In the chaos, Serina's skirt was pushed up to her waist.
Beckett held her tightly by the waist, his other hand possessively covering her exposed thigh.
Their eyes locked, and heat rose between them.
Neither had the slightest intention of letting go.
The crowd's deafening cheers of "Be together!" cut into me like knives, stabbing again and again until my heart was nothing but shredded flesh.
At that moment, I was no different from those pathetic husbands in movies—watching from the shadows as their wives nestled into another man's arms.
Beside me, Claire's face had gone pale with fury. She was about to storm forward, but I quickly reached out and stopped her.
My hand shook as I dialed Serina's number. Through blurred vision, I saw her pull out her phone. Annoyance flickered across her face at the sudden ringing.
Once. Twice. Three times.
She stared at the caller ID flashing "Husband" but never picked up.
With a mocking snort, Beckett pulled her into his arms, his tone dripping with contempt.
"Your nagging ‘old man' again?"
He casually pressed the decline button, tapped Serina on the nose, and smirked.
"Don't ditch your bestie just because of a man. Otherwise, we won't be friends anymore."
"Don't say that!" Serina laughed, clinging to him even tighter. "My husband is not half as important as my bestie!"
With a swift motion, she powered off her phone and tossed it aside, then rolled with him again across the grass, giggling.
Yes. Her husband was nothing compared to her so-called best friend.
What more did I need to understand?
The wind cut through me, leaving me trembling. I pointed at the laughing pair not far away.
"Claire, does this spot have cameras?"
Claire caught my meaning immediately. "I'll have someone save the footage right now."
My chest felt hollow, bleeding out from a wound no one could see.
'Serina, if you've already made your choice... Then the outcome is inevitable. You will lose everything.'
Not far away, the group had started barbecuing and drinking again. The more they drank, the looser their tongues became.
Beckett lifted his bottle with a wistful grin.
"You know, the day Serina got married, I was so heartbroken I went drinking alone by the river. I even posted about it online."
He laughed and leaned forward. "Guess what happened? She showed up in her wedding dress! We sat there like idiots, watching the stars all night."
My throat tightened.
I remembered our wedding night—how she claimed there was an urgent matter and left me waiting on the marriage bed until dawn.
"And later," Beckett went on, "I told her I'd never get married, but I wanted a kid. You know what she said?"
He paused deliberately, milking the suspense, before bursting into laughter.
"She looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘Fine. You give me the sperm, and I'll carry the child for you!'"
The crowd erupted into laughter and cheers.
"What a loyal friend!" someone hollered.
Beckett nudged Serina.
"Hey, with that kind of loyalty, what about Marvin then?"
Serina lowered her eyes, her voice casual, almost bored.
"After every time with him, I just take the pill. It's not like I ever planned to have his child."
"What the hell!"
The group gasped, and Claire exploded beside me. "You've put up with that?"
The sunlight pierced my eyes, so sharp it hurt. A laugh broke from my throat, bitter and cracked.
Laughing, until the tears spilled over.
"Ridiculous, isn't it?" My voice shook. "She even said she wanted to be childfree with me."
For three years, Serina and I had tried again and again to conceive, but she never once became pregnant.
I always thought the problem was mine. Not once did I doubt her.
She was so gentle, so tender, always whispering to me, "Marvin, it's okay. We can live as a DINK couple. Just the two of us forever. You're all I need."
But now I see the truth.
The only joke in this story—was me.
