My childhood sweetheart, the heir to a dynasty, fell in love with a delicate "white lotus" from the wrong side of the tracks. To marry her, he withstood the pressure of his entire family and publicly broke our engagement. Heartbroken, I left the country to pursue my art in Paris. When I returned, he and Lily had been married for nearly two years. I had long since moved on. But at my welcome-home party, Caleb Montgomery—the man who once fought the world for her—looked at the woman he had tried so hard to marry with cold, undisguised disgust. "Didn't I tell you to stay home?" he hissed, his voice dripping with ice. "Why did you come out here just to embarrass me?" 1 When I returned to the States, my friends threw a lavish welcome-home party for me at an exclusive rooftop lounge in Manhattan. I didn't expect Caleb Montgomery to be there. Seven years ago, for the sake of Lily Evans, he insisted on breaking his engagement with me—his social equal and childhood friend. He stood before our elders and declared that he would rather marry a stray dog than marry me. It was a humiliation that disregarded generations of friendship between our families. That day, exhausted and broken, I cried for an hour in front of my parents, begging them to agree to the annulment. I told them I didn't want Caleb anymore. My parents, heartbroken for me, finally relented. They went to Caleb’s parents and spoke behind closed doors for hours. The result: It wasn’t Caleb rejecting me; it was the Sterling family refusing to give their daughter away. Although our families didn't become sworn enemies, the relationship turned frosty. I left for Paris to study art and hadn't looked back. Until today. I looked at Caleb. Compared to seven years ago, he was taller, more composed, and radiated the cold arrogance of old money. His dark eyes were fixed on me. I turned to Chloe, the host. Chloe immediately threw her hands up. "Don't look at me, Victoria. I didn't invite him. Caleb heard you were coming back and insisted on arranging this party in my place." She added, guilty and hushed, "It wasn't up to me." I didn't say anything. Instead, I smiled at Caleb, gentle and polite, just as I used to be before everything fell apart. "Victoria," he said, his voice smooth. "It's been years. I was young and reckless back then. I hurt you. Today, I wanted to apologize properly." He paused, looking deep into my eyes. "Do you still hold a grudge?" If I said yes, it would look like I hadn't moved on. So, I gave him a dazzling, practiced smile. "You said it yourself, Caleb. It's all in the past." We were in the same social circle, after all. He was insignificant to me now. I raised my champagne glass. "Chloe told me you and Lily got married over a year ago. I haven't had the chance to congratulate you. Cheers." His expression remained flat. Theoretically, having married the girl of his dreams, he should have been beaming. Instead, he downed his drink like a shot of medicine. It looked less like a celebration and more like drowning sorrows. I couldn't be bothered to analyze it. Old friends surrounded me, asking about my life in France, my boyfriends, and my global art exhibitions. "Seriously, Vic," one friend teased. "Why do you have to be so perfect? Your gallery openings are invite-only, and my dad keeps asking why I can't be more like you instead of just buying Birkins and chasing rock stars." I laughed. "It's just a hobby." "You've learned to be humble," Caleb interjected from the side. His tone was natural, intimate, as if he hadn't crushed my heart seven years ago. I sensed a hint of... flirtation? "I went to see your exhibition, Dreams of a Past Life," he continued. "It was magnificent." The air in the room shifted. My friends went silent, their eyes darting between us. I kept my composure. "Oh, thank you." I paused, then added playfully, "Did you go with Lily? I haven't seen her in years. We were classmates, after all." His face darkened instantly. "She had things to do at home." He spoke of her as if she were a stranger. When the party ended, we walked out to the lobby and saw Lily sitting on a velvet sofa near the VIP elevators. She was staring anxiously at the elevator doors. When they opened, she shot up. She had been waiting there the whole time. Everyone froze. Lily forced a smile, her eyes scanning the group until they landed on me standing next to Caleb. Her face drained of color. She looked terrified, as if facing a formidable enemy. I felt nothing but confusion. 2 Lily had changed. I remembered the first time I saw her. She had transferred to our prep school in the second semester of freshman year. She stood at the podium in an ill-fitting uniform, looking malnourished and terrified. Her features were plain, her demeanor shrinking. The teacher had smiled and said, "This is Lily Evans, a scholarship student with excellent grades. Please welcome her." The applause was sparse. In our world, grades weren't the only currency. I had pitied her then. I was the first to clap, leading the rest of the class to follow suit. "This is our class president, Victoria Sterling," the teacher said, pointing to me. "If you need anything, ask her." Lily never asked me for help. Because she had Caleb. There were no empty seats except next to Caleb, so she became his desk mate. I don't know when their betrayal started. Maybe it was when she fainted from anemia during assembly, and Caleb carried her to the nurse. Maybe it was when Caleb’s mom brought back expensive chocolates from Belgium for us. I told him to pick first, and he took