Betrayed by My Fiancé and My Best Friend

1: 1

My best friend and my boyfriend couldn't stand each other!

She was always forwarding me news stories about men who cheated, warning me, "Watch out—your Lewis Gilbert is going to stray!"

And Lewis was always complaining to me, "Lily Fox is a bossy, meddling shrew! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't give her the time of day!"

So I smoothed things over on both sides.

"Lewis and I have been together seven years. I trust the kind of man he is."

"Lily's been good to me since we were kids. Don't be so hard on her."

Until one day I came back early from a business trip and walked in on the two of them—the ones who supposedly couldn't stand the sight of each other—tangled up in bed together.

When I demanded to know what was going on, hysterical, Lily looked at me like I was the one being unreasonable.

"My hormones have been out of balance lately. I was just borrowing your boyfriend as medicine."

And Lewis thought I was making a scene out of nothing.

"I'm a man. I have normal needs. You should be asking yourself whether you've been doing your job as a girlfriend!"

Fine. Since the two of you are such a perfect match, I'll let you have each other.

1

I came back early from the trip because I wanted to surprise Lewis.

But when I pushed the door open, the two of them locked together on the bed dealt me a killing blow.

My best friend, in bed with my fiancé, with no distance left between them at all.

The moment Lewis saw me, panic flashed through his eyes—but his first instinct was to yank the sheet over and cover Lily.

"Thelma Sullivan, it's not what it looks like."

Lily didn't show a trace of shame. She spoke with total conviction.

"Thelma, I've been diagnosed with a hormone imbalance. I was only borrowing Lewis as medicine for a little while. Don't misunderstand."

One of them was the fiancé I'd loved for seven years.

The other was the best friend who'd been at my side for twenty.

And now the two of them were talking about their affair like it was nothing at all.

I couldn't take it in. I turned and ran out.

Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets.

I thought of this time last year, when Lily had come crying to New York to throw herself on me.

Her boyfriend had dumped her. She had nowhere to go.

I was the one who took her in.

I set her up with money for whatever she needed, drank with her to cheer her up, helped her land a job.

Lewis had been so unhappy about it.

He complained that Lily was a third wheel, that she'd hijacked all our time alone together.

And Lily looked down on Lewis too.

Said he was too domineering, didn't know how to be considerate, wasn't good enough for me.

But never once did I imagine it.

That the two people I treasured and trusted most would betray me together.

Then an umbrella appeared over my head.

It was Lewis.

He started coaxing me. "Thelma, don't let your mind run wild. I don't have the slightest interest in Lily!"

I glared at him, my eyes red. "Then what was that I just saw?"

His face went impatient, his voice full of blame.

"I'm a man. I have normal physical needs. You've been away for days—did you ever once think about how I feel?"

I stared at the man in front of me, dazed.

Nausea rose up in my stomach.

All these years I'd worked myself to the bone, all for our future.

Right after we graduated, Lewis said he had no money, no place of his own, that he couldn't get married yet.

So I worked overtime day and night, took top performer every month, climbed the ranks, and saved up to buy our wedding home.

Later, Lewis said his job wasn't stable, that he was afraid he couldn't give me an easy life.

So I got him a position at my company.

And quietly propped him up, lifted him until he sat in the manager's seat he holds now.

We were supposed to get married next month.

But right now, he felt not the faintest shame over his own cheating.

Instead, he was pinning the blame on me.