Chapter 1

I was playing hide-and-seek with my little niece, Julia Hanson. After counting to 20 with my eyes covered, I headed upstairs to look for her and noticed the attic door was padlocked.

I was about to turn around when I heard a faint rustling sound from inside.

I crept closer and pressed my ear to the wooden door.

I opened my mouth, ready to yell, "Found you!" when I heard my best friend, Zoey Peterson, breathing heavily.

"What if someone comes up here?"

My boyfriend, Evan Wheeler, chuckled under his breath.

"Relax. I promised Julia I'd get her that Barbie she's been begging for. She locked the door for us. Nobody's going to find out."

I went completely still, a chill running through me.

That morning, Evan and Zoey told me they were heading out to pick up a surprise for me. Then they drove off together.

My nails dug into my palms.

So this was the surprise they had in mind.

Chapter 1

Just before sunset, Evan Wheeler and Zoey Peterson showed up at the door with matching grins. They exchanged a quick look, then held out a beautifully wrapped gift together.

Inside was a discontinued vinyl record by my favorite pianist, one I had been trying to track down for ages.

Zoey draped an arm around my shoulders.

"See how much I love you? I had someone track this down overseas. You have no idea how hard it was to find."

She glanced at Evan and gave me a playful nudge.

"And Evan paid a ridiculous amount to buy it off a collector. I officially approve of your boyfriend!"

She bumped my shoulder with hers.

Evan smiled at me, clearly expecting me to throw my arms around him like I usually did.

I looked at the two of them, then quietly stepped out from under Zoey's arm.

"I'm pretty tired. I think I want to head home today. Let's pack up and drive back to the city."

Evan and Zoey both went still. They exchanged a confused look, and the mood shifted instantly.

My little niece, Julia Hanson, tugged at the hem of my shirt and looked up at me. "Aunt Kaitlyn, aren't you going to play hide-and-seek with me anymore?"

My eyes fell on the brand-new Barbie in her arms, and a sharp ache cut through my chest. "Be good, Julia. I'll come play with you again next time I'm off."

With that, I turned and went inside to say goodbye to my relatives.

On the drive back, I deliberately climbed into the back seat. As soon as I got in, I leaned back and closed my eyes.

The car was painfully quiet. No one said a word.

About halfway home, Zoey turned around from the passenger seat and asked carefully, "Kaitlyn, what's going on with you today? Are you not feeling well?"

I cracked my eyes open. "I realized a few things today. I'm just tired."

Zoey visibly relaxed. "You scared me. I thought Evan and I had done something to upset you."

I gave her a faint smile, but said nothing. I just looked at her.

Something about my stare seemed to make Zoey uncomfortable. She quickly turned back around.

Then she glanced at Evan. "When we get back, we should still go somewhere and celebrate Kaitlyn's birthday. I mean, the three of us have celebrated together every year for the past six years."

Her words brought back a flood of memories from all those years together, and my eyes began to sting.

Still, when I spoke, my voice was flat. "Don't bother. I just want to go home and sleep."

After all, once today was over, I wouldn't have a boyfriend or a best friend anymore.

Evan was silent the entire drive, but the second I turned down the birthday plans, he pulled over and slammed on the brakes. His voice went cold.

"Kaitlyn, there's only so much of this spoiled-princess attitude I'm willing to put up with. Zoey and I came all the way to your hometown with you for your birthday, and you've been giving us the cold shoulder this entire drive. What exactly did we do to piss you off?"

Watching him act like he was the one being wronged, I rubbed my forehead wearily. "You're right. I'm moody and impossible. Let's just break up."

With that, I opened the door and got out. I pulled my suitcase from the trunk.

Evan threw open his door and came after me.

"Kaitlyn, do you seriously think I can't live without you? You threaten to break up every time something doesn't go your way."

As he spoke, he pulled a small box from his pocket and threw it onto the ground.

A diamond ring tumbled out, catching the last rays of sunlight.

He hissed, "If you walk away today, we're done. For good."

Zoey hurried over and grabbed my hand. "Kaitlyn, don't do something you'll regret. Evan was going to propose to you today!"

Evan's eyes were red as he turned his face away, looking like I was the one who had broken his heart.

My nose burned. I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and looked at the two of them one last time.

For the sake of whatever dignity we had left, I gently pulled my hand free from Zoey's.

Then I bent down, grabbed my suitcase, turned around, and walked away without looking back.

Chapter 2

That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Eventually, I picked up my phone and stumbled across a post on a local forum.

[SOS: I fell for my best friend's boyfriend, and I don't know what to do.]

The profile picture was the cover of a piano album.

My heart lurched. Almost without thinking, I tapped on the post.

[I love my best friend. We grew up taking piano lessons together, and we even promised we'd study abroad someday.

[There was a time when I wanted to quit piano for good, but she stayed by my side every day and kept encouraging me. She's the reason I stuck with it and eventually got into my dream school.

