Diana.
I had known her for almost my entire life. To me, she was the person I shared everything with. We were incredibly close—not just best friends, but practically sisters.
As an only child, I had always felt like I finally had an older sister.
Diana worked at Adrian's company as an accounting staff member. In fact, when she was first hired there, I had joked with her.
“Keep an eye on my fiancé for me, Di. Let me know if he starts acting up.”
I still remembered how Diana had laughed and nodded at the time.
It had never once crossed my mind that one day, she would be the reason our relationship ended.
I was in shock.
Of course, that was the first thing I felt when I saw them being intimate.
Tears began to well in my eyes. The pain and pressure in my chest intensified, as if something were squeezing my heart with all its strength.
But I held it in as best I could.
I didn't want to cry in front of them.
Not yet.
“What is the meaning of this?”
My voice trembled.
I walked toward the two of them.
“So this is what you call being a best friend, Di?” My gaze shifted to Diana. “I trusted you completely. I even considered you my own sister. And this is what you give me in return?”
Diana stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
There wasn't a trace of guilt on her face.
Instead, her gaze was arrogant, as if what I had just seen wasn't something worth making an issue over.
Adrian, on the other hand, looked panicked. He opened his mouth several times, but seemed to have trouble finding the right words to persuade me.
“El...”
Adrian stepped closer.
“I'm sorry. I swear, I didn't mean for this to happen. Let's talk about everything calmly, okay? Remember, we're engaged.”
He reached for my fingers.
But I immediately slapped his hand away.
“Don't touch me.”
I looked at him with an expression I could barely recognize as belonging to the woman who had loved him all this time.
My hand moved to the engagement ring around my ring finger.
The ring that had once made me so happy.
The ring I had believed would mark the beginning of our life together.
Now, it felt like an insult.
I pulled the ring from my finger.
Then, without thinking twice, I hurled it at Diana.
It landed right by her feet.
“There's nothing to talk about.”
My voice was louder than before.
“Thank you so much for opening my eyes. I guess loyalty really is too expensive for cheap people like you.”
I pointed at both of them.
“Don't even try to contact me again. Otherwise, don't blame me when I expose your scandal to your business associates.”
Adrian stared at me, looking even more panicked.
“Elena, wait! This isn't what you think.”
I let out a quiet laugh.
The laugh tasted so bitter, even to me.
“Really?”
I looked at him one last time.
“If this isn't what I think it is, then why did I see the two of you embracing in your office?”
Adrian fell silent.
He had no answer.
And his silence was explanation enough.
I nodded slowly.
“One more thing...”
I looked at Diana.
“Trash belongs with trash. So now, I'm not surprised anymore.”
I turned toward the door.
There was nothing else I wanted to hear.
I didn't need any explanation for their betrayal. No excuse could change what I had seen with my own eyes.
“Elena!”
Adrian's voice called out from behind me.
I kept walking.
For a moment, I hoped he would chase after me.
Maybe grab my hand.
Maybe beg me not to leave.
Maybe tell me that this was all just a misunderstanding.
But I heard no footsteps following me.
I paused in front of the door, but didn't turn around.
That was when I knew.
He had already made his choice.
And that choice wasn't me.
I continued walking out of his office.
Every step felt unbearably heavy, but I forced myself to keep going. I held back my tears as I walked through the office hallway, even when several pairs of eyes began watching me.
I didn't care.
I just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
The moment I got inside my car, I shut the door tightly.
And that was when my defenses finally collapsed.
The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.
One drop.
Then they came faster and faster.
Both my hands gripped the steering wheel as sobs filled the car.
This hurt too much.
It hurt too much to pretend I was okay.
Years of loving someone could apparently end in a single second.
And the most painful part wasn't only that Adrian had betrayed me.
It was that the person who had helped destroy my heart was someone I had always considered my own family.