He Bet Against My Best Friend, Then Lost His Place in My Life

Ever since my best friend, Aurelia Westbrook, moved in next door, my boyfriend, Xavier Whitmore, couldn’t stop complaining about her. “She’s so completely useless,” he’d scoff. “If she doesn’t know how to cook, she should just order takeout. If she can’t figure out the washing machine, she should take her clothes to the dry cleaner. Why does she have to keep bothering you all the time?” I smiled and tried to explain. “Aurelia’s family went bankrupt. Her mother had to let all the household staff go. Normally, she doesn’t know how to do these things yet.” Xavier still wasn’t convinced. He started making bets with me every single day. “I bet that woman cuts her finger trying to cook again.” “I bet she leaves the house without turning off the faucet.” “I bet she doesn’t even know how to reset a tripped breaker.” At first, I didn’t think much of it. That was until Xavier made another bet. “I bet she comes over after washing her hair to ask you to blow-dry it for her.” Sure enough, a moment later, Aurelia stood at my front door with dripping wet hair. Except Xavier grabbed the hairdryer before I could even move. “I won the bet, Arabella. Let me go give her a hand.” After that, Xavier went to “give her a hand” every single time. Xavier, who had never done a single household chore in his life, cleaned Aurelia’s air conditioner. Xavier, who had never set foot in a kitchen, simmered soup for Aurelia. He ended up spending far more time in Aurelia’s apartment than he ever spent with me. Eventually, I couldn’t hold back my temper anymore. “Xavier, you make a bet every time, and every time, you go help Aurelia. Have you ever considered that I’m actually your girlfriend?” Xavier didn’t even pause as he twisted open a bottle cap for Aurelia. “Arabella, stop being so unreasonable.” Me? Unreasonable? The next time Aurelia stepped out, I made a bet before Xavier could. “Aurelia left the faucet running. “And the stakes are: let’s break up, Xavier.” Chapter 1 Xavier froze for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. “Arabella, making a bet isn’t supposed to be a spiteful game,” he said softly. “We’ve been together for seven years. Why do you always get so jealous and refuse to trust me?” Right. Xavier and I had been together for seven years. Yet in the mere three months since my best friend, Aurelia, moved in next door, he had made ninety-nine bets about her. And ninety-nine times, he had stepped in to help her. When Aurelia didn’t know how to hang her laundry, he hung it for her. When Aurelia didn’t know how to buy groceries, he bought them for her. Even when Aurelia didn’t know how to tie her shoelaces, he bent down to tie them for her. Yet when the light bulb at home broke, Xavier simply brushed me off. “Arabella, I’m busy cooking dinner for Aurelia. Why don’t you just look up a tutorial and change the bulb yourself?” Terrified of the dark as I was, that was how casually he dismissed me. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Xavier—it was that he had crossed the line long ago. But just as I was about to speak, Xavier cut me off. “Alright, I get it. You’re using a breakup to force me to stop making bets because you don’t want me helping Aurelia,” he said smoothly. “We’re getting married in three days anyway, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt to indulge you for once.” With that, he unlocked the apartment door next door as if he owned the place and casually turned off the running faucet. He smiled back at me. “Looks like you actually won this bet, Arabella. Go pick out whatever piece of wedding jewelry you want.” Ignoring the stakes I had just set, Xavier pulled out a credit card. It held the wedding fund he had been saving over our seven years together. Looking at that card, a foolish moment of hesitation flickered in my heart. It wasn’t because of the money, but because of Xavier’s apparent determination to marry me. I thought I would give him one last chance to earn my trust. However, that final chance crushed every last bit of my hope. When Xavier went to swipe the card at the jewelry store, the cashier spoke up apologetically, “I’m sorry, sir... There aren’t enough money on this card. Would you like to use another form of payment?” Xavier looked slightly embarrassed, while I stood there completely baffled. There was supposed to be two hundred thousand dollars on that card, and the diamond jewelry set I’d picked out for my wedding cost only one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. How could there not be enough? “Arabella, I saw Aurelia trying to sell cosmetics earlier. She was so clumsy that there was no way she was going to make any sales, so I spent some money to help her out. There’s still one hundred thousand dollars left on the card, which should be enough if we switch from the diamond necklace to the earrings and bracelet.” My cheeks burned hot, though I couldn’t tell whether it was