[Then she got a boyfriend. At first, I was jealous because he was taking up the time that used to be mine.]

My phone suddenly buzzed with a message from Evan.

[Come out. I'll celebrate your birthday with you. Just the two of us.]

I locked my screen and was about to keep reading when Evan sent several more messages in a row.

[You spend all day getting upset over nothing. Don't think I can't tell what this is really about.

[You're jealous because Zoey's doing better than you now.

[She blamed herself all night after you left and cried for hours. She's supposed to be your best friend, but somehow I'm the one stuck comforting her.]

A sharp pain cut through my chest, and my vision blurred.

Back then, I graduated at the top of my class from the conservatory and earned the school's only spot in a yearlong training program overseas.

But I couldn't stand the thought of being away from Evan for an entire year, and I couldn't bear the disappointment on Zoey's face.

At the time, I thought I already had everything I wanted. I had the man I loved and my best friend by my side.

So I gave the opportunity to Zoey.

I wiped the corner of my eye, then picked up my phone.

[You're right. You two really are perfect for each other.]

Then I blocked Evan.

Zoey's post continued.

[Last year, my best friend gave up her chance to study abroad so I could go instead. What she never knew was that I envied her even more because she had a boyfriend who absolutely adored her.

[Living alone in another country was harder than I expected. After I came back to our country, a pipe burst in my apartment one night. I didn't know who else to call, so I reached out to her boyfriend for help.

[That night, we crossed a line... And after that, we couldn't seem to stop.]

Near the end of the post, she actually sounded conflicted.

[Her boyfriend was going to propose to her today, but she suddenly got upset and broke up with him.

[Should I take this chance to be with him, or should I try to help them get back together?]

The comments were even better. People were absolutely tearing her apart.

[Your apartment flooded, and your first thought was to call your best friend's boyfriend? Girl, be serious.]

[So she gave up a huge opportunity for you, supported you for years, and you thanked her by sleeping with her boyfriend? That's actually insane.]

[The way you're writing this like it just "happened" is killing me. You knew exactly what you were doing.]

Suddenly, all the little things I noticed before and brushed off started falling into place.

The last time I saw Evan, he was wearing a slate-blue sweater, and Zoey had a headband in almost the exact same color.

I had even joked about it.

"You two match. You almost look like you planned matching outfits."

Neither of them denied it. They just looked at each other and smiled.

Not long ago, Evan gave me a limited-edition keychain.

A few days later, when I went over to Zoey's place, I spotted an entire limited-edition set sitting on her desk.

The memory made my stomach twist. I immediately pulled out my phone and looked it up.

Sure enough, the keychain Evan gave me was just the free gift that came with the full set.

That was when it finally hit me: my boyfriend and my best friend had been sneaking around behind my back for a long time.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, my chest tight. I didn't sleep at all.

As soon as the sun came up, I got out of bed and went through the apartment, gathering everything that reminded me of Evan and Zoey.

I kept at it until sunset. Then I boxed everything up, carried it downstairs, and threw it all in the trash.

I had just breathed a sigh of relief when my phone suddenly buzzed.

One of my classmates had messaged me.

[Kaitlyn, what the hell happened among you three? Evan and Zoey just went official!]

Chapter 3

My hands trembled as I opened Zoey's post.

Evan had his arms around her as they leaned against the art wall on campus, their faces so close that they were almost kissing.

The diamond ring Evan threw on the ground earlier was now sitting on Zoey's ring finger.

Right behind them was a huge poster with my face on it, celebrating me as one of the conservatory's top students.

Her caption read, [After waiting all this time, I finally got the love I deserved.]

Seeing my own face in the background of their relationship announcement made my stomach turn.

I couldn't help myself. I left a comment.

[You two deserve each other. What a joke.]

The replies started coming in almost immediately.

[Wait, what happened?]

[Girl... Did they cheat on you?]

[No way. Weren't you three literally best friends?]

I liked every comment calling them out.

A second later, I accidentally picked up a call from Evan.

His voice was tight with anger.

"Seriously, Kaitlyn? Professors are already messaging Zoey, asking what happened. Did you really have to air all of this out online?"

I could hear Zoey crying in the background before she took the phone.

"Kaitlyn, I'm sorry! I swear we never meant for any of this to happen. When you suddenly stopped talking to us, we freaked out and did something stupid. I'll take the post down right now. Just please tell everyone it was all a misunderstanding."

I let out a bitter laugh.

"Wow, Zoey. So you didn't mean for any of this to happen. You just accidentally slept with my boyfriend. And I guess posing with him in front of my picture to announce your relationship was an accident, too."

The other end of the line went completely silent.

Evan, who was furious just seconds ago, didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he sighed.

"Kaitlyn, since you already know, there's no point pretending anymore. So that's what you've been so upset about this whole time."

He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was almost dismissive.

"What happened between Zoey and me was a mistake. That's all. We both still care about you. If it bothers you that much, we'll end it. I'll explain everything when I get back."

