I fell silent for a moment, snapping back to reality. I saw Heidi's face, a sarcastic smirk playing on her lips.

"Now what? Does it ring a bell?" she asked.

She was taking this moment to humiliate me, but I refused to give her any satisfaction.

"Sorry, I can't remember anything," I lied, turning my back. But before I left, I wanted to warn her about something. "Whatever you have with Rowan, it's none of my business."

Back at the table with my friends, I tried to act like nothing had happened, but I could sense their curious gazes.

"You okay, Mary?" Gail asked.

"Of course, I'm fine," I forced a smile.

Just as I was about to put that unpleasant encounter with Heidi behind me, I saw the door open.

I was startled to see Rowan walk in. He scanned the room, as if searching for someone, and his eyes landed on me. I could see anger in them, though I couldn't understand why.

"Mary!" he called out, his voice loud enough to draw attention from everyone around us, especially my friends.

"Hey, Rowan? What are you doing here?" I asked, puzzled.

"Come with me," Rowan suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me outside the restaurant's corner.

"What's wrong with you?" I was annoyed by his sudden appearance and the disrespectful way he dragged me away, right in front of my friends.

"I should be the one asking, what the hell is wrong with you, Mary? Why did you hurt Heidi?!" He was furious, and I didn't expect the slap he gave me across my cheek.

It was the first time he had ever hit me. I stared at him in disbelief. He showed no sign of remorse—just pure fury.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I held my cheek. The slap still stung, like his palm had left a mark on it.

"What the hell! I didn't do anything to Heidi!" I defended.

"Don't lie to me, Mary. I knew you were harsh on her because I assisted her in the hospital. You're so pathetic! You even pushed her, and now she got a knee injury," Rowan muttered.

In the distance, Heidi hobbled toward us, using her cane, but earlier I saw she could walk properly. Rowan immediately reached Heidi to help her, and she dramatically fell into his arms, as if she wanted to prove Rowan would always catch her.

"You should have stayed in your seat. I would have brought her over to apologize to you," I heard Rowan say, his voice filled with tenderness.

With tears in her eyes, Heidi shook her head. "It's okay, Rowan. It's not a big deal. She didn't do it on purpose. Don't be so hard on her," she said softly.

"No! I won't tolerate this. She needs to apologize," Rowan insisted, his voice laced with venom.

"Rowan, we can't do that. If her brother finds out you hit his sister, it might ruin your friendship. It can also ruin the bond in your packs," Heidi added as if she was concerned.

At the mention of my brother Freddie, a strange expression crossed Rowan's face, but it looked like he didn't mind my brother's reaction as he was too focused on Heidi.

"Freddie entrusted her to me. So I have the right to tell her that what she did was wrong," Rowan clarified.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "What exactly did I do wrong? Tell me, Rowan! What right do you have to dictate what's right and wrong to me? And who the hell are you to have the authority to control my life? My brother didn't say anything like that!" I said angrily.

Rowan frowned and seemed agitated. "I am your brother's trusted friend, and you were left under my custody."

"Custody?" I was flustered. "Don't treat me like a kid, Rowan! I'm not a robot for you to control me whenever you want! You can't make me apologize for something I didn't do," I dictated.

Rowan clenched his fists and glared at me. "Enough with your lies, Mary! I knew you did it on purpose because there's no camera in the restroom, but you can't run away from your consequences!"

He treated me like a convict when he had no proof, he just believed Heidi's lies. I felt so helpless, but I had to defend myself and not be stung by the injustice.

"How sure are you that it was me, Rowan? She can't show any proof, but you easily believed what she's saying?" I looked at Heidi, who I knew had made up a story just to ruin my name.

Rowan then shook his head. "Why would Heidi wrongfully accuse you? She must have a reason, and she's not the kind of person who lies. I've known her since we were kids," he defended her.

"So you're saying I'm the liar here?" I asked, bitterly.

After years of being together, I thought he would trust my character, but I was wrong. In front of Heidi, our six years meant nothing.

One word from her, and my name would be ruined, and I had no chance to defend myself. I would instantly become a convict in his eyes. Indeed, she was the favorite one, and I was just his second best. She was his everything, and I was nothing but a replacement.

There was no point in arguing. I would just waste my time with these idiots who knew nothing but how to humiliate me.

"Where are you going?" Rowan asked as I turned my back.

