In order to give my boyfriend, Alaric Lovell, a surprise on our anniversary, I manage to finish my work in three days on my business trip that's originally set to be five days.

But as soon as I reach the front door after a whole night's travel, I hear laughter coming from within.

Just one minute ago, Alaric has texted me, saying that he misses me greatly because he's home alone.

The next thing I know, the sounds of people egging on someone grow even louder.

"It's your turn now, Alaric. Truth or dare? Remember, we want the juiciest details!"

"Damn, you guys really are nosy, huh? Fine, I'll spill the tea. Not a single word to Elena, alright?"

"Just spill already! Don't you trust us with your secrets?"

"I've given my virginity to Tracy," Alaric reveals.

Everyone starts going "ooh" knowingly. Meanwhile, the revelation has me stunned.

Tracy? As in Tracy Sanderson, Alaric's female friend who acts like a guy around him?

Before I can register what's going on, Tracy adds smilingly, "Oh, he did more than give me his virginity. He's even impregnated me in the past."

That's when I fling the door open and step into the house. As I stare at the shameless couple, I smile at them.

"Is that so? Where's your baby, then?"

The laughter and amorous tension in the house suddenly ground to a halt, replaced by a deathly silence.

Tracy Sanderson was clinging to Alaric Lovell's arm, their proximity too intimate for comfort.

"You're back sooner than I expected." Looking guilty, Alaric stood up, only to blame me. "You could've called and said you were on your way home! You owe that much to your boyfriend, at least."

Ah, so he was aware that he was my boyfriend, not that it stopped him from flirting with Tracy.

I snorted. "So, the fact that you have a girlfriend hasn't eluded you, huh? I thought you were having too much fun to remember."

Alaric scowled. "What the hell does that mean, Elena? No need to get all sarcastic. Are you seriously throwing a fit when you just got home?"

A sense of weariness washed over me. I paid him no mind, scanning the matching cartoon slippers on his and Tracy's feet. Gone were the indoor slippers that had been mine.

Oh, Elena, this was such a farce.

I set my suitcase down and turned to look at Tracy. "I haven't heard the answer yet. What's the deal with that kid you mentioned?"

Tracy's smile hardened. She instinctively let go of Alaric's arm, but he pulled her back and flapped his hand at me dismissively. "It was just a joke, Elena! Don't take it seriously. It was only a game of truth or dare."

The blue-haired man beside him immediately chimed in agreement, his performance over-the-top, "Yeah, that's it! Don't get the wrong idea, Elena! We're used to joking around like that during games, just for the vibes, you know?"

Everyone else seemed to snap to their senses and hurried to keep the peace. "Oh, yes, that's right. You know how Tracy is; her brain can never keep up with her mouth!"

"If Alaric's first time was with her, we would've heard about it! We'd have made a running joke out of it, too!"

"Don't take it personally, Elena. It's all a bit of harmless fun. No point getting grouchy over it."

I watched as they pretended to be peacemakers when, in truth, they were implying that I'd overreacted.

My heart tightened. I was beyond annoyed and frustrated.

This wasn't the first time I'd encountered something like this.

If I ever had a problem with Tracy, Alaric and his group of friends would placate me with words like "You're just too sensitive" or "It's just a joke".

I didn't bother wasting my breath on them, staring at Alaric instead as I asked, "The DM a minute ago—was that a joke, too?"

Alaric's gaze turned evasive as he faltered, "I… I was just trying to surprise you, so I invited them over to brainstorm…"

Before he finished speaking, Tracy scoffed. "Your girlfriend needs a better sense of humor, Alaric. You wanted to give her a surprise, but here she is, giving you a tantrum!"

I slowly stood up and turned to look at her. "Is that so? In that case, I brought a surprise, too."

I surveyed the room quietly, my gaze finally landing on Alaric's favorite crystal ornament on the coffee table. The next second, I raised it high in the air, then threw it on the ground like I was hitting a touchdown.

The ornament shattered into pieces at my feet, the sound breaking the false peace in the room.

Everyone fell into a stunned silence at my sudden behavior.

I met Alaric's furious gaze, then mirrored his and his friends' demeanor earlier as I sneered, "How's that for a surprise? Why the shocked faces, people? I'm trying to turn up the vibes!"

