Chapter 1

After the crash left me badly injured, my husband and best friend stayed with me 24/7.

I was deeply grateful— until a message popped up on my new tarot shop.

"I did something terrible and want to make amends. What kind of gift should I send?"

I replied: "Well, that depends on what you did."

The reply came instantly:

"I stole my best friend's husbands. Both of them."

"The first was a doctor—total ice king, exactly my type. I slept with him behind her back. She found out he cheated and divorced him. But she never knew it was me."

"Her current husband was a billionaire CEO. Even hotter. Even richer. I fell again."

"Last month, looking for a thrill, we drugged her with sleeping pills, left her passed out in the backseat, and screwed in the front while driving. Then the car crashed."

"We escaped, but she lost her right leg and can't have kids anymore..."

"I feel horrible. How do I make amends?"

Every word hit me like ice water. I went completely still.

Because what she wrote...

Was exactly MY story!

I stared at the screen until everything blurred.

Took a deep breath and finally typed back:

"Hon, you want to make amends? TURN. YOURSELF. FKING. IN."

...

After the accident, my husband and best friend practically lived in my hospital room. Said they were worried I'd hurt myself.

I was so touched. Really gave it my all in rehab.

Until my tarot shop pinged.

"I did something terrible and want to make amends. What kind of gift should I send?"

I typed back. "Depends what you did."

The response came instantly.

"I stole my best friend's husbands. Both of them."

"I swear I didn't plan it. Her first husband was this doctor—cold, controlled, totally my type. She was traveling for work, so I... we hooked up."

"She found out he cheated. Divorced him. Never suspected me. I swore—never again."

"Then she married this CEO. Even hotter. Loaded. I fell for him too. Meant to keep it casual. Got addicted."

"Last month we wanted a thrill. Drugged her with sleeping pills, left her passed out in the backseat, and screwed in the front while driving. Then the crash happened."

"We escaped. She didn't."

"Lost her right leg. Messed up her insides—can't ever have kids now."

"I feel awful. Can't tell her. Just trying to do something."

I couldn't feel my hands.

Just then, the shipping notification loaded.

Recipient: Zelda Moss.

My best friend.

Everything went cold.

I stared at her name until the letters stopped making sense.

Where my leg used to be started screaming, but that was nothing.

Nothing compared to what just ripped open inside me.

How?

This whole month, Zelda stayed by my bed. Fed me. Helped me drink.

My husband Troy canceled everything. Wiped me down every day. Took care of everything.

They were all I had left.

How could they?

I felt like I was being torn apart. Couldn't breathe.

Grabbed my phone. Called my ex-husband Aaron.

He picked up fast. "Jess?"

I went straight. "Was it Zelda? The one you cheated with?"

Dead silence.

Then Aaron's voice came through quiet.

"Jess, I was stupid. So stupid. I wanted to tell you, but Zelda said if you knew it was your best friend, you'd completely fall apart. That's why—"

My heart just... broke.

I hung up.

Tears just came.

Suddenly I was back there. Four years ago.

I'd been drowning in work. Ignored Aaron.

When I finally surfaced, I found women's underwear in his coat. Not mine.

I remember crying. Grabbing my chest. Asking him over and over.

"Who?"

He just pulled at his hair. Looked destroyed. Never said her name.

So I divorced him.

My childhood best friend Troy flew back from overseas the second he heard.

Old family money. Been in love with me since we were kids.

Showed up at my door with red eyes.

"Don't shut me out. Let me be here. I'll take care of you."

And Zelda.

When I got really sick, it was Zelda who stayed with me the whole time.

Recovery was brutal. I was weak for months.

Zelda acted heartbroken for me. Did everything to make me smile.

And Troy never complained once. He cooked, cleaned, even blew on my tea to cool it down.

Back then I thought they were all I had.

Turns out I was just an fucking idiot.

Betrayed twice. By the people I trusted most.

Everything in front of me just... collapsed.

I remembered two years ago when I finally said yes to Troy.

He lit up like a kid. Pulled me close. "Jess, I got you. Forever."

