At the company's year-end party, a colleague asks me teasingly about when exactly my boyfriend, Hayden Potter, and I will get married.

Hayden's female buddy, Melissa Somers, instantly speaks up for him. "He's not in a rush. After all, Hayden's main priority is his career."

At first, I don't think much about Melissa's response. But the next thing I know, I suddenly hear her internal thoughts.

[Marriage? When Hayden was sleeping over at my place, he promised me that he'd marry me!]

I freeze up on the spot before whirling around to stare at Hayden and Melissa. At the moment, Melissa is taking a sip from Hayden's drink through the same straw he just used.

Hayden never once looks at me. In fact, he even has an arm wrapped around Melissa's shoulders.

A faint red lipstick mark was left on the straw after Melissa Somers took a sip from it.

However, Hayden Potter, my boyfriend, didn't seem to care at all as he took a huge sip from the very same straw.

Noticing my gaze, Melissa said with a smile, "I hope you won't mind, Selina. It's just that the two of us have been best friends for so many years that it's become a habit."

Before I could respond, Hayden stroked her hair and said, "It's fine. Lina isn't that petty."

The others immediately chimed in with their two cents.

"That's right! Mel has been one of the boys for years now, so you don't have to worry about a thing, Selina!"

"If there really was something going on between them, would you have been able to get together with Hays?"

Just then, I heard Melissa's mocking voice ringing in my mind. [Hays only has room for me in his heart. Who the hell do you think you are? You fool. I bet you don't even know that Hays thinks that you're about as interesting as a block of wood!]

My hand froze in midair as I reached out to grab my drink.

Amid the chaotic noise around me, I watched intently as Hayden ate the spoonful of cake Melissa held up to his mouth.

I had been dating Hayden for three years. He once told me that he hated being tied down, so I never once checked in on him at work or interfered with his social life. In fact, I even worked hard to accept all of his friends, including Melissa, the woman he claimed was "just one of the boys".

It wasn't until that moment, when I suddenly gained the ability to hear Melissa's thoughts, that I realized I was just a bystander in their relationship. I was nothing more than a joke in this love triangle.

"Hays, today's your third anniversary with Lina, right? What, you're not going to make some grand gesture for her?"

Hayden stiffened in surprise. Clearly, he had forgotten about it.

However, Melissa hooked an arm around his neck and said flippantly, "Grand gesture? Come on, Hays is a practical man and doesn't bother with all those frivolous things!"

She then glanced at me, her eyes glinting sharply. "Right, Selina? You're not like those other materialistic women and won't demand presents, will you?"

In her mind, she added, [The underwear he bought you last time is the exact same kind he got for me. Do you seriously think he would put any thought into picking out a gift for you?]

Everyone's attention immediately fell on me.

My heart clenched in my chest, the pain leaving me breathless as more disgusting thoughts and images assaulted my mind.

Smacking Hayden's shoulder none too gently, I asked, "What do you think?"

Hayden stiffened before pursing his lips and snapping in an annoyed tone, "Mel is right. Gifts are just a formality. If it really bothers you that much, I'll just compensate you with one later. But with so many people present right now, you'd better not make things difficult for me."

He shrugged my hand off his shoulder, his eyes full of warning.

"I was just kidding." Melissa's eyes curved in a smile as she smoothly went on, "Don't take it so seriously, Selina. Let's continue with the games, alright?"

After losing a round of dice, she urged Hayden to drink on her behalf, her body plastered against his back like it was the most natural thing in the world.

When playing Truth or Dare, she was dared to kiss a person of the opposite gender. She didn't even hesitate before turning around and kissing Hayden right on the lips.

Hayden flushed all the way to the tips of his ears and scolded her with a grin, "Hey, watch it!"

With a pout, Melissa retorted, "What? What's wrong with two best friends kissing each other? Selina doesn't seem all that bothered about it! Right, Selina?"

I heard her smug thoughts almost immediately. [As if she would dare to kick up a fuss in front of so many people! I bet she's bursting with frustration!]