from anger or humiliation. “Forget it, Xavier,” I said quietly. “I don’t want the jewelry anymore, and I’m not marrying you either.” Just as I turned to leave, Xavier grabbed my arm. “Arabella, stop throwing a tantrum. Is one hundred thousand not enough for you to spend? Besides, you never cared about stuff like this anyway.” I truly didn’t care about the weight of the gold or the jewelry. What I cared about was that Xavier had become Aurelia’s guardian angel, while I had been turned into a complete laughingstock. Whether he made a bet or not, he was always going to help Aurelia. I was the only fool who believed his excuses and kept trying to persuade him to stop betting. My heart twisted with bitterness, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I forcefully yanked my arm out of Xavier’s grip. “You’re right, it isn’t enough. So why don’t you take this remaining hundred thousand and give it all to Aurelia as well?” Without turning back, I walked away. When I got home, I dialed my manager, Talia Rhodes. “Talia, I accept the transfer to the corporate headquarters in New York.” Her voice on the other end sounded confused. “Arabella, you specifically turned down the promotion earlier so you could prepare for your wedding. Why the sudden change of…” I looked up at the new light bulb I had changed all by myself in the dark. I gave a bitter smile. “Because I’m not getting married anymore.” Chapter 2 That evening, Xavier brought Aurelia back to our place. The moment Aurelia saw me, she burst into tears. “Arabella, this is all my fault,” she sobbed. “I ruined your chance to buy the jewelry. I’ve already quit the job and returned the money to Xavier. Please don’t call off the wedding out of spite, okay?” I looked at Aurelia calmly. “No.” Aurelia cried even harder, tears and snot streaming down her face. “Why? Are you angry because I’m too stupid and keep bothering Xavier?” she wept. “If that’s the case, I’ll pack up and move out right now.” With that, Aurelia ran back next door in tears to pack her clothes. Xavier watched her with heartbreak in his eyes before turning to glare at me. “Arabella, don’t push your luck,” he warned sternly. “Aurelia has no money right now. Are you really going to force her onto the streets?” Xavier, who used to be unable to bring himself to say a single harsh word to me, was now plunging knives into my heart for Aurelia’s sake. The cold intensity in his gaze squeezed my heart so tightly that I could hardly breathe. I wanted to say, “I’m not.” But Xavier had already turned around to stop Aurelia from leaving. As they tried to hold each other back, they ended up wrapped in an embrace—looking just like a deeply devoted couple. Xavier coaxed Aurelia softly, “Don’t be scared. I won’t let you move out.” “But it’s the end of the month,” Aurelia choked out through her sobs. “I’ll be kicked out by the landlord if I don’t have rent.” Without a second thought, Xavier blurted out, “Then move into our new house first. You can pick whichever room you want.” Yet Xavier seemed to have completely forgotten that the house was a gift he had bought for me—a private space meant exclusively for the two of us. Now, he was letting Aurelia take her pick of the rooms. It felt as though a chunk of my heart had been gouged out, leaving a sharp, agonizing ache. I watched Xavier help Aurelia pack her bags and carry her luggage. I watched the two of them get into a car together. Not long after, Aurelia updated her social media: “Thank you to him for giving me a home!” Tears dripped onto my phone screen. With trembling fingers, I tapped “Like.” Then I commented, “If it’s your home, why is my name on the deed?” The very next second, my phone rang. It was Xavier. “Arabella, do you really have to humiliate Aurelia like this?” he snapped. “She’s your best friend, not your enemy. How can you be so completely heartless?” Me? Heartless? When Aurelia’s parents died in a car crash, I used my own money to help her organize the funeral. When Aurelia’s family went bankrupt, I was the one who found her a place to live. When Aurelia didn’t know how to do a single thing, I patiently taught her how to navigate daily life. Even when Xavier complained about Aurelia being stupid in the beginning, I was the one who constantly stood up for her. Now, Xavier was accusing me of having no compassion. I almost laughed out loud, a sharp, stabbing pain radiating through my chest. “The one without a heart is you, Xavier,” I said, my voice thick with bitterness. “The room Aurelia is staying in is the master bedroom—that belonged to you and me. It’s the home I’ve dreamed about for seven years.” He couldn’t comprehend my breakdown at all, brushing it off as me throwing another temper tantrum. “A room is just a room. Stop being so dramatic,” he snapped. “Delete that comment. I’ll take you to try on wedding dresses tomorrow.” With that, he hung up abruptly. I stood in the empty room, shivering from the coldness spreading inside me. I