Zelda had tears in her eyes. "Me too. I'm your best friend. No one's gonna hurt you. Not ever."

Guess forever was just two years to them. Huh.

I laughed. Hollow sound.

Opened my drawer. Grabbed the bottle of painkillers for my phantom leg.

Dumped them in my mouth.

Handful after handful.

Until nothing was left.

But the pain just kept coming.

I tasted blood.

Footsteps pounded outside.

Someone screamed.

"JESS!"

Next second, everything went black.

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

Troy sat next to me, looking exhausted.

But when he saw I was awake, he didn't ask if I was okay.

He just frowned, annoyed.

"Jess, can you stop being so dramatic? You know what happened when Zelda saw you like that? She passed the hell out. She's still getting fluids next door."

"Your life matters, but hers doesn't? It's been a MONTH. How long are you gonna keep pulling this shit?"

I opened my mouth to speak.

The door flew open.

Zelda stormed in, glaring at Troy. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to? You got a death wish?"

Troy's whole face changed. Softened. His voice went gentle, careful.

"Are you feeling better? You should rest more. I can handle things here."

Zelda snapped back. "You? Handle what exactly?"

She walked over to me. When she saw how pale I was, her eyes filled with tears.

"You idiot. Why would you do that? I told you—you still have me. I'm your best friend. Talk to me."

I smiled. Cold.

Zelda didn't notice. She kept going. "Jess, you've been through so much. Maybe you've got bad energy or something. I bought you this karma bracelet to help clear—"

"Get out."

She froze.

Just hearing "karma bracelet" made my blood boil. Everything she did. Every disgusting thing flashed through my mind.

I shoved her. Hard.

Grabbed whatever was near me and threw it at them.

"GET OUT. I don't want to see you. EVER AGAIN."

Zelda stumbled back. Something hit her face. She clutched it, shaking all over.

Troy finally snapped.

He shoved me.

I lost my balance. My lower back slammed into the edge of the table. Pain shot through me, blacking out my vision.

Before I could even recover, Troy had already pulled Zelda behind him. His voice turned to ice.

"Jess, ENOUGH. Zelda doesn't owe you a damn thing. She's not your dog. You don't get to hit her or scream at her whenever you feel like it. What the hell gives you the right?"

Maybe he was panicking. Maybe he just stopped caring.

Those words slipped out so easily. It gutted me.

I'd seen this exact scene before.

When we first started dating, I used to bring Zelda lunch every single day. I was worried she wasn't eating enough.

One time I burned my hand pretty badly. Troy got pissed.

"Zelda this, Zelda that. You're not her servant. Why the hell do you revolve around her?"

When I gave him a look, he backtracked fast. Wrapped his arms around me, acting all sweet.

"Babe, I just don't want you getting hurt. I'd feel terrible. Plus, you're always worried about her. Makes me jealous."

Now the person he worried wasn't me anymore.

It was her.

I must've looked like I was about to collapse, because Zelda tried to rush over. "Jess, don't listen to him. I'm fine. You're just upset. I get it."

But Troy held her back. Wouldn't let her anywhere near me.

He paused. Then spoke again, quieter. Almost begging.

"Jess. Please. Zelda had a fever yesterday. You scared her so bad she fainted today. Just... let her rest. Okay?"

Then he grabbed Zelda's hand. Turned around. Walked out.

I doubled over. Started dry heaving.

The pain in my chest mixed with the pain in my body until I couldn't tell them apart anymore.

After they left, I pulled out my phone. Opened the home security app.

Troy had installed cameras back when he used to travel for work and I got scared staying home alone.

The feed loaded.

There they were.

The second they got inside, Troy pulled Zelda into his arms. His hands slid down her body.

Zelda twisted away, playing coy.

Troy's eyes were bloodshot. "Stop. I've been holding back for a whole damn month. I miss you."

Zelda buried her face in his shoulder. "But Jess is still in the hospital. We can't—"

He didn't answer. Just pressed her hard against the wall and started moving.

