Chapter 1

The lights flared back on as the graduation gala came to an end.

Suddenly, the spotlight swerved across the room and locked onto a couple in the back row. They were kissing like the world was ending.

The guy raised a bouquet of red roses, shouting to the entire auditorium, "Yasmine, will you be my girlfriend?"

When she nodded and hid her face in her hands, the cheers almost blew the roof off the building.

Amidst the deafening applause, my hand trembled as I gripped my phone.

The screen was still open to a message he had sent me thirty minutes ago: "Wait for me. I'm coming to find you right now."

After the crowd dispersed, I ripped the matching promise cord from my wrist.

I threw it, along with four years of my life, straight into the gutter.

1.

"If we tell Leila the proposal was just a bet among friends, do you think she'll believe it? She's always been so sensitive. She'll definitely start another fight with you."

Yasmine's sweet voice was thick with fake concern.

"Xander, did I cause trouble for you again? I'm so stupid..."

I was leaning against a large oak tree outside the hall when I heard her voice. I looked up and saw Xander stroking her long, soft hair with a look of pure adoration.

"You're not stupid. Don't worry, I'll handle her," he whispered.

My hand shook slightly. A bit of cigarette ash fell onto my skin, burning me. The pain made my eyes sting instantly.

I let out a soft, bitter laugh and crushed the cigarette under my shoe. As they walked closer, I stepped out from the shadows.

They both froze.

Xander's hand was still gripped tightly in Yasmine's. When he noticed my eyes on them, Yasmine quickly pulled her hand away and tucked it behind her back.

But the diamond-encrusted bracelet on her wrist still managed to catch the light and pierce my heart.

"Leila, it's been a while. Xander actually bought this bracelet for you. I was just helping him try it on. Please don't misunderstand."

She hurriedly unclasped it and held it out to me.

Her eyes were welling up with tears as if I were the one bullying her.

Xander's brow furrowed instantly as he stepped in front of her, shielding her from me.

"I asked Yasmine to test it out. Leila, can you stop being so unreasonable for once?"

"Thanks," I said, looking directly at Yasmine.

I snatched the bracelet from her hand and snapped it onto my own wrist. I held it up for Xander to see.

"Does it look good?"

The words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.

He stared at me for a long time before giving a cold, indifferent shrug. "Fine."

I looked down at the bracelet. It was a size too big for me. A sarcastic smile played on my lips.

Finally, the sound of Yasmine's sobbing broke the silence.

"I knew Leila would mind me being here. I'll leave right now."

She turned and ran away, crying. Xander shot me a freezing look before chasing after her.

"It's too late for you to be out alone. I'm driving you home!"

He practically forced her into the passenger seat of his car.

When he saw me standing there like a statue, he barked, "Are you getting in or do I need to send you an invitation?"

I swallowed my pride and climbed into the back.

The entire ride was filled with their laughter and chatter from the front.

The chemistry between them was so thick that even I, the actual girlfriend, had to admit they looked perfect together.

Watching Xander's gentle expression, I realized he only looked human when he was around her.

Yasmine tried to say goodbye to me when we arrived at her place, but Xander pushed her toward her apartment building.

"It's late. Go inside and get some sleep."

He acted like he was protecting her from a monster.

Yasmine gave a sweet reply and disappeared inside.

He waited until the lights turned on in her eighth-floor apartment. Only then did he light a cigarette and get back into the car.

"Sit in the front."

He caught my eye in the rearview mirror.

I didn't answer. I just stared back at him.

Eventually, his patience snapped. He frowned and started the engine.

"Fine, stay back there."

I finally spoke up.

"Xander, don't you have anything to explain to me?"

He slammed on the brakes and whipped around to face me.

"Leila, I've been putting up with your attitude all night! You've had a long face since the moment you saw Yasmine. What the hell do you want? If you have a problem, say it all at once and stop dragging this out!"

The moment Yasmine was gone, his coldness returned.

I had endured this suffocating feeling for four years, but it still broke my heart.

I laughed at myself and asked calmly, "Xander, I'm just curious. What kind of bet requires you to propose to Yasmine at our graduation ceremony?"

"And this bracelet that's clearly too big for me... who was it really for?"

"We were supposed to leave for our trip tonight. If you couldn't make it, why didn't you tell me? Why did you lie and say you were out drinking with the guys?"

The air in the car felt thin.

Xander rolled down the window in frustration and lit another cigarette.

"The bet was something the guys came up with before Yasmine left to study abroad. We've been best friends since we were kids. I couldn't let her lose face in front of everyone."

"The bracelet is a style you like. I promised to replace your cord with diamonds. Yasmine just thought it was pretty and wanted to borrow it. That's all."

"She hasn't missed a single graduation ceremony with us since high school. She came back early just to be here for our big moment. I wasn't going to ruin that for her."

"So it's my fault? Xander, if you love her this much, you should have kept her by your side. Why did you ever come after me?"

Hearing him defend her over and over made me snap.

Xander's face darkened instantly.

"Leila, you're acting like a total psycho!"

He threw the door open and got out, leaning against the window to look at me.

"Do you think you're the victim here? Do you think I've wronged you that badly? If you really can't get over it, then fine. Let's just cancel the engagement!"

His anger actually helped me calm down.

It was always like this. Whenever it involved his precious childhood friend, he became her knight in shining armor.

He treated me like I was some villain trying to stain her reputation.

Then, he would use the things I cared about to stab me in the heart.

My chest ached, but I wasn't going to back down this time. I looked him in the eye.

"Fine. Let's cancel it. Xander, we're done. Let's break up."