2 A Friend’s Warning Ignored
Jessica's POV
The cold night air hit my face as I dragged my luggages down the empty street. “Where do I even go from here?” I whispered.
For a moment, i simply stood there. Then one name came to my mind. Brenda. My best friend. I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed her number.
She answered on the first ring. “Hello, Jess?”
“Are you home?” My voice sounded hoarse.
There was a brief silence.
“What happened?,” she asked immediately.
“I will explain when i get there,” I replied.
“I'm waiting.”
Twenty minutes later, I stood outside Brenda's apartment. Before I could knock, the door flew open. “Jess!”
Her smile disappeared the moment she saw my swollen eyes and the luggages besides me. “What happened?”
“Can I come in first?” I said.
She stepped aside immediately. “Of course.”
The moment the door closed behind us, she turned to face me. “Sit.” I lowered myself onto the sofa. Then she handed me a glass of water. “Start talking.”
I stared at the glass for several seconds before speaking. “Jerry broke up with me.”
Brenda blinked. “... What?”
“He said he never loved me. He admitted he only dated me because of my parents inheritance.”
The glass slipped from Brenda's hand and landed on the carpet. “What did you just say?”
“He used me,” I continued, “He confessed to everything.” Brenda slowly sat beside me. “He said I wasn't useful anymore,” I said as my lips trembled.
Brenda's eyes widened. “That shameless bastard!”
“He already has another woman, and told me to leave the house because she's moving in,” I said.
For several seconds, Brenda couldn't speak. Then she suddenly stood up. “I knew it!” I looked up.
“I warned you about him, Jess.” She sighed heavily. “The first time I met him, something about him felt wrong. And I told you he looked like a man with hidden motives. But you defended him.”
“Yes, i remembered,” I whispered.
“You even told me I was overthinking it,”she said. And a bitter smile appeared on my lips.
Brenda shook her head. “I wasn't trying to ruin your relationship. I was only trying to protect you.”
“I'm sorry. I thought I was actually doing the right thing,” i whispered.
She looked at me for a long moment before pulling me into a hug. “ I’m not angry with you.”
The warmth of her embrace almost broke the wall I'd been trying to hold together.
“I'm sorry,” i whispered again. “I should have listened.”
“It's okay, it's over now,” she said, patting my back.
“No,” i said, as I slowly pulled away. “It's not.”
Brenda frowned. “What do you mean?”
I wiped away the tears on my face. “He stole my parents inheritance, my future and even mocked my dreams.”
Brenda clenched her fists. “Yes,I know.”
Then i continued, “But he didn't steal everything.” She looked confused. “I don't understand?”
I hesitated.
For years, I had kept one part of my life hidden from everyone. Even Brenda didn't know the full truth, there was a reason I had disappeared from the international jewelry scene. A reason I had abandoned the name that once shook the industry.
Not yet….It was too soon. I forced those memories back into the darkness. “Nothing,” I said quietly.
Brenda studied my face. “Jess….”
“I have cried enough,” I said.
“Then what are you going to do?,” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
I looked up, my eyes hardened. “I'm taking back everything that belongs to me.”
Brenda searched my eyes. “How?”
A small smile appeared on my lips. “The same way Jerry played his game….,” my voice low, steady. “I will play mine.”
Brenda’s face etched with worry. “Jess, don't do anything reckless.”
“I won't. But revenge changes people, I'm already changing,” i whispered.
She fell silent. After a long pause, she asked softly, “So…what's your first move?”
I didn't answer immediately, I just walked toward the window and stared at the glittering lights of Kyoto. “ I don't Know. but one thing is certain, I'm taking all step by step.”
Brenda froze. “Jess…?”
I smiled without turning around. The city had taken everything from me, Now it would watch me take everything back.