It didn't take long before Zelda stopped resisting. She grabbed his tie and kissed him.

The sounds coming through my phone made me sick.

Tears just ran down my face.

Chapter 3

Everything blurred.

But the memories wouldn't stop flooding back. Every sweet moment we'd had. Every promise he'd made.

I remembered how hard Troy fought to marry me.

Once, someone spiked his drink at a business event. Heavy stuff.

When the drug kicked in, he didn't touch anyone. He grabbed a knife and cut himself over and over. Used the pain to stay conscious.

Spent the whole night in a freezing bath rather than go near anyone who came onto him.

Afterward, he held me and swore, "Jess, I'll never touch anyone but you. This life. Only you."

I believed him.

And Zelda? She was supposed to be my salvation.

Freshman year during a rafting trip, I fell into the water. She jumped in without thinking twice and pulled me out.

Junior year, my parents died in a plane crash.

Overnight, I went from trust fund kid to orphan.

It was Zelda who took me in. Stayed up with me every single night.

I gave her everything I had. Treated her like a sister.

I don't understand what I did wrong.

Why she had to steal both my husbands.

I don't understand why Troy—who swore he'd love me forever—changed just like Aaron did.

The next day, Troy came to pick me up from the hospital.

I didn't say anything. Didn't accuse him of anything.

He grabbed my hand first and started apologizing. "Jess, I didn't mean to snap at you yesterday. I just didn't want you to push Zelda away like that. She might get hurt and leave you. You don't want to lose your best friend, right?"

I pulled my hand back. Cold.

My eyes landed on the center console. There was a cake sitting there—my favorite flavor.

For a second, my heart lifted. I reached for it.

Troy pressed down on my wrist. His tone was firm. "Don't. That's for Zelda."

He paused. Then added, softer, "If you want some, I'll get you one tomorrow."

I pulled my hand back slowly.

Right.

Even a piece of cake wasn't mine anymore.

When we got home, I said I needed the bathroom.

Pushed the door open.

Saw a pregnancy test on the counter.

My chest caved in.

I can't have kids anymore. Which means it's Zelda's.

Is it Troy's baby?

I opened the camera app on my phone.

Pulled up the video feed.

Zelda's voice came through, shaking. "Troy, how can I be pregnant? Jess just lost the ability to have kids. How can I do this to her? I'm such a terrible friend."

Troy wrapped his arms tight around her. "This isn't your fault. It's ours. It's fate. Jess can't have children. This is my only shot at being a father."

Silence.

Then Zelda grabbed his hand. "Will you marry me? I can't keep being nobody to you. I know it's wrong. I know it'll hurt Jess. But we can make it up to her some other way."

Long pause.

Troy's voice came out quiet. "I don't know, Zelda..."

My chest went completely numb.

All the pain peaked. Then went silent.

At dinner that night, I looked straight at them. "I saw the pregnancy test in the bathroom."

Both of them froze solid.

Zelda went ghost-white. Started stammering. "It's—it's a friend's. She accidentally left it here—"

I laughed. Sharp. Bitter. "What friend? I don't know any of your friends. Who is she? Someone you're hiding from me?"

I paused. My eyes slid over to Troy, whose face had gone dark.

My voice turned ice-cold.

"A pregnancy test left at someone else's house? What is she, some kind of mistress? Honestly, Zelda, if your friend's mixed up in that kind of mess, you should drop her. Before she drags you down and embarrasses you."

Zelda's face went completely white. Her whole body started shaking.

Troy slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "JESS, SHUT UP."

He grabbed the plate in front of him and smashed it on the floor.

Shards flew up. One sliced across my cheek.

"She's your best friend. Even if you won't help her, how can you talk to her like that?!"

Zelda grabbed his sleeve. Tears streaming down her face.

"Troy, stop. Don't be mad. I'm fine. Don't blame Jess..."

One of them furious and protective. The other fragile and pitiful.

Like a pair of star-crossed lovers being torn apart by a villain.

And I was the villain.

I stood up. Didn't look at them again.

Walked straight to my room and shut the door.