wasn’t going to obey Xavier anymore. Instead, I packed my bags and bought a ticket to New York for two days later. Just then, my mother, Marlowe Donovan, called. “Arabella, have you lost your mind? Are you picking up gambling habits from your deadbeat father?” she immediately scolded me. “How dare you threaten to call off your wedding to Xavier over some stupid bet? Have you lost your mind? And that comment you left on social media—delete it right now! Aurelia is crying her eyes out because of you!” So Aurelia had gone running to my mother to complain about me. I replied softly, “I’m not deleting it, and I’m not crazy. “Mom, I’m not getting married anymore.” Chapter 3 I thought my mother would ask me why. Instead, she threatened me. “Arabella, if you dare break up with him and ruin this wedding, I will jump off the roof and die right in front of you.” In high school, when I didn’t apply for finance, my mother threatened to jump off the roof. In college, when I wanted to work away from my hometown, my mother threatened to jump off the roof. Now, when I didn’t want to get married anymore, my mother threatened to jump off the roof again. She never allowed me a single streak of rebellion, nor did she ever care whether I was happy. But this time, I wanted to live for myself. So I lied through my teeth. “Fine. I’ll marry him.” Yet my hands didn’t stop packing for a single second. Along the way, I listed our future home for sale online. The next day, I still hadn’t deleted my comment on social media—it was Aurelia who ended up deleting her post altogether. Even so, Xavier still showed up to drive me to my wedding dress fitting. He even brought me breakfast. I remembered back when Aurelia hadn’t moved in next door yet. Xavier used to wake up early every single morning to buy me fresh pastries and coffee from the cafe downstairs. Back then, his eyes and heart were filled with nothing but me. Now, even when I was starving to the point of hypoglycemia, Xavier was busy cooking meals for Aurelia. Looking at the pastries and coffee in front of me, my eyes welled up with moisture. Just as I was about to take a bite, however, I noticed a lipstick mark on the pastry wrapper. It turned out he hadn’t bought it specifically for me at all—it was just Aurelia’s leftover. I looked up at Xavier, waiting for an explanation. He simply dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Arabella, you should be glad there’s food at all. Don’t be so picky.” I truly wasn’t going to be picky anymore—I tossed the whole thing straight into the trash can. Xavier opened his mouth to scold me, but Aurelia tugged gently at the hem of his jacket. “Alright, let’s head out. Your mom is still waiting for me to take photos of Arabella in her gown to send to her.” My mother had clearly assigned Aurelia to keep tabs on me. When we arrived at the bridal shop, I tried on the wedding gown I had ordered three months ago. Back then, Xavier had fallen in love with the design at first sight, insisting it would look breathtaking on me. I had hesitated because of the steep price tag, reluctant to buy it. Xavier had gone behind my back and secretly placed the order. Now, as I stood in the gown, he didn’t even spare me a single glance. Instead, he hovered around Aurelia, who was wearing a bridesmaid dress, meticulously adjusting her skirt hem. Even the shop assistant couldn’t help but chime in, “The bride’s gown is a bit heavy. The groom can hold up her train so it looks nice for photos!” Xavier glanced over at me, his tone completely flat. “No need for photos. It doesn’t look good anyway.” The assistant looked terribly awkward, her eyes shifting toward me with a trace of pity. Aurelia swatted Xavier’s arm playfully. “What are you talking about? Arabella looks the prettiest. I’ll take her picture!” While Aurelia took photos of me, Xavier stood aside with an impatient scowl. Yet the moment Aurelia returned to his side, a bright smile instantly flashed across his face. In that moment, I felt like I wasn’t wearing a wedding dress at all—I was wearing a clown costume. The gown I had once been so desperate to put on was now something I couldn’t wait to strip off. Just as I stepped into the fitting room, I overheard the assistants talking outside. “The bride is so pitiful. The groom spent the entire time hovering around the bridesmaid. