Good Girl's Done Loving

The second I walked in, the woman in the center of the room caught my eye. She was beautiful. Her features looked like they'd been carved from the same mold as mine.

My blood instantly turned to ice.

One of Oliver's friends walked over. The look in his eyes was a complicated mix of disgust and pity. "Did you really think Oliver just randomly got close to you back then? This is why."

It felt like a giant hand had clenched around my heart. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Oliver saw me. At some point, the smile on his face had vanished. In a flash, he stepped in front of Kimberly, shielding her behind him.

For the first time, I saw wariness and irritation in his eyes when he looked at me. "What are you doing here?"

In that moment, all my emotions drained out of me. I was like a puppet with its strings cut as I stood there in a daze.

A surge of anger rose in my chest out of nowhere, burning and choking. I stared straight at him, my body filling with hurt. "Where's my birthday present?"

He frowned, like he was reassessing me. Then, he laughed. Right in front of everyone, he dragged Kimberly into his arms. With a kind of crazed recklessness, he dipped his head and made out with her.

The room erupted in whistles and cheers, but all I heard was the sharp crack of a slap. It was from my brother, Vincent Hale. "You jerk! Is this how you're gonna treat my sister?"

For a moment, there was chaos. Vincent, who'd always been gentle, had gone red-eyed with rage.

Even Oliver knew he'd gone too far. He just stood there and let Vincent hit him without trying to dodge. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he refused to admit that he'd done anything wrong.

He wiped the blood away, looking at Vincent like he actually found this funny. "Are you really that mad? I told you before not to introduce your sister to me, didn't I? You're the one who didn't listen."

That only pissed Vincent off more. He swung another punch straight at Oliver's face.

Kimberly jumped in fright and burst into tears. Oliver's expression instantly hardened. He snarled at Vincent, "That's enough. Don't overdo it, and we can still be friends."

Vincent let out a derisive laugh. He swore at Oliver, his eyes full of viciousness. "Is this your idea of being my friend?"

Oliver didn't back down. The warmth that used to be in his eyes was gone, replaced by iciness. He warned Vincent to quit while he was ahead.

Vincent's voice dropped so low that it was almost a hiss. "Apologize to my sister, you jerk."

Oliver didn't move. His gaze slid over to me, standing off in the distance, freezing in the cold. He said coolly, "I didn't do anything wrong. I told you from the beginning I was just messing around with Vera. Kimberly is the one I really love. It's not like you didn't know that."

A flush crept up Kimberly's beautiful face. She shot me an awkward glance, then quickly looked away.

My fingernails dug into my palms. The wind whipping through the estate felt like a knife slicing into my chest; the pain carved down to my bones.

I didn't know what else Vincent said, but I could see Oliver getting more and more defensive. He shot me another look and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Yeah, they were all lies." He let out a mocking laugh. "Be honest—what guy doesn't wanna give it a shot when some young woman confesses to him?"

Vincent exploded and completely lost it. Several people rushed in to break up the fight.

I couldn't stop trembling from the cold, and I felt my blood turn to ice.

In my rush to leave the house, I'd grabbed the wrong shoes. Now, they felt like shackles around my feet. Every step I took felt like walking on glass.

I just stood there, staring blankly at Oliver.

Seemingly afraid that I couldn't hear him clearly, he actually pulled out his phone and called me. I answered in a daze, and his voice came through, every single word painfully clear in my ears.

"Vera, a good girl like you doesn't belong by my side."

I bit my lip, my voice so small that it was almost inaudible. "Then what kind of woman do you like?"

Oliver didn't even hesitate. He ripped the last layer of illusion away without mercy. "I'd bite the woman I love, Vera. I could never bring myself to be that cruel to you."

I hung up on him in a flash, a piercing chill lodging deep in my chest.

I'd known Oliver for years. Maybe he didn't even realize just how relaxed he looked at the moment. I met his eyes and slowly parted my lips. "Oli, I'm letting you go."

I stepped forward and politely greeted Kimberly, Oliver watching. I put real emotion into it and even managed to smile sincerely.

He froze, staring at me like he couldn't believe what he'd just seen. His jaw tightened, and his face hardened, like he was trying to figure out if I actually meant what I said.

"Have you finally come around, Vera?"

I nodded obediently. What was there not to understand? It was just one man that I'd lost. I would meet someone better down the line.

Under Vincent's heartbroken gaze, I took Oliver's and Kimberly's hands and placed them together. "Oli, I wish you both happiness."

Because from this moment on, I genuinely didn't want him anymore.