Once again, everyone's gaze was on me.

I let out a soft laugh. "You already kissed him, so what's the point of asking me about it now?"

Meeting her gaze head-on, I added, "Or could it be that you're waiting for me to say that it's fine?"

The smile on her lips froze, and she subconsciously grabbed Hayden's arm tightly.

I found her behavior more repulsive than outright provocation.

An awkward silence spread in the room. Her eyes reddened, though she pretended to be unaffected.

"Selina, I really didn't mean anything by it. It was just a game! Don't overthink it."

With that said, she withdrew her hand as though she had been hurt by my words but was still putting on a strong front, fully playing up the pitiful act.

In her mind, however, she was mocking me. [Go ahead and continue pretending! Let's see who Hayden cares for more!]

Hayden instantly frowned deeply and turned to bark at me, "Selina Grant, do you have to be so mean? Mel has always been this straightforward! She doesn't have any ulterior motives!"

"Is that so?" I tilted my head to look at him. "So she's using my boyfriend to prove how straightforward she is?"

"It's just a game! Do you have to take it so seriously?" Hayden practically yelled at me. "When did you become so petty?"

How utterly ridiculous.

I had always thought that he was just loyal to his friends and simple-minded.

Only now did I realize that he was just pretending to be ignorant. He was greedy, wanting to have his cake and eat it too.

The others quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Melissa is just playing around. Don't mind it too much."

"Hey, now. There's no need to argue over something so insignificant, Lina. Show a little respect, okay?"

"We all know you're not the type to keep score over every little thing…"

Hayden glared at me, his hands curled into fists so tight that his knuckles had gone white.

He was this angry and hostile toward me, all for the sake of a woman who was supposedly just "one of the boys".

Once upon a time, he would drink on my behalf and shield me behind him as he took on anything and everything for me.

Now, however, he was treating me so coldly, so harshly, all because of Melissa.

A sense of helplessness slowly spread through me.

This relationship was rotten to the core.

For a moment, I simply met Hayden's furious gaze, not saying a word. Then, I turned and left, pointedly ignoring the sound of him gently comforting Melissa behind me.

It was pouring outside, so I hailed a cab to get home.

Suddenly, I recalled that Hayden hadn't taken an umbrella when leaving the house earlier today.

A tangled web of emotions swirled in me and fed my frustration, but I still couldn't shake the habit of worrying over him just yet.

"Forget it," I told myself. "I already endured this for the past three years, didn't I?"

In the end, though, I still spoke up.

"Sir, could you turn the car around please? I need to pick up someone."

Yet, as I stood there in the pounding rain, I failed to see any sign of Hayden. All I saw were his friends as they left the building, chatting with each other.

Forcing a smile onto my face, I approached them and asked, "Where's Hayden?"

Immediately, their expressions turned rather awkward before one of them answered me.

"Hays was worried about Mel getting a cold from being in the rain since she hadn't brought an umbrella, so he took her home."

I froze in surprise.

Realizing that something was off with me, they hurriedly tried to soothe me.

"Selina, weren't you already on your way home?"

"No need to panic, Selina. Hays is just taking Mel home. You know how close those two are, but in the platonic way, of course."

"That's right. If they really were interested in each other, would Hays have gotten together with you?"

"Don't be angry at them, okay? There really is nothing going on between them…"

By this point, I was practically soaked through, my teeth chattering from how cold I was.

In the end, I sought shelter at the entrance of a nearby hotel and dialed Hayden's number, unwilling to give up just yet.

The phone rang for quite a long while before he picked up.

"Hello? Lina, are you home already? Mel had a bit too much to drink, so I'm taking her home first."

"Thanks, Hays! You're the best! Sorry, Selina, but it looks like I'll have to hog your driver for now!"

With that, he ended the call abruptly, not even giving me a chance to respond.

[There, all set.]

My surroundings were incredibly quiet, so I heard the thought loud and clear.