The moment I finished speaking, fat tears came rolling down Sophie's face.

"Okay, okay, Melissa, don't be angry. You're the only friend I have left. I really don't want to lose you."

"I'll go pack right now. I'll move out immediately."

But instead of going into her room, she turned to face Rodney and bowed low.

"Thank you for everything you and Melissa have done for me these past years. I'll go now."

"I hope the two of you have a good life. Don't fight over me anymore—"

Before Sophie could finish, Rodney stepped forward and looked her dead in the eye, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"I'm the one who told you to move in. Without my say-so, who gave you permission to leave?"

He yanked Sophie behind him and turned to me with the look you'd give an enemy.

"This is my apartment, and nobody gets to make you go!"

"If someone has to turn this into a mess where no one gets any peace, then she's the one who leaves!"

I had come back to pack up my things anyway.

But when Rodney said that, my eyes still stung, and I could barely hold back the tears threatening to spill over.

A year ago, in this very living room, Rodney had held me and spun me around, giddy with joy.

"Melissa! We finally have a home of our own."

"We'll get married in this apartment, and from now on you'll be the lady of the house!"

Barely a year.

And now he was telling me to get out.

In that moment, I didn't want to waste another word on Rodney.

I turned and walked into the master bedroom and began packing my things.

Once everything was packed, I dragged my suitcase toward the door.

As I passed through the living room, Rodney's voice rose again.

His teeth were clenched, and the voice that came out sounded like a stranger's.

"If you set one foot out that door today, coming back later won't be so easy."

"Melissa Summers, I've already put up with more than enough from you."

My steps halted, and I turned to look at the man I had loved for six whole years.

His brow, his eyes—every feature was still so familiar, and yet he felt like a stranger, frighteningly so.

The day the eighteen-year-old boy confessed to me, his cheeks had gone red with shyness.

"Melissa, I like you. Will you give me a chance to win you over?"

"Don't worry, I'll treat you well. I'll never let you suffer."

But somewhere along the way, three people became the normal shape of our life together.

On the surface he stayed neutral, but his heart had already made its choice for him.

He'd said he would never let me suffer.

Yet every bit of suffering came from him.

Seeing me stop, Rodney visibly let out a breath.

He reached out to take the suitcase from my hand.

"See, isn't this better? Sophie and I are the people closest to you. Why did you have to blow it up like this?"

"All right, I'll put your things back. No more scenes from now on."

"Today you really were being unreasona—"

Before Rodney could finish, I stepped back, away from his outstretched hand.

"Rodney, go be the closest person to her, then."

"I won't crowd in with her."

With that, I didn't spare him another glance. I turned and walked straight out the door.

I had just reached the little courtyard when Sophie's voice came from behind me.

"Melissa, Melissa, don't go! I'm the one who should leave!"

"Wait for me, don't go!"

Sophie's voice cut off abruptly.

I turned my head just in time to see Sophie chasing out the door, and Rodney grabbing her by the arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"It's so late now. It isn't safe for a girl to be out alone."

Those words, and the tears fell before I could stop them.

Sophie was a girl. What was I, then?

I wiped them away hard and turned on my heel.

This time I didn't look back.

Once I was in the cab, I called the owner of Rodney's rival company.

"I accept the offer."

Years ago, when Rodney graduated and wanted to start his own company, I backed him with everything I had.

That little startup had gone from a team of three or four people to a company with a few dozen employees.

It wasn't big, but building it up in two short years was no small thing.

The rival firm in the same field had been trying to poach me for a long time, and every time I'd turned them down.

Now, though, it was time.

It was late, so I found the first hotel I could and checked in, planning to sort out the rest the next day.

But early the next morning, I was woken by knocking at the door.

"Sophie, please don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"

"Just come back, and I'll move out of the apartment right away. I promise I won't get in the way of your life again."

Sophie's words almost made me laugh.

"So what you're saying is, if I don't come back, you'll just keep living there with a clear conscience?"

"The apartment? Sounds like you already think of it as your home."

At that, Sophie's eyes went red at once.

"Melissa, I— that's not what I meant. We've been friends for so many years, you know me, I'm just bad with words."

"But I really don't have any other choice."

I raised an eyebrow.

"No choice? Haven't I already moved out of that so-called home of yours? Haven't I already given you your way out?"

"So what are you here for today? Do you actually expect me to forgive you?"

Sophie's tears came down in heavy drops, and her shoulders began to shake hard.

"Ever since college, my grades were never as good as yours, my work was never as strong as yours, and I was never as pretty as you."

"I know this is wrong, but I really am at the end of my rope. You know how it is, my family doesn't have money, there are so many of us kids, and if I want to stay in Chicago, all I have is you and Rodney to lean on."

"I have nowhere to go, Melissa. Can't you understand me?"

I took a step back, putting distance between us.

Seeing that, Sophie only cried harder.

"Melissa, can you really not forgive you? I honestly think of you as my friend."

"Hit me, yell at me. As long as it gets it out of your system, I'll do whatever you want."

"This whole thing is my fault. I'm willing to bear all the consequences."

I shook my head.

"You are in the wrong here, so I can't say I forgive you."

"But in all of this, the one who did wrong first is Rodney. It's not your place to carry the blame for him."

Seeing that I wasn't going to budge, Sophie stepped right up, grabbed my hand, and tried to slap it against her own face.

"Melissa, hit me. I know you're still angry."

"Please, just hit me. Then maybe I'll feel a little better…"

Her sudden move startled me.

I was about to pull my hand back when Rodney's furious shout reached my ears.

"Melissa Summers, what do you think you're doing!"

"If you have a problem, take it out on me. What kind of person picks on Sophie?"

"She was so worried about you she didn't sleep all night, and this morning she went hotel to hotel looking for you, and this is how you treat her…"

Rodney hadn't even finished when I whipped my hand back and cracked it across his face.

His words cut off. His head snapped to the side, and when he turned back there was pure disbelief in his eyes.

I flexed my wrist and gave a cold little laugh.

"She wanted me to hit her. I didn't feel like it."

"But since you showed up, I'll hit you instead. No need to thank me."

At the sound of my voice, Rodney grabbed Sophie and yanked her behind him, shielding her like she needed protecting.

"If I'd known you'd still be acting like this today, I never would've let Sophie come find you."

"Sophie didn't do anything wrong. I only looked after her because of you—what have you got to sulk about? Being good to her, is that suddenly a crime?"

"Melissa, since when did you get so aggressive?"

That instinctive move to shield her—it stung my eyes like a needle.

"You say neither of you did anything wrong. Fine. Then let me ask you this, Rodney."

"If it had been me. If I were the one being that good to your friend, if I let your friend move into our home, if I prepared two of every birthday gift, if I said yes to a proposal from you and your friend at the same time—"

"Would you still think your friend and I did nothing wrong? Could you accept it?"

His livid face froze in that instant.

His lips moved without sound, and something wavered in his eyes.

That was when Sophie clutched at his arm.

"Rodney, let's just go. Melissa's still angry right now."

"We can talk it out properly once she's calmed down."

That snapped him out of it. His face darkened again.

"Melissa, this is our last chance."

"Think it over carefully. I built my own company straight out of college. I'm ahead of everyone my age."

"If we break up, you'll never find a better man than me."

I slapped him again, hard.

This time I put everything into it.

"Rodney, what makes you think my worth as a person is decided by the man next to me?"

"Whoever's next to me, I'm still me."

His face was full of fury and he was about to say something when a smooth, lovely voice cut in.

"Oh, Mr. Butler, listen to you."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think that company's success was all your doing."