Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I sighed and laid everything out on the table for him.

After all, he was the consultant I would be working with for the next year.

Miles clenched his fist in anger. "Parker Cole! How dare he treat you like dirt!"

"He knows better than anyone that your mother took her own life because of Josie's mother!"

The most ridiculous excuse Parker ever made was:

"I know you hate her mother, but Josie is innocent."

Yet, I never once believed she was innocent.

Back when my mother had just given birth to me, before she had even finished recovering from labor, Josie and her mother showed up at our doorstep.

My father fell to his knees in tears, claiming it had been a drunken mistake.

He begged my mother to accept the child, insisting the baby was innocent.

How was that fair to my mother, having to raise a child from an affair who was the same age as her own daughter?

And how was that fair to me, having to grow up in a broken, toxic household from the day I was born?

In the end, my kind-hearted mother swallowed her tears and accepted the child for my sake.

And what came of it?

Not long after, my mother suffered from severe depression and ended her own life.

Josie moved into my home with her head held high.

She didn't just steal my home, my father, and my bedroom―she even stole my childhood sweetheart.

She always played the innocent victim, wanting the entire world to pamper and protect her.

I always knew the truth.

Josie was never innocent; her very existence was a crime against my family.

On Valentine's Day, with just a single text saying she was going to hurt herself, Parker sprinted to her side without looking back.

I sat alone in the restaurant until closing time, waiting for a man who never showed up.

It wasn't until the next morning that he came back, holding a half-melted cake to appease me.

"I was just terrified she'd actually do something crazy. Josie had no choice in being born out of wedlock, so please stop holding grudges against her."

He stood before me with a serious expression, raising his hand in an oath.

"I swear, Elena Hall is the most important person in Parker Cole's life. If I'm lying, may I lose my true love forever!"

His eyes looked so sincere, his smile so gentle, that my heart softened and I chose to believe him.

Later on, however, I spotted the scarf I had hand-knitted for him wrapped around Josie's neck.

I remember how knitting scarves for boyfriends had become a trend on campus back then.

Parker had clung to my arm, begging like a puppy for me to make one for him.

I asked around for knitting tips and spent three whole months finishing it.

When he received it, he was overjoyed, claiming it was too precious to wear and that he would keep it safely locked in his closet.

And yet, I saw that very same scarf around Josie's neck.

She wore it proudly to his birthday party.

She even conveniently spilled a glass of punch onto the scarf, giving me a smug, triumphant smirk.

Though the scarf wasn't expensive, it held months of my time and devotion.

I stayed silent for a moment before looking up at her.

"Why do you have that scarf?"

Josie's eyes gleamed with malice, while her face maintained a look of pure innocence.

"Parker gave it to me! I just mentioned how jealous I was that he had such a pretty scarf, and he handed it right over."

"I tried to decline since you knitted it by hand, Elena, but Parker said it was just a cheap piece of fabric and told me to take it."

"What a shame to ruin such a nice scarf, though."

Young and impulsive, I snatched the scarf back and ran out in tears.

I thought Parker would chase after me to apologize.

Instead, he tracked me down to interrogate and scold me.

"Elena, I am so disappointed in you! It's just a damn scarf, why do you have to blow everything out of proportion?"

"Do you have any idea how devastated Josie was? She almost tried to hurt herself again because of you!"

"Can you stop targeting Josie? Stop hurting her!"

I stood there, stunned by his harsh words, before firing back in fury.

"Parker, are you blind? She was the one targeting me!"

Parker scoffed in anger. "She targeted you?"

I nodded, ready to explain further, but he cut me off.

"Enough, Elena! Stop acting! You were the one who snatched the scarf away from her!"

I defended myself desperately. "She poured a drink on it on purpose! That's why I took it back!"

Parker sneered coldly. "Josie loved that scarf so much, why would she ever do that?"

"You were just furious that I gave it to her, so you made up a lie to smear her!"

"Let me tell you something, Elena: I gave her that scarf willingly. If you're angry, take it out on me, not on her!"

Parker and I had an explosive fight that day, followed by weeks of freezing silence.