The 'dog' I'd been dating for three years told his childhood sweetheart, "If you don't like her, I can break up with her."

I sneered inwardly.

I guess he'd forgotten how he begged me to go out with him back then.

1.

It was Cole Langdon's birthday, so I'd taken the day off and gone to his place to prepare a surprise.

I never expected him to be the one to surprise me first.

Cole was back. I was in the bedroom, and before I could even come out, I heard he'd brought a woman home with him. Her voice was unfamiliar.

From their conversation, I learned the woman's identity.

Cole Langdon's childhood sweetheart, Lianne Sherwood, who had been abroad for four years.

"Cole, now that you have a girlfriend, you won't dote on me anymore, will you?"

"Never, Lianne. Don't worry. No one will ever surpass your place in my heart."

After saying that, my so-called boyfriend didn't forget to add, "If you don't like her, I can break up with her."

"No, Cole, don't break up. It would make me look like the bad guy who tore you apart."

"How could it? If we break up, it would be her own fault. Who told her to get on my Lianne's bad side? My Lianne is the kindest, most wonderful woman in the world. Any woman Lianne doesn't like is a bad person."

'I was speechless.'

"Cole, don't say that. I already know I'm the most important person in your heart."

I suppressed the inferno of rage inside me, calmly pulled open the door, and leaned languidly against the frame, watching the two of them still tangled in a panicked embrace, not having had time to separate.

"Go on. Why'd you stop talking?"

Cole was the first to react. "Willa, what are you doing here?"

Lianne, meanwhile, feigned a wronged and fearful expression as she hid behind Cole.

Cole shielded her with his arm, his face full of wariness toward me.

"I came to celebrate a certain dog's birthday, but the dog gave me a surprise instead. How's that for a plot twist?"

"H-How could you say that about Cole?"

Lianne stood up as if she'd mustered all her courage to defend Cole.

"Was I talking about him? You sure were quick to connect the dots. Or deep down, do you think he's a dog, too?"

Seeing the color drain from Cole's face made me feel a whole lot better.

After all, the one who just implied he was a dog was his favorite little childhood sweetheart.

"N-No, Cole, that's not what I meant."

Lianne shrank back again, putting on a pitiful act like she was the one being bullied.

"It's okay, Lianne. I don't blame you. It's not your fault. I know you were just trying to defend me."

Cole soothed Lianne, his heart aching for her.

Their lovey-dovey act was making me sick to my stomach.

"Alright, enough! I'm still standing right here. Are you two that eager to be known as a pair of cheating dogs?!"

"Sister, you've misunderstood. Between Cole and me..."

"Oh, shut up. That mutt Langdon might love your little act, but I can't stand it."

'So coy and disgusting.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Even the voices of those green tea girls online are easier on the ears than hers.'

Seeing her on the verge of tears, I pressed on. "You'd better wipe that 'I'm-about-to-cry-because-I've-been-so-wronged' look off your face. Otherwise, I'm afraid my hand might just slip and connect with that three-foot-thick face of yours."

I made a show of waving my hand, which sent her scrambling behind Cole.

"Willa Valerius! Lianne is still young! Why are you trying to scare her?"

Cole's gaze was filled with reproach.

'Young?'

I laughed. "How young is she, exactly? If I recall, she's only one month younger than me, isn't she?"

"You! Lianne is gentle, kind, and timid! Nothing like you, who acts like a tomboy all day!"

"Cole Langdon, that's not what you used to say when you were pursuing me. You said you liked that I was brave and straightforward, that it made you feel safe."

"Heh. I guess you've forgotten the time I hauled you upstairs like a piece of luggage, haven't you?"

I stretched my wrists and gave him a defiant look.

: Return Gift

2.

I broke up with Cole Langdon.

Honestly, the moment I left his house, I felt as disgusted as if I'd just crawled out of a cesspit.

I must have done something terrible in a past life to deserve meeting someone like Cole Langdon in this one.

Thankfully, I stood my ground and never slept with him. Otherwise, I would have been so disgusted with myself I could have died.

After leaving Cole's house, I called up my bestie for a spa treatment to wash away all the bad juju.

When I got home that afternoon, I saw a ton of messages in the group chat tagging me.

It was Cole's group chat with his friends, which I'd forgotten to leave after we broke up.

"@Willa, Lianne told us everything. You misunderstood her and Cole. She feels so guilty she's been crying all afternoon."

"@Willa, how could you just break up with Cole like that? He loves you so much."

"@Willa, you're not usually this petty. Why would you break up over such a small thing? This isn't like you."

"@Willa, Lianne's just a girl. Don't be so hard on her. If there was really something going on between her and Cole, you would've been out of the picture ages ago."

"@Willa…"

The anger I'd managed to suppress that afternoon came flaring right back up.

Drew: "Cole and Lianne did something that would cause a misunderstanding, so instead of telling them to act right, you're all piling on the victim?"

'Drew Orion, one of Cole Langdon's friends, was a completely different breed from the rest of his pack of scoundrels.'

'He commanded more respect in their circle of friends than Cole ever did.'

"Drew, we're not trying to give her a hard time. We just think she should give Cole and Lianne a chance to explain."

Drew: "Willa isn't an unreasonable person. Cole has done tons of stupid shit, and which time did Willa not forgive him? For things to get to the point of a breakup, you should be asking Cole and Lianne what unforgivable thing they actually did."

