While unpacking my husband's suitcase after his business trip, I unexpectedly discovered a pair of lacy underwear that definitely wasn't mine. I didn't confront him immediately. Instead, I quietly kept the evidence. Conveniently, my best friend had just returned from her vacation, so I quickly took the evidence to her, hoping to get some advice.

To my surprise, when she opened her own luggage, right at the top was a shirt that matched the exact design of the underwear I had found.

"Kenna, Kenna!" Scarlet's voice jolted me from my thoughts. Her puzzled face was suddenly close to mine, eyes filled with concern as she touched my forehead. "You don't have a fever, so why do you look so pale? Did you not sleep well?"

"Or did Adler upset you again?" Before I could reply, she grabbed her phone with a look of determination. "Let me give him a piece of my mind!"

"What nerve he has to make you upset!"

A strange feeling stirred within me, but out of habit, I stopped her from dialing. "No, it's nothing like that. I just didn't sleep well last night and got a bit foggy."

Scarlet, Adler, and I have been friends since college. Right from the start, Scarlet never liked Adler. After Adler and I started dating, her sensitivity only increased. Anytime Adler upset me, Scarlet was the first to jump to my defense. She wouldn’t be outright rude, but she was undeniably aloof towards him, always feeling as if I had been taken away from her. She used to say Adler was incredibly lucky to have me.

That's why, when I suspected the two of them might be involved in something shady, my first thought was that it must be a misunderstanding.

Scarlet paused her bustling around to scrutinize my face closely, only relaxing her concern when she decided I was okay. "You're not fooling me," she warned. "If he ever dares to mistreat you, just wait and see what I do!"

"And now that you're expecting, don't stay up late. It's not good for you or the baby."

She always had my best interests at heart. I sat silently on her sofa, listening to her chatter, but my eyes couldn’t help drifting back to the pink lace top. Could it be that the owner of her shirt and the mysterious underwear was the same person?

Noticing my quietness, Scarlet followed my gaze and suddenly understood. "You like this?" she asked, proudly holding the garment against herself. "We've got similar tastes, huh? I loved it too, so I got you the same set!"

She ran to her room and returned with a box. "Ta-da! Don't say I didn’t bring you anything from my trip."

"This brand is hard to find, and each piece has a unique code," she said with a cheeky grin. "But remember to take it easy during your pregnancy."

My face flushed. "Stop, stop with that talk. It's not good for my prenatal education!"

Scarlet stuck her tongue out playfully and gently patted my belly, "Alright, alright, Auntie said nothing, little one. Be good and don't pay attention."

Seeing her gentle expression made my heart melt. I had known Scarlet for years, and her kindness towards me was evident in so many ways. She came from a wealthy family, while my parents had divorced when I was young, leaving me to grow up in a small town. Despite our differences, she never looked down on me. Everything she had, she shared with me, often giving me even more.

I couldn't bring myself to believe that Scarlet would betray me. Maybe all of this really was just a coincidence.

Still, as she went back to her room to change, I couldn't resist picking up the top again. The label was marked MH79, the same code as on the underwear I found in my husband’s suitcase.

As we settled in for dinner at a cozy bistro known for its stuffed pasta creations, Scarlet, as always, was quick to direct Adler regarding the sauces.

"Kenna's usual! Extra basil, and then two scoops of—"

"Two scoops of almond sauce, and a touch of olive oil," Adler casually finished her sentence. "I've done this a million times, no need to remind me."

"Spot on!" Scarlet gave him a thumbs up and teasingly elbowed me. "See? Men just need some training to get it right."

I mustered a smile, keeping silent. This scene was all too familiar.

In the past, moments like these might have made me happy to see my friend and husband getting along so well. But now, under closer inspection, their interactions, though innocent on the surface, felt oddly intimate.

It was like I was the center of their attention, yet more often than not, I felt like a spare part. There was an unspoken understanding between them that I had missed before.

One would order, the other would pay; one prepared the sauces, the other twirled the pasta.

Finding that misplaced piece of lingerie had shaken loose a storm of emotions that I had previously overlooked or buried. Anger and confusion surged through me, dividing me in half.

Part of me observed them with my usual smile, while another part yelled, "Wake up, you've been duped!"

...

"Kenna, Kenna?"

I blinked and found Adler looking at me with concern.

With no solid proof, I had to hold steady and be patient.

Suppressing my feelings, I managed a weak smile and said, "I didn’t sleep well last night."

He nodded sympathetically. "Then after dinner, I'll take you home so you can get some rest."

"I’ll stay with you this afternoon," he added, continuing to serve the sauces he had just made for me and Scarlet.

I looked down at the plate in front of me, my grip tightening around the fork.

In the sauce Adler had prepared was basil—the ingredient I despised most.

I fell head over heels for Adler Phillips the moment I saw him during our college days. Back then, my closest friend, Scarlet Phillips, seemed to have it out for Adler, always critiquing him or finding something to gripe about. But Adler always stepped back for my sake, letting Scarlet have her way.

Even though Scarlet often aired her grievances about him to me, she couldn't help but acknowledge his brilliance. I vividly recall the moment she found out that I had accepted Adler's advances—she was taken aback, frozen for a second before regaining her composure.

For the first time, Scarlet looked at me with doubt in her eyes and asked, "Kenna, am I still the most important person to you?" I took her hands and nodded earnestly, assuring her with certainty: "Scarlet, you're the closest thing I have to family. No one else even comes close."

Her initial tears gave way to a bright smile as she said, "Agreed! We're each other's family."

"Though, he's alright, I guess," she muttered, "it feels like my treasured belonging is being taken by an idiot." I just chuckled, saying they were born to be rivals.

At our wedding, Scarlet was brazen as she wagged her finger in Adler's face and declared, "If you ever disappoint Kenna, I’ll be the first to hold you accountable!"

"Don’t think she's on her own; I’ll always be her support, her family." Adler could only smile with resignation and replied, "Understood, understood, little sister-in-law."

He gently wrapped his arms around me, his gaze sincere, "Kenna, I promise to cherish you for the rest of my life."

In that moment, I was flooded with gratitude. To have such a friend and such a soulmate—for someone like me, who grew up starved for affection and longing for a family—was nothing less than a dream come true.