No Longer Welcome

My fingerprint had never been given a permanent place in Haiden Buckley's smart lock. He always registered it as temporary access. Whenever he set it up again, he gave me the same reassuring promise. "Come by whenever you want. You're always welcome here." His words sounded generous, yet the result never changed. Whenever I returned to his house, the scanner rejected me with the same message—fingerprint not registered. That day was no different. I stood outside Haiden's front door, watching the scanner flash red after rejecting my fingerprint once again. After staring at it for a moment, I pulled out my phone and called him. Haiden answered almost immediately. His apology came easily, as though this were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "Sorry. My friend was playing around with the lock yesterday and accidentally removed your fingerprint." He continued before I could respond. "Wait there for now. I'll register it again the next time I'm home." There it was again. Another promise for next time. My fingers tightened around my phone as memories of all the previous incidents returned. Two times ago, Haiden had blamed a system update for wiping out my access. Somehow, Kendall Hatfield's fingerprint had remained perfectly intact. Last time, he claimed the lock was faulty and that he needed to replace the entire control panel. But the truth had been much simpler. Kendall had casually remarked, "Keeping too many fingerprints in the system isn't safe." Soon afterward, mine had been removed. Haiden always had an explanation that sounded reasonable enough on the surface. Somehow, every convenient accident ended the same way. He gave Kendall exactly what she wanted, leaving her as the only woman with unquestioned access to his home. Haiden was still trying to reassure me over the phone. "Just stay there. I'll open the door for you when I get back." The call ended. A second later, a sharp click came from the other side of the door. I knew that sound. Someone inside had turned the deadbolt. Kendall knew I was right outside, yet she had deliberately locked the door anyway. I remained still for a few seconds before slowly getting to my feet. I brushed the dust from my pants and looked at the door one last time. 'Forget it. I don't want to go inside anymore.' Chapter 1 Outside His Circle The chilly night breeze slipped beneath my collar and sent a shiver through my body. I wiped a hand across my face. I was not crying, and my eyes were completely dry. It was only the wind making them sting. I walked toward the curb outside the apartment complex and pulled out my phone to book a ride home. Before I could open the app, someone called out to me. "Hey, what are you doing out here?" I looked up and spotted Alex Hudson coming toward me with a convenience-store bag swinging from one hand. He was close friends with both Haiden and Kendall and lived in the same apartment. "Are you here to see Haiden?" he asked. "Yeah." I glanced back at the building. "The door is locked from the inside, so I can't get in." Alex stopped walking and frowned at me. "Isn't Kendall inside? She just sent a voice message to the group chat. She's cooking at Haiden's place right now, and she invited everyone over for drinks." Alex spoke as though the situation were completely ordinary. He did not seem to notice how quickly the warmth had disappeared from my face. I forced myself to ask, "Does she come here often?" He laughed lightly. "She's here all the time. Kendall probably knows Haiden's place better than any of us." His expression remained amused as he continued, "We even joke that she's basically the lady of the house." The smile on his face disappeared almost at once. Alex seemed to realize only then that he had just made that joke in front of Haiden's actual girlfriend. He explained, "Uh… I don't mean it like that." I forced a small smile, trying to show him that I was fine. However, my throat tightened before I could get the words out. A notification sounded from Alex's phone before the silence between us could grow any worse. He lowered his eyes to the screen, and my gaze followed without meaning to. The top of the group chat clearly displayed "Haiden's Harem." Kendall had posted another voice message. Several teasing memes followed almost immediately, and new replies began appearing beneath them. 'I'm on my way.' 'Save me some ribs.' Alex quickly turned off his screen, but I had already seen enough. He shifted the plastic bag in his hand and cleared his throat. "Do you want to come upstairs with me? Kendall might be busy cooking, so maybe she didn't hear you knocking." He hesitated briefly before adding, "We're all friends, after all." I almost laughed at the idea of all of us being friends. I was Haiden's girlfriend, yet somehow I still felt like the least welcome person in his circle. Everyone else seemed to fit naturally into his life, while I was always left standing at the edge, like someone who had never truly been meant to belong there. I shook my head. "No, it's okay." I turned away from Alex and continued toward the street. After walking several steps, I gave in and checked my phone again. Haiden's latest message was still waiting on the screen. 'Give me a few minutes. I'm heading back now. I'll let you in.' Ten minutes had already passed since he sent it. Haiden still had not appeared. Chapter 2 Always on the Other Side of the Door The next morning, I turned my phone back on and found two missed calls from Haiden waiting on the screen. Underneath them were two messages from the night before. 