Lianne: "Drew, Cole and I really didn't do anything. Sister misunderstood. I'm so sorry that something happened to make Sister misunderstand like this. I tried to apologize to her, but she ignored me."

Drew: "Don't just throw around 'brother' and 'sister.' I don't have a little sister, and as I recall, Willa doesn't either."

'Seeing Lianne pop up like that suddenly reminded me of something.'

'Drew Orion was the man Lianne Sherwood had a huge crush on!'

'Everyone in the group chat knew Lianne liked Drew. Cole had even tried to help her pursue him, but she had never been successful.'

'Just for that—the way Drew shut Lianne down—I decided he was my new best bro for life!'

Me: "I know that as an outsider, I'm naturally the one to be doubted. I didn't misunderstand a thing. It's simply that things weren't meant to be between Cole and me. I wish the two of them all the happiness they so uniquely deserve."

After I said my piece, I sent the video I'd secretly recorded at Cole's house to the group chat.

"Thanks for all the concern. Here's a little video; consider it a return gift. Hope everyone enjoys it."

'In the video, Cole and Lianne were far more than just friends. They were all over each other, hugging and cuddling intimately.'

'If anyone still tried to claim they were 'just friends' after seeing this, I was going to personally scoop their brains out!'

"Willa, now you're in the wrong. How could you secretly film them like that?"

: 3

3.

Me: ??????

"Yeah, Willa, you're being so immoral."

"I don't think anything's going on between Cole and Lianne. They've been close since they were kids, so even a hug is no big deal. Women should be more magnanimous."

...

'I was wrong. I'd underestimated the human standard for moral baselines.'

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

And I have Lianne Sherwood to thank for showing up early and letting me see these people for who they really are before Cole Langdon and I got married.

I noticed someone was missing from the group chat. A quick scan of the member list confirmed it: Drew Orion had left.

'Leaving without cursing them out was probably the last shred of dignity Drew Orion was willing to afford them.'

Me: "Alright, thank you all for the lesson. In closing, I wish everyone here this: May your skies be ever-green, your path be ever-green, and your lives be ever-green! We'll never meet again!"

I didn't argue any further. I just left the group.

There's another saying: never argue with an idiot.

Cole Langdon and I met during my freshman year.

He was an upperclassman helping the new students with their luggage.

I hadn't wanted him to help me at first. He was tall and skinny, and kind of handsome. It wouldn't be good if he hurt himself.

But he insisted on helping. In the end, not only did he fail to lift the suitcase, he even threw out his back.

In the end, I was the one who carried the luggage in one hand and practically carried him in the other, all the way back to his dorm.

Back then, even though he wasn't very bright and was physically weak, he at least had a warm heart and was eager to help.

A far cry from now, when all that's left is disgust.

I opened my ChatLink with Drew Orion and sent him a thank you message.

Drew Orion: "No need to thank me. I think any normal person would have done the same."

Me: "I think you're right!"

I was a little curious. "How did you end up being friends with them in the first place? You don't seem like you're from the same world at all."

Drew Orion didn't answer me. Instead, he asked, "Why did you agree to date him in the first place?"

I thought about it. "Probably because his impression of a dog barking was really good."

Drew Orion: "..."

Cole Langdon chased me for a whole year. It was getting a little annoying, so I told him I like 'puppy boyfriends,' not 'old dogs.'

He tugged on my clothes, went WOOF WOOF a few times, and this man, two years older than me, whined and called me 'Sister.'

Honestly, I couldn't quite describe the feeling at that moment. My heart fluttered a bit.

Yeah, that's probably what it was.

My family is full of roughnecks, every one of them a male chauvinist, so I've always preferred obedient, well-behaved 'little brothers.'

Even though Cole Langdon wasn't younger than me, he had the advantage of being good-looking and obedient.

Looking back now, there really is a huge difference between a 'puppy boyfriend' and an 'old dog.'

Drew Orion: "You like puppies?"

Before I could reply, Drew Orion sent a photo.

It was a small, adorable Yorkshire Terrier.

"So cute! Is that your dog?"

'I would've thought that if Drew Orion had a pet, it would be a cat. And if he had a dog, it would be a big, steady breed like an Alaskan Malamute or a Golden Retriever.'

'I never expected him to have such a cute little dog.'

Drew Orion: "Yeah. She's three years old, her name is Tangerine, and she's a girl."

"Can I hold her?" 'She was so small and delicate, I was completely smitten.'

Drew Orion: "You can, but she's shy around strangers and gets scared in new environments. You could come to my place to hold her."

"Send me the address."

Drew Orion quickly sent a location pin and a detailed address.

Without a second thought, I drove to the store and bought some little toys and snacks for Little Tangerine.

Thank goodness the pet store closed late, or I would've had to show up empty-handed to meet the adorable Little Tangerine.

Drew Orion was clearly surprised when he opened the door and saw me standing outside.

He probably didn't expect me to be so quick to act, showing up right after I said I would.

"Is all this for Tangerine?"

He took the two large bags from my hands and carried them inside.

"Mhm, it's all for Little Tangerine."

I felt a little sad watching Little Tangerine bark at me, too scared to come any closer.

"Then what about me?" Drew Orion asked.