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was in love with her.” “I know, right? If he doesn’t love her, why is he marrying her? Isn’t he just wasting her life?” Right... If he didn’t love me, why did he want to marry me? He had wasted seven years of my life—was he planning to waste the rest of it, too? Tears soaked through the delicate fabric of the wedding dress, leaving me completely drained of strength. When I stepped back out, the assistant informed me that Xavier had already left with Aurelia. I checked my phone and found a single text message from him: “Aurelia said there was a popular restaurant nearby, so I took her there first to check it out.” I used to love checking out famous food spots, too. Back then, Xavier always complained that it was too crowded and too hot, calling anyone who waited in line an idiot. Now, with the weather sweltering and the roads packed with traffic, Xavier was happily standing in line for Aurelia. So it wasn’t that he hated waiting in line—he just hated waiting in line for me. With trembling hands, I typed back a single word: “Okay.” Chapter 4 Just as I took a cab back home, a message popped up from the florist. “Ms. Donovan, are you sure you want to swap the real flowers in your bridal bouquet for artificial ones?” I read the message in complete confusion, instinctively replying, “I never said anything about swapping the flowers.” The florist explained, “Your fiancé asked to change them to artificial flowers. He said you’re allergic to real ones. But I wanted to double-check with you directly.” I wasn’t allergic to real flowers. The one allergic to real flowers was Aurelia. So Xavier wanted artificial flowers for Aurelia’s sake. Even though I already knew the answer in my heart, I still wanted to ask. I called Xavier. “Why did you replace my bridal bouquet with fake flowers? You know I’m allergic to synthetic materials. Did you forget?” The sounds of the busy street buzzed in the background, but I could hear Xavier clearly. “I didn’t forget,” he said. “That’s why I made sure to get you some allergy medicine. Besides, you’re going to toss the bouquet anyway. Aurelia’s doctor said she’s in fragile health and shouldn’t risk an allergic reaction.” So Xavier would rather let me suffer an allergic reaction than let Aurelia endure one. Back when I had accidentally bitten down on a plastic straw, hives had broken out all over my body. At the time, Xavier had frantically carried me to the hospital. When the doctor explained my severe sensitivity to synthetic plastics, Xavier had promised me: “I’ll remember. I won’t let you touch a single piece of plastic for as long as I live.” It turned out Xavier’s idea of “a lifetime” was this fleeting. I let out a bitter laugh, tears spilling over the corners of my eyes. After hanging up, I texted the florist back, “No need to swap them. Just make the real flowers look like artificial ones.” That evening, Xavier actually returned home. However, the moment he stepped through the door, he confronted me aggressively. “Arabella, why did you unleash an online mob on Aurelia?” he demanded. “Do you have any idea how devastated she is?” I stared at him in utter bewilderment. Opening my phone to check, I finally realized what had happened. Aurelia had posted photos from her restaurant visit, and someone had commented underneath: “This guy has a bride-to-be. He’s getting married tomorrow.” Because of that comment, Aurelia was being dragged online as a home-wrecker. And Xavier assumed that comment had been posted by me. Simply because the IP address traced back to the bridal shop. No matter how I tried to explain, Xavier refused to listen. “Arabella, I’m marrying Aurelia first tomorrow morning to clarify to the public that she isn’t a home-wrecker,” he said coldly. “In the evening, I’ll marry you. But to keep Aurelia from being exposed, our wedding won’t have any guests—just you and me.” I scoffed. “Xavier, can a wedding with just two people even be called a wedding? “Back then, you said you wanted the whole world to witness our love, that you wanted me to walk down the aisle with pride and dignity,” I continued, my voice trembling. “Now, I’m the one who has to be kept hidden from the light.” A flicker of guilt flashed across Xavier’s eyes, but he quickly steeled his expression. “If you hadn’t orchestrated this online attack against Aurelia, I wouldn’t have had to do this,” he snapped. “Arabella, you brought this all on yourself.” It felt as though a deep wound had been carved into my heart. It didn’t hurt too much. Or perhaps it was because the pain had rendered me completely numb. By the time I snapped out of my daze, Xavier had already left. He had taken the custom wedding gown he had ordered for me three months ago, along with the wedding shoes he had meticulously picked out. He had even taken every single bridal hairpiece I was supposed to wear tomorrow. The room looked noticeably emptier, washing over me with an overwhelming sense of loneliness for the very first time. I didn’t sleep well that night. I dreamed of Xavier from seven years ago—except in the dream, he didn’t help me chase down the thief who grabbed my bag. He didn’t break a leg doing it, either. I didn’t hold Xavier and cry in gratitude, nor did I invite him out to dinner to thank him. And I never ended up with Xavier. Was that a nightmare or a sweet dream? I couldn’t tell anymore. All I remembered was waking up with a hollow ache in my chest. Quietly and calmly, I packed up the remainder of my belongings and boarded a flight. From this moment on, Xavier and I were nothing to each other.