Alaric was shaking with rage. "Have you lost your damn mind, Elena?"

This whole thing felt like a ridiculously bad pantomime as I stared at the scowl that twisted Alaric's face.

"I'm tired."

Having said this, I turned to grab the suitcase I'd set down not long ago, then headed for the door without so much as a backward glance.

I felt a rough tug on my wrist just as Alaric demanded in a raised, impatient voice, "What's with the tantrum? You've been in a foul mood since you got back and have been lashing out at us for no apparent reason.

"When have you become so unreasonable, Elena?"

I pulled my hand back roughly, the rage I'd been actively suppressing earlier cresting tempestuously in my chest.

"You're the one being unreasonable, Alaric! You texted me and told me you missed me, so I put in overtime to shorten my five-day work trip to three days. I hauled ass back here overnight just to see you, but what have you done?

"Have you asked how I was doing since I opened the door? Do you even remember today is our fifth anniversary?"

The accusations tumbled out in a roar, and my eyes turned dry and prickly.

Alaric had a blank, baffled expression. It was clear he didn't remember our anniversary today.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped me. "If you don't remember our anniversary, what was the surprise you prepared for me earlier?"

He faltered, but couldn't find an answer.

I turned my gaze away from him and spun on my heels to leave. Why should I pester him for an explanation when I already knew the answer to my question?

The door fell shut with a heavy thud behind me, cutting me off from all the noise outside. A deafening silence replaced the cacophony just as my heart slowly sank.

Alaric didn't bother coming after me, either.

I stood on the cold staircase landing, a bone-deep chill seeping through my skin and into the air around me.

…

I stayed up like a statue in the hotel room all night. It wasn't until the first light broke that I realized I'd dug my nails into my palms so hard, I'd left deep, bloody crescents in my flesh.

Grabbing my phone, I scrolled through my conversation with Alaric.

Three years ago, I'd taken out all my savings and scraped together enough money to sponsor his studies and living expenses in an art college in Franston.

He'd clung to me and cried his eyes out. "We'll get married as soon as I return from Franston, Elena! I'm not marrying anyone else but you in this lifetime!"

I'd believed him.

I worked three jobs a day so he wouldn't have to worry about money during his time abroad. I took on one project after another, stretching myself so thin that I ended up in the hospital for stomach bleeding.

When I called him, he'd simply told me he was down with a cold.

He sounded as if he was in a rush on the other line, and I thought I heard Tracy's voice in the background as she whined, "Come on, Alaric! The movie's about to start!"

Alaric had hung up after that and promised to call me later that night.

I waited the entire night, my phone screen lighting up and dimming. I never got his call.

And yet, I saw his picture with Tracy on social media. They were tucked close underneath the Effelle Tower, grinning into the camera. Her caption had been: "The best friends are the ones who explore the world with you."

As it turned out, Tracy had gone to Franston, too. Alaric never told me that.

I comforted myself. I shouldn't be so petty and selfish. After all, Alaric and Tracy had grown up together. They were like brother and sister.

But now, I replayed the details I'd intentionally overlooked in my head.

Alaric and I had set up a design studio after his return from Franston. I'd procured our biggest client and a huge project that could help our studio shoot to fame.

On the night we celebrated our studio's success, I'd had too much to drink. I wanted Alaric to pick me up, but my countless phone calls went unanswered. In the end, it was my co-worker who'd dropped me off at home.

The next day, Alaric explained with red-rimmed eyes that a break-up had left Tracy devastated. She'd drunk herself stupid at a bar, and he'd stayed with her the entire night.

"I'm all she's got, Elena. I can't just abandon her."

I felt sorry for Alaric and forgave him. But I'd forgotten to ask why he had to stay with her for an entire night just because she'd broken up, and why his phone had been switched off.

I closed my eyes, feeling them swell with a prickly, sore sensation.

A moment later, I slowly opened my eyes and made a call. "Hey, Leslie. I need a favor."

Leslie Thompson was my roommate back in college and now worked as a private investigator.

"I need you to look into a person named Tracy Sanderson. I also want records of her and Alaric's activities in Franston three years ago.

