Chapter 1

1: 1

While I was waiting for someone by the road, a post came up on my feed.

【Told my best friend I'd hang out with her for our anniversary. What I actually booked was her boyfriend. Right now the two of us are in a hotel losing ourselves in it while she stands there like an idiot down in the lobby. So thrilling.】

A chill ran down my back.

The one who'd asked me out today was also my best friend.

She'd whined at me not to ditch a friend for a guy, said I absolutely had to keep her, the single one, company.

I showed up right on time, and she kept saying she had things to do, telling me to wait a little longer.

And the place where she'd told me to wait was outside a hotel.

……

I stared at Dora Dickerson's last reply on my phone:

【I really am just around the corner this time, hang on for me a bit longer, okay? Traffic's bad.】

I pulled up the map.

The stretch of green on it seemed to be laughing at me.

I'd trusted her so completely that when she said traffic, I stood there like a fool for two hours and never even checked.

I screenshotted it and sent it to her.

【This is your idea of bad traffic?】

Dora sent back a voice message.

"I'm sorry, okay, the truth is I'm out of town. I lied because I was scared you wouldn't wait for me."

"This one's on me, just go home first."

Her voice carried a little panic, with a faint breathlessness under it.

A moment later, that account posted again.

【My best friend, the dumb dog, actually figured out I lied to her. Shame we're already done, so we don't need her standing down in the lobby as part of our play anymore.】

【I even leaned by the window and watched her the whole time…… can you guys imagine how thrilling that is?】

【Now we're off to eat. That restaurant she's always wanted to try, her boyfriend told her he couldn't get a reservation. Really he was saving it to go with me~】

The hand holding my phone wouldn't stop shaking.

I forced my feet to move and ducked behind the wall at the side of the hotel.

Ten minutes later, sure enough, I saw Dora come out arm in arm with Max Gilbert.

She pointed smugly at the spot where I'd been standing, and she and Max both burst out laughing.

I fought down the trembling as hard as I could, cleared my throat, and called Max.

"Babe, Dora's got something come up and can't hang out with me anymore. Let's go get dinner together, yeah?"

Max's voice came back impatient. "I'm working late. I don't have time!"

"What's the big deal about some stupid anniversary, it's just a capitalist trap. Rosalie Fox, you're not turning into one of those gold-digger types, inventing an excuse to shake me down for a gift, are you?"

Before I could get a word out, he hung up.

A wave of dizziness hit me. I dragged my leaden feet back home, splashed water on my face, and little by little my head cleared.

I opened the account that had posted all of it.

Starting a year ago, the account had been posting steadily, keeping a record.

【A day in the life with my best friend's boyfriend.】

【Seducing your best friend's boyfriend is so much fun.】

【What it feels like to be your best friend's boyfriend's favorite.】

……

Max and I had only been together a little over a year.

I opened the comments. On the earliest posts, some people had still called her a homewrecker.

She just fired back: 【I never made them break up, so how does that make me a homewrecker?】

【Her own fault for having no appeal, for not being able to hold on to a man.】

【I'm basically doing her a favor. Otherwise some other woman would've stolen her boyfriend ages ago.】

Someone mocked her, said she thought too highly of herself, that the guy just treated her as a free ride, and that if he really loved her he'd have made it official long ago.

Dora snapped right back.

【You don't know shit. Her boyfriend keeps begging me to make it official, and I flat-out refuse. Stolen tastes sweeter, you get it?】

After that, the doubting voices in the posts vanished.

The comments turned into nothing but brainless cheering.

【Just hearing it is a thrill, now I want to try seducing my best friend's boyfriend too!】

【I get it! My best friend flaunted her relationship in my face every single day, so I slept with her boyfriend later and watched the clown from the sidelines.】

【Wow, you girls really know how to play, I'm going to learn from you all!】