Chapter 5

It felt like someone had taken a rusty knife and carved a giant hole in my chest.

The cold wind was howling right through me.

I didn't dare look up, terrified he would see the tears in my eyes.

I forced my voice to sound as flat as possible.

"You're overthinking."

"Chloe is my best friend. I'm happy she's pregnant."

"Why would you think I'd hurt her?"

Zach's eyes lingered on me for a moment.

He was probably trying to figure out if I knew he had regained his memory.

After a few seconds, his tense posture relaxed slightly.

"I just mean, since you two are best friends, you should help take care of her more."

I didn't say another word.

A few minutes later, Chloe used the excuse of wanting ice cream to call me out of the kitchen.

She looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes.

I looked back at her, completely calm. "When did it start?"

Her face was a mask of guilt, and she began to sob.

"It was that one night... we both got too drunk. I swear I took the Plan B pill the next morning!"

"Maybe it was expired. I don't know how I still got pregnant."

She hadn't mentioned a single word of this to me when it happened.

And I had been living like a complete fool.

I thought Zach was just a poor, tragic victim of amnesia who got the wrong girl.

I thought Chloe was my loyal best friend who would never betray me.

But now I saw the truth.

I was the only one romanticizing the past.

They had crossed the line long ago, right under my nose.

Suddenly, Chloe dropped to her knees right in front of me. She raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face.

"I'm a terrible person. I betrayed you."

"I lost my mind. I made a mistake."

"Just say the word, Nora. If you want me to, I'll go to the clinic and get an abortion tomorrow!"

"There's no need," I said.

She froze, looking up at me in disbelief.

"No, I'll do it. I'll go right now... wait, what did you say?"

I pulled my skirt out of her tight grip.

"The baby is innocent."

Chloe's eyes widened. "But what about you? What are you going to do, Nora?"

Just then, Zach walked out of the kitchen with a plate of food.

He walked right into the scene of Chloe kneeling at my feet.

Chloe scrambled to her feet instantly, trying to cover.

"Zach! It's not what it looks like!"

"I just slipped and fell, and Nora was about to help me up."

Zach's temper flared instantly.

He grabbed Chloe by the arm, pulling her behind him, and glared at me.

"Did you not hear a single word of what I said in the kitchen?!"

"Chloe was nice enough to let you stay in our home, and this is how you repay her?"

Chloe grabbed his arm, crying hysterically.

"It's not Nora's fault! Don't yell at her!"

Zach tried to control his breathing, his voice dropping to a cold whisper.

"Fine. I won't argue about what just happened."

"But you are moving out of my apartment today."

"Chloe is pregnant. It's not suitable for an outsider to live here anymore."

Chloe's body went rigid.

She turned her head slowly, looking at me to see my reaction.

"Okay," I said.

Without a single second of hesitation, I went into the guest room and started packing my things.

As I dragged my suitcase to the front door, Chloe held onto my hand, whispering, "Don't worry, Nora. I'll convince Zach to let you move back in tonight."

"No need," I said, pulling my hand away.

The moment I stepped out of the apartment building, I dialed my real estate agent.

"I want to sell my condo. Cash buyer preferred. As fast as possible."

Zach had played the amnesia card for so long, he seemed to have forgotten something very important.

This condo was bought in full by my parents as my wedding gift.