Chapter 5
When the police finished speaking, Liam Harrison completely lost it. He marched over to me and grabbed my wrist, his grip tight and his face twisted in frustration.
“What the hell is your problem?” he snapped. “I told you about my friendship with Amber from the start. Didn’t you even say you admired how close we were? It was just her birthday, one night! I’ve skipped every other gathering to be with you. Just this once, and you pull this stunt? Is it really that big of a deal?”
By the time he finished, his eyes were red, like he was the one who’d been wronged.
It was true. At the beginning of our relationship, he’d explained his tight-knit group of five childhood friends, four guys and Amber. He insisted they treated her like one of the boys, and he promised they’d love me, especially since Amber had been pushing him to find a girlfriend so she’d finally have someone to hang out with.
Back then, I believed him. As someone who had trouble making friends, the idea of such a close-knit group seemed rare and precious. I never questioned it, if anything, I envied their bond.
Then Liam introduced me to them.
They were warm, immediately calling me “sis.” Amber yanked me to her side and gushed over my makeup. “Finally! Someone to talk cosmetics with! No more arguing about lipstick shades with these clueless guys.”
The others laughed and chimed in, “Hey, we still bought you every shade you wanted!”
“Especially Liam. He’d spend forever picking out the trendiest, prettiest ones for you.”
Lipstick? I glanced at Liam.
He didn’t even bat an eye, like this was all normal. But in three years together, not once had he bought me lipstick, always claiming he “didn’t understand” shades.
But for Amber? He researched the best and latest.
When I confronted him, he did give me a set, brand new, still in the box.
Until I saw the note tucked inside: “Give these to your girlfriend. Wouldn’t want her sulking and ruining the vibe again.”
Hand-me-downs. Because his first thought was never me.
We nearly broke up over it.
Even at our wedding, Amber fought to steal the spotlight.
Over and over, she crossed lines, always under the excuse of “friendship.”
And now? Now he was standing there, yelling at me, the woman who had just survived two emergency surgeries to deliver his child, while his body instinctively shielded her.
“You think I’m overreacting?” I pulled out my phone and uploaded every message Amber had sent me in the last few weeks to my public account.
The backlash was immediate.
Liam’s phone started buzzing nonstop as they led him away. I watched his face crumble when he saw the screen.
“Liam, really, it’s not that bad. Calm down,” Amber said quickly, then turned to me with venom in her voice. “You’ll regret this. Karma’s coming for you.”
