"Are you jealous, by any chance?" Felix asked. "You've always been the one telling me to look out for Lilian, especially with her health being so fragile. Now that I'm doing exactly that, you're upset with me."

When I didn't respond, his tone took on a self-righteous tone. "Don't be unreasonable, Sylvie. She's your best friend. Weren't you the one who asked me to be kind to her? And now you're upset because I stayed to make a wish with her?"

I was exasperated. "How incredibly noble of you, Felix."

He frowned, about to fire back when his phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen, then looked up.

"I'll be out of town for a few days on business. Take care of yourself while I'm gone."

I gave a vague hum in response, secretly hoping he might just stay away for good.

…

Early the next morning, I slipped into an elegant gown and got ready to head to Valentino Estate to say my goodbyes.

In the grand hall, the family elders were gathered around the long table, engrossed in discussion about recent family affairs.

Don Valentino sat at the head of the table.

I gave a slight nod. "Don Valentino, thank you for your generosity over the years. I've come today to say my goodbyes."

The murmur of conversation stuttered to a halt. The grand banquet hall went still.

Madre Isabella's face tightened with concern. "What's going on, Sylvie? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?"

Don Valentino slammed his hand against the table. "Where's Felix? Why isn't he here with you? Did he do something to you?"

Before I could respond, slow, deliberate footsteps echoed from the hallway. Felix walked in, Lilian by his side.

"Sylvie? What are you doing here?" Lilian's voice carried the confidence of someone who saw herself as the Valentino family's future daughter-in-law.

A faint smile crossed my lips as I replied coolly, "Where I decide to be is no business of yours."

I turned and headed to the door.

Snapping out of his daze, Felix rushed after me. "Don't get the wrong idea, Sylvie. I only brought Lilian here so my parents could help her find a good doctor. You're not mad, are you?

"Haven't you always wanted the best for Lilian? She's ill. Doesn't it make sense to let her stay here so we can look after her?"

For some reason, a memory flashed through my mind. It was from when Felix was 16, back when we'd taken that trip to Mount Frostara in Javellis. Standing at the snow-covered peak, he'd made me a promise.

He said that marrying me was the one thing he wanted more than anything else and that I'd someday become the lady of the Valentino family. But now, he'd brought Lilian into his family all while feeding me some lie about a business trip.

I let out a bitter laugh, the absurdity of it all hitting me.

When I didn't respond, he added, "Sylvie, you're not bothered by something this insignificant, are you?"

I kept my eyes on him, struck by how pitiful and ridiculous he'd become.

Felix pulled me into an embrace and kissed my forehead. "Just go home. I'll see you later."

The moment he walked away, I wiped my forehead clean. He made me sick to my stomach.

On Valentine's Day, Felix had brushed me off with the same old excuse about "family obligations", making sure no one let the truth slip.

But that evening, an anonymous message popped up on my screen.

"Live stream link—Felix Valentino and Lilian Fenati's Wedding."

I clicked it. The screen lit up to reveal a grand, solemn ceremony, filled with mafia dons from Solara. My blood turned to ice.

Three months earlier, Lilian had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She'd made her announcement at a family gathering.

"I want to marry the person I love most before I go."

Back then, I hadn't noticed anything unusual between them. I'd even teased her at the gathering, "So, who's this 'person you love most'?"

She'd given me a sly smile and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

It wasn't until later that I realized she meant Felix. I'd never forget that Valentine's Day, how I cried until I passed out, while he stood on that private island named after Lilian, making his vows to her.

But now, at least, it was almost over.

The moment I got home, Lilian called.

"I'm really sorry, Sylvie. I didn't expect to run into you today."

I let out a bitter laugh and stayed silent.

"The Valentinos put relationships above all else. Don Valentino personally met me and assured that they'd go to great lengths to find the top doctors in the world for my treatment."

After a pause, she added, her voice tinged with significance, "Sylvie, don't you think it would've been great if I were the one marrying into the Valentino family?"

"If you can make it happen, go for it. You've got my blessing," I replied.

As soon as I hung up, I was about to block Lilian, but my finger slipped, and I accidentally opened her social media feed. There it was, my RV staring right back at me, labeled as a surprise gift from Felix.

I'd built that RV from scratch. For an entire year, I'd thrown myself into the designs, sourced every part, assembled it piece by piece, and perfected every detail.

I'd imagined traveling the world with Felix in it once things calmed down. But now, it was sitting in Lilian's front yard.

She stood in front of the vehicle, glowing with excitement.

Her caption read, "Thanks for the amazing surprise, Felix! Let's hit the road together once I'm back on my feet!"

My fingers trembled slightly as they hovered over the phone screen. It had never crossed my mind that Felix would hand over even my cherished RV to her.

Right then, my underboss, Nora Cappello, called.

She snapped over the phone, "What is this, Sylvie? Why does Lilian have your RV? She doesn't deserve it! You put in sleepless nights for that thing, and now she just gets to take it like it's hers?"

I took a deep breath, steadying my voice. "It doesn't matter to me anymore."

"Doesn't matter?" Nora slapped her hand against the table. "Sylvie, if you really didn't care, you'd have blown up that RV by now! How can Lilian use her illness as a free pass to take Felix and your RV?

"For all we know, she could be faking the whole thing. That's it. I'm hiring investigators to find out if her so-called terminal illness is even real. And Felix, the shameless man. How much longer does he think he can keep lying to you?"

"Not long. The wedding's coming up soon," I said.

Just then, Felix's voice cut in. "Wedding? What wedding?"

"It's nothing," I said. "Just some gossip I heard. Apparently, a guy went behind his girlfriend's back and secretly married her best friend. My friend said he's completely awful, and his poor girlfriend was totally blindsided."

To my surprise, Felix reacted with unexpected intensity. "Why are you even talking about something so pointless? What if the guy didn't have a choice? What if it was some kind of fake marriage to fulfill a dying person's wish?"

The self-righteous look on his face struck me as absurd. Even after more than a decade together, he remained a complete mystery to me.

Felix started with his usual routine again. Pulling me into a hug, he kissed my forehead.

"What's going on with you lately, Sylvie? You've been so withdrawn. Don't let your imagination mess with what we've built. After all this time, how can you question how much I care about you? Once we figure out Lilian's situation, we'll get married, okay?"

His hand slid under my collar, groping my bust. "Sweetheart, it's been too long since we've been together."

"I'm sorry. I'm not feeling it tonight. I'll sleep alone," I said.

His touch filled me with disgust. I shoved him away and left, closing the door behind me.

…

The sudden blast of a car horn jolted me awake early the next morning.

Sitting in the courtyard was a pink RV I knew all too well, its flawless surface gleaming in the sun like liquid gold. I'd put that RV together with my own hands, but it belonged to someone else now.

Lilian was behind the wheel, sunglasses on, a smirk across her face as she dangled the keys.

She called out in an overly dramatic voice, "What do you think, Sylvie? Felix gave it to me."

I stared at her, the person who used to be my best friend. I couldn't quite figure out how she'd turned into someone so cruel.

Her stilettos clicked sharply against the pavement as she stepped out and walked toward me, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

"You know what Felix said? He thinks it suits me better." Her fingers glided over the RV's surface as if caressing some priceless treasure.

I stared at the RV, my stomach churning with disdain. That RV was my design, my sweat, my dream. It seemed like Lilian was hell-bent on taking everything that mattered to me.

Out of nowhere, she thrust the keys into my hand. Then, with a piercing cry, she collapsed to the ground.

At that exact moment, a voice I knew all too well called out from behind her. "Sylvie! How could you do that to her?"