Chapter 3

I wake up in a hospital bed.

Jess and Seb are sitting beside me.

The moment my eyes open, Jess rushes over and grabs my hand, her eyes red and swollen.

"Wendy, I'm so sorry! I lost my balance—it's my fault you fell in."

Seb's tone is flat. Almost annoyed. "You can swim. How'd you sink?"

"Leg cramp," I say. My voice comes out cold and hard.

Jess sobs harder, tears streaming. "You scared me to death. If anything happened to you, I'd die too."

So fake.

That performance makes my skin crawl.

Seb clears his throat and pats Jess's shoulder—gently, like she's the one who almost drowned.

"The doctor said she'd just swallowed some water. She'll be out in a couple of days. "

"Relax. It's not a big deal."

Jess pouts at him. "What do you know? You don't understand what Wendy and I have."

I close my eyes.

"I'm tired. Both of you, leave."

Jess hesitates. Looks at me.

When I don't say anything else, they finally walk out together.

The room goes quiet.

But I can't stop replaying it—Seb's face when I surfaced. His first instinct wasn't to check on me. It was to comfort her.

God, I've been so blind.

That night, Jess posts again.

"Today I pulled her into the pool on purpose. I wanted her to see—with her own eyes—who her precious boyfriend really loves."

"Watching her get abandoned? God, that felt amazing."

The comments are ripping her apart. People can't understand why she'd do something like this.

Neither can I.

But Jess answers in the comments:

"She was born with a halo over her head. And I was always just her shadow."

"She was top of every class. And I was supposed to just disappear?"

"I hate her. I've hated her for ten years. I want to take everything she cares about."

Every word cuts deep.

Ten years of friendship.

Ten years of hatred.

I create a burner account and comment: "Do you even love her boyfriend?"

Jess replies fast: "A guy like that? She's the only one who'd want him."

"I just wanted to watch her suffer."

The comments keep tearing into her. I close the app.

My heart doesn't even hurt anymore.

Double betrayal. Am I unlucky—or lucky—that I get to see them both clearly at once?

I take screenshots of everything—every post, every comment. Evidence.

Jess got one thing right about me. I'm proud. And my dignity is not something anyone gets to stomp on.

The day I'm discharged, Jess and Seb come together to pick me up.

Jess is wearing a V-neck blouse. Low enough to show off the hickeys on her neck. Red, fresh, unmistakable.

"Wendy, how are you feeling? If you're still not well, you should stay a few more days."

Seb nods along. "Yeah, the competition's still two days away. Maybe rest a bit longer?"

I look up. My gaze lands on Jess's neck.

My fist clenches under the blanket. But I keep my face innocent.

"Jess… what happened to your neck?"