Chapter 1

As I swallowed the sleeping pills and waited for the darkness to take over, I scrolled past a trending post on Reddit.

"What is the one thing you are most proud of in your life?"

The top anonymous answer had tens of thousands of upvotes. It read:

"In college, my roommate had a tall, incredibly handsome boyfriend who was head-over-heels in love with her."

"But she was a total prude. She insisted on a strictly platonic relationship and wouldn't even let him touch her."

"During a party, I set him up and got him drunk. The next morning, I cried and told him he had forced himself on me."

"He was consumed by guilt. To take responsibility, he married me."

The comment section was flooded with praise.

Someone asked, "What about your roommate?"

The poster replied casually:

"I spread rumors everywhere that she was frigid and that her boyfriend couldn't stand her anymore, which was why he chose me."

"Her parents thought she was an embarrassment and locked her at home every day."

"I heard she has severe depression now. She probably won't last long before she kills herself."

I stared at the familiar profile picture, my entire body turning ice-cold.

On that fateful day, my roommate had cried and claimed my boyfriend assaulted her while he was drunk.

Everyone pressured me to forgive her, forcing me to believe that my own coldness had pushed my boyfriend into another woman's bed.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the party.

My roommate was smiling as she handed a spiked drink to my boyfriend.

This time, her good days were over.

Chloe held a glass of wine, walking toward us with a sweet smile.

In my past life, it was this exact glass of wine that ruined my life and Ethan's.

My breath hitched.

I instinctively grabbed Ethan's wrist.

"Hazel?"

Ethan looked up, his expression instantly turning concerned.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Chloe's voice came from behind us.

"Are you two still sitting here?"

"Hurry up and get ready. The banquet is about to start."

"It's a group dinner, and everyone is waiting. Don't be late."

As she spoke, she handed the glass in her hand to Ethan.

"Here, Ethan."

Without a second thought, I snatched the glass from her hand.

"He's not feeling well tonight. He can't drink."

I slammed the glass onto the table, stood up, and spoke in a voice so cold it surprised even myself.

"Ethan and I won't be attending the banquet tonight."

The smile on Chloe's face froze.

"What did you say?"

I repeated myself clearly.

"Ethan and I are not going to the banquet tonight."

Ethan looked at me. Though surprised, he immediately backed me up.

"Yeah, we have some other things to take care of tonight, so we'll skip it."

Chloe's expression turned incredibly ugly.

"Hazel, stop being so dramatic, okay?"

"Everything is already booked, and we need to take a group photo."

"If you don't want to go, fine. But why are you dragging Ethan down with you?"

I stared her dead in the eye.

"He's my boyfriend. If I'm not going, he's definitely not going."

Chloe scoffed as if she had heard a joke.

"Ethan is a human being, Hazel, not your personal property."

"Don't you think you control him too much?"

"You don't let him drink when others offer, and you don't let him hang out when people invite him."

"Now you're even making decisions for him for a class dinner?"

Ethan's face darkened.

"Chloe, watch your tone."

Chloe's eyes welled up with tears instantly.

"My tone?"

"I just feel bad for you, Ethan."

"You're such a great guy. Why do you let her boss you around like this?"

People around us were already starting to stare.

But Chloe only got more dramatic.

"Hazel, I'm saying this because I care about you as a friend. Don't be so extreme."

"Relationships can't survive on just 'boundaries' and no physical intimacy."

I smiled coldly.

"Chloe, you seem awfully concerned about my boyfriend. Are you interested in him or something?"

Her face turned pale.

"Don't talk nonsense! I just can't stand how tight a leash you keep on Ethan!"

"Then shut up."

My voice wasn't loud, but it stripped away her victim disguise completely.

Biting her lip, she pulled out her phone and sent a voice note to our graduation Snapchat group.

"Hey guys, I just reminded Hazel not to be late for the banquet tonight, but she suddenly got really mad at me."

"She said she and Ethan aren't coming anymore, so don't wait for them."

"I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe I upset her somehow..."

As soon as the message was sent, the group chat exploded.

"Seriously? She's acting like a diva now? Does she want us to beg her to show up?"

"Right? If she doesn't want to come, whatever, but why is she keeping Ethan hostage?"

"Ethan has zero freedom. Hazel's control issues are insane."

Chloe held her phone screen in front of my face, looking aggrieved yet provocative.

"Hazel, everyone is asking why you're not going. Do you want to explain yourself?"

Looking at the texts, I suddenly realized that running away was useless.

Even if I avoided tonight, she would find another opportunity next time.

I looked at her and smiled slowly.

"No need to explain. We're going."

"Ethan is coming with me."

Chloe was stunned, but she quickly masked it with a smile.

"That's more like it."

Watching her satisfied face, I knew she had a backup plan for tonight.