

I pushed open the iron gate, and it gave a harsh screech. I was about to close the door when the one to the next unit cracked open.

A pair of dark eyes peered out through the crack in the door. A drunken man stared at me intently. After a long while, he asked uncertainly, "Are you Wendy Ziegler?"

I nodded. I recognized him as Mr. Jimmy Carter, the neighbor who used to buy candy for Kylie and me.

"Hi, Mr. Carter," I greeted him politely.

His face lit up, and he pulled the door wide open. "I haven't seen you in years. Come on in. What brings you back so late? Did you just feel like coming home?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd have a look around here. I'll bring some food and drinks tomorrow so we can have a proper chat," I said, refusing politely.

Mr. Carter agreed right away. The next morning, he bought some fruit and set it out on the table. After taking a seat, I noticed a few pieces of candy on the coffee table.

"Do you remember these?" He smiled. "You and Ky loved them. It's just too bad she passed away from an illness. I still leave some on her grave every once in a while."

My eyes reddened. "I should've come back sooner to see you both."

Afraid that I was about to cry, Mr. Carter quickly changed the subject and asked about my life now. I answered all of his questions.

Suddenly, the door swung open. I turned around, only to meet Jane's eyes.

Her pupils dilated for a second, but she quickly composed herself and dropped the bag of groceries on the table. "Mr. Carter, who's this?"

"An old neighbor," Mr. Carter replied. "She's back to visit her friend."

I stood up and pretended we didn't know each other. "Hi, I'm Wendy Ziegler."

She snorted and pointed at the door. "Get out. I don't want strangers here."

"Don't be rude. Wendy rarely comes back. She's staying for lunch." Mr. Carter scolded Jane as he reached for the groceries. "I'll cook. You two wait. Don't leave, Wendy."

I nodded with a smile. The moment I turned my head, I met Jane's angry gaze.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind us. She was soaked in sweat, and her chest rose and fell as she struggled internally. I looked at her coldly.

She finally lifted her head. "You can't stay for lunch. You need to leave!"