Eric hadn’t shown up again in the past few days, and my relationship with Jonah continued to develop steadily and peacefully.
On this particular day, Lila asked to meet up, claiming she had finally given Eric up for good. Once she fully recovered, she planned to leave for another city.
She also assured me I didn’t have to worry about her revealing the truth.
When I saw her at the hospital, she looked a little worn out.
“You really plan on giving up, huh?” I asked.
She smiled faintly. “What else can I do? He only loves you. I really did love him, though.”
I sat on the bench beside her, trying to comfort her. “I hope you can move on. Other than Eric, there are many other men too.”
She looked at me. “I really want to know–how did both Eric and Jonah could have fallen for you like this?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you recording this?”
She paused, then laughed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “You caught me.”
I turned off the recording and handed it back to her. “There’s really nothing to be curious about. Did Eric love me? He still betrayed me, didn’t he? As for Jonah–who knows what he’ll be like in the future?”
Lila sighed. “I used to think you were naïve and simple, but it turns out you’re actually the smartest one. Maybe that’s for the best because you won’t get hurt.”
I frowned. “It’s not about being smart. I just know how to love myself.”
“You still got what you wanted. I got nothing, though.” Lila lowered her head sadly.
“Why are you so hung up on love? You treated Eric so well, even risked your life to save him. So, shouldn’t it be easy for you to get a payout big enough to set you up for life?”
“But I truly loved him.” After saying this, Lila tilted her head and looked at me. “Don’t you hate me? I was the one who seduced Eric, and I used you to get close to him. At first, he didn’t even pay any attention to me–he just wanted a little thrill later on. Everything he couldn’t get from you, I gave him. That’s why-”
I cut her off. “He’s the one who cheated, but somehow it’s someone else’s fault for seducing him? That’s just wrong. I don’t hate you because once I realized you never truly saw me as a friend, I stopped seeing you as one too. You didn’t actually do anything to hurt me. The one who betrayed me was Eric.”
Lila let out a laugh. “I have to hand it to you, but-” She glanced over my shoulder. “I still hate you, Gina! Because you got everything I ever wanted, and now I have nothing!”
Suddenly, she raised her voice. Before I could react, she pulled a knife from her pocket and lunged at me.
Chapter 8
+15 Bonus
“Ah!” I jumped up and pushed her away, but she kept coming at me, slashing wildly.
“Lila, are you insane? Is it really worth ruining your life over a man?” I shouted, but I didn’t feel any pain.
Looking down, I realized it was a retractable knife. She hadn’t actually hurt me.
“Gina!” Two panicked voices rang out as Eric and Jonah rushed toward me.
