Chapter 3
“You free? Come out for a drink!”
Nina’s signature message bombardment lit up my phone.
I said yes,
At that moment, I just needed to get away.
“Well, well, look who’s breaking curfew tonight! Miss Perfect Girlfriend actually said yes to drinks after dark?”
She greeted me with a teasing smirk the second we met.
I didn’t bother replying. Just took the drink she handed me and downed it in one
e pulp
“What about you?” She raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just get married? What are you
ou doing in a bar?”
Nina was already tipsy, her arm slung around my shoulder as she grinned,
“I’m not you, babe. Just because I got married doesn’t mean I turned into a saint. If I wanna drink, I drink. If I wanna flirt with hot guys,
flirt with hot guys
I knew she was mostly bluffing, but still a part of me envied her.
“C’mon, be real. You should call that useless Mason to come pick you up. If you pass out, I’m not carrying your ass home.”
I stared down at my empty glass.
“He’s busy tonight,” I said quietly. “I’ll head home myself later.”
Nina didn’t respond. She just stared at me for a long moment, then said something that caught me completely off guard.
“I liked your old style better.
I looked down at myself–flawless evening dress, sleek heels, full glam makeup.
Yeah… I definitely didn’t match the bar scene.
“I thought I looked good tonight,” I muttered.
She leaned her head against mine with a lazy smile.
“Sabrina, we used to be the punk rock duo of Westbrook Arts. Remember that? Look at you now-
little bit you anymore.”
“You’re like… a fancy vase. All pretty on the outside, but totally hollow.
from head to toe, you’re not even a
I glanced at my carefully curled hair, the body–hugging dress, the designer heels, the matching jewelry, the perfectly blended contour.
I gave her a playful nudge. “Okay, dramatic much? This is the ‘rich wife aesthetic‘ everyone’s obsessed with lately.”
Nina burst out laughing.
“Rich wife? Girl, you look like a straight–up resentful wife.”
She wasn’t wrong.
I didn’t dress like this for me.
This was Mason’s taste.
I still remembered the first time I went with him to a business dinner, back when his company had just started. I’d worn what I thought was my best outfit–simple, artsy, a little quirky.
And then Chloe walked in.
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Flawless, Bold. Bright. Every inch of her radiated polished confidence.
That night, she wore a crimson gown and soft waves that framed her face perfectly.
She navigated the room with Mason like they were co–hosts. He shielded her from drinks, she smoothed his conversations effortlessly.
I had sat in a corner the entire night, completely out of place, just waiting for him to finish so we could go home,
But instead, one of his coworkers recognized me and dragged me into a side gathering.
I got pressured into shot after shot until I blacked out.
Apparently, I’d made a scene.
The next morning, I woke up to Mason on the phone, apologizing to everyone involved.
After that, I stopped going to those events.
Not just because I was scared of embarrassing him again…
But because I couldn’t stand seeing Mason and Chloe together.
Couldn’t stand the way she looked at him, or how effortlessly they fit.
Couldn’t stand how I couldn’t not care.
And especially couldn’t stand the moment he’d turn to me afterward and say,
“It’s just work. Don’t be so unreasonable,”
I stayed quiet for a long time, swirling what little was left in my glass
Nina, already tipsy, slurred out another bombshell
“Actually… it’s not even your outfits. I miss the old you,
The old me?
to the Library
“I haven’t changed that much……. have 1?”
She flicked my forehead hard.
“Girl, shake the Mason brainwashing out of your head, please.”
“Think about it–when was the last time you did something just for you?”
I opened my mouth… then closed it again.
I had no answer.
After a beat, I pushed back weakly. “Didn’t I chase Mason just as hard back then?”
“Bullshit ”
Nina cursed at Mason while shouting, “If I’d known this was how it would turn out, I never would’ve helped you go after him.”
田
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