He hung up before I could say another word.

I stood there staring at my phone, too stunned to even process what I had just heard.

Just like that, he brushed off his betrayal as one stupid mistake and made me sound unreasonable for being hurt.

But the Evan I remembered was the 16-year-old boy who once stepped between me and a group of guys in an alley and got stabbed protecting me.

At 18, when college threatened to take us to opposite sides of the country, he gave up his own dream without a second thought and followed me to my city.

How did that passionate, devoted boy become someone so cold and selfish?

I could accept that his feelings changed. I could even accept that he fell for someone else.

What I couldn't accept was how casually he treated cheating, like it was no more serious than grabbing dinner or having a drink.

For the next month, I kept my phone off and stayed home, throwing myself into my thesis.

Then one evening, the doorbell rang.

Evan was standing outside with several bags of groceries, while Zoey lingered behind him with red, swollen eyes.

I started to close the door, but Evan caught it with one hand.

"I'm cooking tonight, Kaitlyn. I'll make some of your favorites. The three of us need to sit down and talk."

I looked at the two of them, a mess of emotions twisting inside me.

I stepped aside and let them in.

Fine.

The three of us had made plenty of good memories in this apartment once. Maybe it was only fitting that this was where everything ended.

Chapter 4

Evan was busy in the kitchen while Zoey and I stood in awkward silence in the living room.

After a moment, she reached for me. "Kaitlyn..."

I pulled my hand away, my face cold.

Her lips tightened, and for a split second, resentment flashed across her face. Then she glanced toward the kitchen and stepped closer.

When she looked back at me, all the hurt and hesitation were gone. Her eyes were full of spite.

"Kaitlyn, I honestly don't know how you can still stand living here. Evan and I have been together all over this apartment. He loved bringing me here. Said the risk made it hotter. We've done it on the couch, the balcony, in the kitchen..."

She paused, a nasty smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, and one more thing. He said you're terrible in bed. You just lie there and don't do anything."

She curled her lips into a mocking smile.

I stared at her in disbelief, nausea twisting in my stomach as my lips started to tremble.

"Get the hell out of my apartment!" I screamed.

Hearing the shouting, Evan rushed out of the kitchen and immediately stepped between us.

"Enough! If you're pissed, take it out on me. I've always felt she's sweeter and more understanding than you, so I…"

Smack!

I slapped him across the face as hard as I could, leaving a bright red handprint on his cheek.

His eyes went bloodshot as he stared at me. After a long silence, he suddenly gave a quiet laugh.

"Kaitlyn, I'll take that slap as payment for what I did. You'll come crawling back eventually."

With that, he put an arm around a sobbing Zoey and stormed out.

Not long after, "Top Conservatory Student Accused of Plagiarism" shot to the top of the trending page.

I stared at the headline, my nails digging into my palms.

The timing couldn't have been worse. The selection process for the International Young Artists Awards was already in its final stages.

That night, while Zoey kept me distracted in the living room, Evan went through my things and took every original draft of my work.

He knew that without them, I would have a hard time proving I was the one who created it.

By turning the story around on me, he could ruin my reputation and destroy my future as a musician.

It wasn't long before my phone rang.

"Apologize to Zoey, and I'll make a public statement saying this was all a misunderstanding."

Evan paused, then lowered his voice.

"I just want you to give in for once. It's not too late to fix this."

He hung up, clearly convinced I would come crawling back sooner or later.

The next day, the conservatory issued a notice requiring Evan, Zoey, and me to appear before a faculty panel and present our sides.

On the day of the hearing, Evan and Zoey confidently laid out what they claimed was proof that I had plagiarized Zoey's work.

Whispers spread through the room.

"That evidence looks pretty convincing."

"Maybe those rumors about Kaitlyn bullying Zoey were true after all."

I pressed my lips together as the murmurs grew louder around me.

"Kaitlyn, it's your turn. What do you have to say in response to the plagiarism accusation?"

I slowly lifted my head and looked around the room.

Professors and students alike were already looking at me with open skepticism. As far as they were concerned, the so-called evidence Evan presented had already proven me guilty.

I lowered my eyes and let out a humorless laugh. Then, I pointed to the obscure piece referenced in the paper.

"Since you're accusing me of plagiarizing your work, Zoey, I'm guessing you know this piece pretty well."

The second I asked, Zoey stiffened.

Evan immediately cut in. "Analyzing a piece and performing it are two completely different things. You don't have to know how to play something in order to write about it."

A few professors on the panel nodded.

I shot the two of them a cool look, then walked straight over to the piano. I sat down, placed my hands on the keys, and played the entire piece flawlessly from beginning to end.

When I finished, I held up the collector's-edition vinyl.

"This piece was a private demo Maestro Louis recorded late in his career. It was never officially released and only exists on this record.

"When Evan and Zoey gave it to me, the record was still factory sealed.

"Zoey had never even heard this piece before, so how could she possibly have written an entire paper analyzing it?"