I stayed at my best friend’s place for half a month.
In those two weeks, I watched Brenna update her Facebook Stories every single day, and in every post, there was a trace of Endrick.
[There’s a moon in the sky, and I have my star.]
The picture was a selfie of Brenna. In the corner, Endrick’s back could be seen as he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on a phone call.
[Stars always shine, and I will follow the light.]
This time, the picture was of her hand wearing a star-shaped ring, refracting a halo of light under a lamp. Next to it was a distinct, slender hand—Endrick’s.
[My star is broadening my horizons!]
The photo showed the first-class cabin of a plane. Brenna beamed at the camera, and beside her was the profile of a sleeping man’s face.
I had seen post after post.
Nikki practically leapt up in outrage. She jabbed her finger at the screen and cursed loudly.
“Fuck that shameless bitch! Has Endrick gone completely blind? Can’t he tell that woman’s up to no good? Even a dog wouldn’t believe she’s innocent!”
She was fuming, utterly exasperated.
Oddly enough, compared to her, I looked calm.
It felt like I was finally crawling out of the withdrawal stage. So while my best friend exploded with fury, I merely offered a quiet, rational observation. “He knows exactly what he’s doing.”
“What do you mean, ‘he knows’?” she asked, dropping down beside me. “Then why the hell does he keep insisting she’s innocent?”
“To Endrick, as long as they haven’t slept together, it means he hasn’t cheated,” I explained. “In his eyes, that makes them innocent.”
That had always been his logic, so every time I got upset, he would say the same thing.
“There’s nothing between Brenna and me. You’re the one with the dirty mind—you see filth in everything!”
That would always leave me speechless.
But now, looking back at it all, I felt strangely at peace.
Then I reminded Nikki, “The movers should be here soon.”
I was divorcing Endrick. I had to go back and pack up my things.
After all, my mother’s keepsakes were still in that place.
“It’s good that you’ve made up your mind,” Nikki said, following me back to the apartment. She waited with me outside the door.
I scrolled through Brenna’s Facebook Stories. I knew Endrick was away on a business trip these past few days, so I assumed we wouldn’t run into each other.
But as soon as I opened the door, the rich scent of food drifted out from the kitchen. I walked in and immediately saw her.
Brenna sat cross-legged at the dining table, digging into a plate of prawns.
When she saw me, her expression froze. She looked like a child caught doing something wrong. She jumped up and greeted me hesitantly.
“O-Olivine.”
I stared at her, wearing my pajamas and slippers. Then my gaze shifted to Endrick, who had just stepped out of the kitchen with a dish in hand. His smile faltered as soon as he saw me.
He awkwardly asked, “Have you eaten?”
I ignored him and headed straight for the bedroom.
But the moment I walked in, I froze.
My figurines—previously lined up neatly on the bedside table—were all in disarray. The bed was a mess. The closet had clearly been rummaged through, and even the safe tucked in the back had been left open.
My heart clenched. I rushed over instinctively and looked inside the safe.
“Olivine…” Brenna’s voice drifted weakly from behind me.
Her words were barely audible.
“The luggage went missing while Endrick and I were out… He asked me to come here and grab some clothes to wear.”
“I-I accidentally opened the safe…”
Suddenly, a loud buzzing filled my head.
I turned around, only to see the broken fragments of diamond in Brenna’s hand.
My breath stopped at the sight.
“I swear I didn’t mean to… Olivine, please—”
She suddenly lunged forward, dropping to her knees in front of me with a loud thud. Clutching my arm, she sobbed hysterically as she pleaded.
“Please forgive me! I didn’t know it was your mother’s keepsake! I swear I didn’t know! I really didn’t!”