I stopped for a second to give him one last look. "Somewhere peaceful, somewhere you don't exist," I mumbled.

As I stepped out of the restaurant, I immediately hailed a taxi. Once inside, I texted my circle of friends in our group chat, apologizing for what happened earlier.

While chatting with my friend, I noticed a flood of notifications. I opened them and was shocked to see a post from Heidi. She had revealed my face to the public, claiming that I had harassed her in the restaurant's restroom.

The hateful comments from her followers were pouring in, filled with vulgar words. I couldn't read them all; the anger was building inside me.

My friends were also worried, having seen the post. They tried to defend me, but I told them not to engage with the bashers. No matter what I said, they wouldn't believe me, and I would only end up looking bad in their eyes.

Finally, the taxi pulled up in front of our apartment. Before getting out, I paid the driver.

Dragging my exhausted body inside, I felt utterly drained and slumped onto the couch in the living room.

My gaze drifted around the four walls, each corner holding memories we had made with Rowan over the past six years. Most of them were happy memories. I could recall them all too vividly, but now they were stabbing into my heart like a thousand sharp blades.

My eyes landed on the pictures displayed on the shelves. I approached them and carefully examined each one, our happy faces captured in beautiful places we had visited.

Rowan loved photography, and he made me his muse in every shot. Those were the moments I felt most loved by him, moments where I felt no insecurity. He also loved to spoil me with gifts, even when I didn't ask. He was so genuine and generous that I never doubted his love.

It was agonizing to reminisce, but I needed to leave everything in the past. It was a difficult process, and I knew I would go through different phases to overcome this challenge.

Next, I went to our bedroom, a place that only intensified the weight in my heart. These walls had witnessed everything. There were intimate moments we shared in this room that were hard to forget. There were nights when the rain poured heavily outside, and only Rowan's presence provided warmth.

It had been a week, and Rowan hadn't come back. I was alone, busy packing my things and disposing of all the furniture. I wanted to leave the place as it was when I first moved in—empty and miserable. This apartment was bought by my brother Freddie for me to stay in while he went with our parents to another country and I was left in this small town to finish my studies.

Suddenly, Rowan had courted me in high school, and I accepted his love, unaware of the destruction it would bring in the future. He decided to stay under the same roof, even though I told him my brother wouldn't like it. He insisted on keeping it a secret.

After cleaning up, I was ready to leave. But before I went, I wanted to say something to Rowan. I decided to call him, but every time I dialed, he rejected my calls.

After a while, he sent me a short message: "Mary, if you won't apologize to Heidi, we better not talk anymore."

Reading his message, I was furious. I was about to type a reply, but I just threw my phone on the bed. If he thought I couldn't live without talking to him, he was wrong. I would give him what he wanted, even if it meant never speaking to him again.

I grabbed my luggage and looked at my once lovely home, which I now had to leave behind.

As I walked down the staircase, I was surprised to see Heidi coming upstairs. I immediately hid in a trash bin, trying to peek. I saw her with Rowan entering a room on the third floor. I couldn't believe he was so close to me all this time, sleeping with Heidi.

Remembering the post-Heidi had created to destroy my reputation; a flame ignited within me. I wanted to retaliate, to make her taste my fury.

Luckily, I found a pizza delivery guy and called him over to a corner. He told me he was about to deliver a pizza to door 012, which was Rowan and Heidi's room. A brilliant idea struck me.

"Hey, I'll pay you to put this on their food," I said, placing a small jar containing wolfsbane in his hand.

The delivery guy looked confused and asked, "Is this pepper?"

I shook my head. "No more questions. Just do what I say. Put everything in it, and after a few minutes, take a picture of them and send it to my number." I even entered my number into his phone.

"Wait. Are you poisoning those people inside?" he worried.

"Looks like it," I smiled.

Over the next few minutes, I headed to the airport with my suitcase, ready to board. I sat near the window, looking out at the beautiful town of Sweetdale.

Just before boarding, my phone buzzed with messages from the pizza guy. I smirked as I saw pictures and videos of Heidi and Rowan, intoxicated by the wolfsbane. I replied to the delivery guy and gave him his reward.

Before closing my phone, I prepared a post under an unknown account to expose their betrayals, especially Rowan's secret of using me as his rebound to get back with Heidi, and the fact that they had cheated on me behind the scenes.

With one click, I posted everything. Within minutes, my notifications were flooded with hundreds of reactions and comments.