a box of artisanal truffles, saying, "I want this one." Caleb hated sweets. Later, I saw the wrappers on Lily’s desk. I convinced myself he was just being charitable. I was the school beauty, the heiress, the girl who had everything. It never crossed my mind that Caleb would betray me for someone so... plain. Seven years later, Lily was no longer that skinny girl. She was draped in couture—Chanel, Dior—but the logos looked loud and awkward on her, as if the clothes were wearing her. "Victoria," she said, her voice trembling. "You're back." She looked between Caleb and me with obvious suspicion. Caleb spoke first, his voice icy. "Why are you here?" Lily flinched. She offered a pitiful, fawning smile. "I was shopping nearby... The club manager said you were hosting a party for Victoria, so I... I thought I'd wait so we could go home together." It was a clumsy lie. She held up a shopping bag. "The manager heard I was here and gave me two bottles of vintage red wine. He said it was a gift for Mrs. Montgomery and Mr. Montgomery." She emphasized "Mrs. Montgomery" as if marking her territory. Caleb frowned, looking physically repulsed. Behind me, someone snickered. For a family of Caleb’s stature, a club manager gifting wine wasn't an honor; it was an expectation. For his wife to hold it up like a treasure was embarrassing. It showed she didn't understand her own status. "Didn't I tell you to stay home?" Caleb snapped, not caring about the audience. "Why did you come out here just to embarrass me?" Lily turned pale, looking helpless. No one stepped in to explain why she was being laughed at. I glanced at Caleb. He was cold, indifferent to the mockery his wife was enduring. It shocked me. Back in high school, when people isolated Lily, or when I eventually lashed out at her, Caleb had always stood in front of her like a shield. Now, he looked at her with deep-seated exhaustion and annoyance. How could he despise her now? Had he forgotten how he hurt me to protect her? 3 The first time Caleb stood up for Lily was during English Literature. For most of us, English lit was a breeze. We’d had private tutors since we were toddlers. The teacher asked Lily to read a passage from Harry Potter. As soon as she started, the snickering began. Her accent was thick, her pronunciation broken. The laughter grew until Lily stood there in silence, trembling. After class, Chloe walked up to Lily and loudly mocked her pronunciation, mimicking her stumbling words. Lily sat with her head down, shoulders shaking. I wanted to tell Chloe to cut it out. But before I could speak, Caleb, who usually slept through breaks, slammed his thick hardcover book onto his desk. Thud. "Shut up," he said, staring coldly at Chloe. "You're too loud." The room went dead silent. I smiled to break the tension. "Chloe, class is starting." Chloe rolled her eyes but sat down. I saw Lily turn to Caleb, her eyes shining with gratitude. Caleb didn't even look at her. Later, I saw them in the library. Caleb walked over to Lily’s secluded corner with his original copy of Harry Potter. "Practicing like that is useless," he said. He sat next to her, pointing at a line. "Read this." "Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep..." she stammered. Caleb patiently corrected her diction on the word "drifting." The sunlight hit them through the tall windows. They looked like a scene from a movie. Until Lily looked at him, blushing, and whispered, "I really envy Victoria." Envy me for what? It was obvious. That was when I started to dislike Lily Evans. 4 I never bullied people. I was the "Queen Bee," sure, but I didn't do mean girl tactics. Until gym class. Tennis. As expected, no one partnered with Lily. She stood on the court, clutching her racket, looking pathetic. I smiled, walked over, and extended my hand. "Let's be partners." She looked shocked. "Me?" "Yes, you." I wiped the smile off my face as soon as I turned around. I ran her ragged. I hit the ball to every corner of the court where she wasn't. She scrambled, missed, and spent the whole time picking up balls, apologizing profusely. "I'm... I'm sorry, I'm too bad at this." She didn't realize I was doing it on purpose until a crowd gathered. "What's up with Victoria?" someone whispered. "She never plays like this." I kept smiling, my shots getting more aggressive, until Lily tripped and fell, scraping her knees. "Oops," I said, standing still. "My bad. You really are terrible at this. Next time we play doubles, don't drag me down." Lily sat on the ground, weeping silently. Caleb walked onto the court. He looked at me, took the racket from a crying Lily, and stared me down. He smiled, a cold, dangerous smile. "She's no good, Victoria. I'll practice with you." Caleb destroyed me. To make it "fair," he played with his left hand. He was a junior champion; I was a hobbyist. I ran until my lungs burned. I didn't have to pick up balls because the boys who had crushes on me did it, but Caleb showed no mercy. On the final point, he smashed the ball. It grazed the net and slammed right into my knee—the exact same spot where Lily had fallen. The pain was blinding. I nearly collapsed. Caleb didn't flinch. "Victoria," he said coldly. "Even without someone dragging you down, you still can't win." He turned to Lily, helping her up gently. "Come on. Let's go." Lily looked at him like he was a god. Later, while the nurse iced my knee, Chloe asked, "Is Caleb insane?" He was. And now, ironically, he regretted it. It was laughable.
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