"The more detailed the records, the better, especially… medical records in local hospitals in Franston. I'd like to know if Tracy had an abortion."

When I hung up, I looked out the window at the blazing sun, my heart as cold as ice.

I'd given Alaric countless chances.

It was only fair that we settled the scores between us if whatever was happening between him and Tracy was real.

My phone vibrated with a message from Alaric. I clicked on it to find a series of voice notes. I tapped on each one, only to hear his breaking voice playing through the phone.

"Where are you, Elena? I'm worried sick about you."

"I was wrong for treating you the way I did last night, but that was my favorite ornament. How could you have smashed it on a whim?"

"Whatever we said last night was all part of the game. Why won't you believe me? That joke shouldn't even leave a mark on our years-long relationship!"

It was hilarious how he thought my lack of trust in him was the problem and not his relationship with Tracy.

I replied expressionlessly, "Do you honestly not know what's wrong between us, Alaric? Stop playing dumb. You suck at pretending."

No sooner had I sent the message than Alaric called me. "Come on, Elena, don't say that. I'm truly sorry."

He sounded like he was on the verge of tears, the plea in his voice amplified by a sense of urgency. "Stop being angry, okay?"

Just then, I heard very soft panting coming from the other line. My fingers stiffened around my phone as I demanded instinctively, "What's happening on your end?"

"N-Nothing." His voice wavered. Before he could finish speaking, a whimper that couldn't be repressed came through.

An intense roaring filled my head.

I could practically imagine the scene: he was apologizing to me while tussling with another woman.

My fingertips turned white from clutching my phone too hard. The scene in my head made me want to retch.

I asked calmly, "Is Tracy there with you?"

I could sense Alaric's panic through the phone. Tracy's singsong voice rang out the next second.

"Hey, Elena, don't get the wrong idea. I'm just working out with Alaric, that's all." She continued shamelessly, "I mean, you're always so busy with work, you hardly spend time with him. As his pal, it's kind of my job to blow off steam with him, you know?"

There was a crisp shattering, like the sound of a glass breaking as it hit the floor. This was followed by Tracy's protesting whine, "Alaric! Take it slow…"

She giggled in satisfaction on the other line.

"Elena, the trainer's here! I… I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye!" Alaric said urgently, then hung up without another word.

I listened to the rhythmic beeping on the phone and felt my heart hollow out for the first time.

I sat dumbly on the bed, my tears falling uncontrollably.

I had no idea how much time had passed before Leslie called and said somberly, "Elena, I have results. You might want to sit down for this."

My heart sank, and I gripped my phone so tightly that my fingers turned white.

Leslie said, "Tracy has, indeed, undergone an abortion at a private hospital in Franston three years ago. The emergency contact listed on her surgery consent form was Alaric Lovell.

"I also found a bank transaction record dated a day before her abortion, when you wired five thousand dollars to Alaric's account for… per the transfer details… 'family emergency.'"

I saw black spots in my vision, and an intense roaring filled my ears.

I remembered now.

Alaric had called me that day, sobbing on the phone as he told me his mother had had a heart attack and needed money for surgery. I'd been so anxious that I borrowed money from whoever I could and transferred it to him at the first instance.

As it turned out, the family emergency in question had been to abort his and Tracy's baby, and I had been the empathetic, generous benefactor for their cause.

Leslie went on, "I also dug up some other stuff. I've compiled them into a folder and emailed you. Elena, are you… okay?"

I took a deep breath, swallowing the bitter, rancid taste in my throat. "I'm fine, Leslie. Thanks."

After hanging up, I clicked on my email inbox with a trembling hand. With every picture I swiped, my heart bled like it'd been drawn and quartered.

I saw shots of Alaric and Tracy kissing with the Taniere Museum behind them, embracing along the Aster, and beaming sweetly in a lavender field in Prowance.

In one of the pictures, Alaric was even hugging Tracy from behind, his hands overlapping hers on her lower stomach. The caption then had been: "In memory of the angel we lost. We'll keep you safe next time."

The picture had been posted three days after her abortion.

I'd been in a social gathering that day, drinking until my stomach bled, all so I could buy Alaric the art materials he'd been talking about.

How pathetic!

Resisting the urge to smash my computer, I compiled and encrypted all the evidence.