'Why didn't you wait for me?' His second message followed a few minutes later. 'Kendall is cooking, so I can't leave right now. Text me when you get home.' I had barely finished reading them when his name appeared on my screen again. Once I answered, Haiden got straight to the point. "What happened with the door was Kendall's doing. I already talked to her about it." He moved on almost immediately, as though the matter had already been settled. "Alex and the others are having dinner tonight. Come with me. We're all friends. You just need to spend more time with everyone. Once you do, you'll feel more comfortable around them." I had no desire to spend another evening with his friends after what had happened the night before. Somehow, I still heard myself agree. … That evening, I arrived at the seafood-and-steak restaurant and entered the private dining room. Kendall was already seated in the most important spot at the table, looking completely at home. The moment Haiden walked in, she tapped the empty chair beside her. "Haiden, sit here." I headed toward the empty seat to his right, but one of his friends reached it first and dropped into it. "Sorry, I'm taking this spot tonight. Haiden and I are drinking together." Kendall looked across the table at me with an easy smile. "Why don't you sit over there? You can see everyone better from that side." By the time everyone settled in, I had somehow ended up farther away from Haiden than anyone else. The low murmur of conversation filled the private dining room as servers moved quietly between the tables. Across from me, she kept leaning toward Haiden whenever she spoke. More than once, her hair nearly brushed his shoulder. Not long afterward, a large seafood platter arrived, piled high with crab legs, oysters, and shrimp. Kendall picked up one of the crab legs and turned it over in her hand before looking at Haiden. "Haiden, crack this for me. You know I'm terrible at it." He took it from her without hesitation. He grabbed the shell cracker and worked carefully through the hard shell, pulling out the crabmeat piece by piece. The sharp edges left his fingertips slightly red, but he barely seemed to notice. Kendall speared a piece of crabmeat with her fork and took a bite. She left half of it on the fork, then held it toward Haiden. "Try this. It's really good." Haiden leaned forward and ate the rest straight from her fork. His lips touched the same fork she had just used. Someone at the table let out a teasing whistle. "You two have always been like this. Aren't you worried Haiden's actual girlfriend might get jealous?" Kendall laughed as though the idea were ridiculous. "Haiden has been cracking crab for me since we were kids. His girlfriend isn't going to get upset over something this small." Then, she turned her attention toward me. "Right?" The conversation around the table stopped, and everyone looked in my direction. I kept my expression calm and gave them a small smile. "It's fine." That answer seemed to satisfy them, and the conversation quickly continued. Later, Kendall nudged her plate toward Haiden. "Haiden, this steak is too tough. Cut it for me?" He glanced down, took her knife and fork, and sliced the steak into bite-sized pieces before sliding the plate back to her, as if he had done it countless times before. Everything between them happened with such practiced ease that it was impossible to mistake it for a one-time favor. Haiden understood what Kendall wanted before she ever needed to explain herself. He had clearly taken care of her this way countless times before. One of their friends laughed when he noticed. "You two really have the whole childhood-friends thing down." Kendall turned toward Haiden with a nostalgic smile. "Do you remember when you visited me in college? My roommate was convinced you were my boyfriend. She even took us out to dinner because she thought we were dating." Haiden smiled at the memory. "Your roommate gets excited about everything." "She really does. She kept asking us when we were getting married." As Kendall spoke, her gaze briefly shifted toward me. The look lasted only a moment, but the satisfaction behind it was difficult to miss. She reached toward Haiden a few seconds later and adjusted the collar of his shirt. Her fingertips brushed lightly across the skin near his collarbone. "Your collar is crooked." Nobody around the table seemed to find the gesture unusual. Kendall left her hand there longer than necessary before finally pulling it away. Haiden remained completely relaxed throughout the entire exchange. Her touch was clearly familiar enough that he barely noticed it anymore. Dinner was halfway through when Kendall stood to get another drink. As she rose from her chair, her hand knocked against a wineglass. The glass tipped, and red wine poured down the front of my white dress. For a moment, I could only stare at the spreading stain. Haiden reacted immediately. But his attention never went to me. He reached for Kendall's hand and carefully turned her palm upward. "Did you hurt yourself? Is the glass broken?" Kendall examined her hand before shaking her head. "I'm okay." Only then did she look in my direction. Her expression quickly became apologetic. "I'm so sorry. Was your dress expensive? I can buy you a new one." The wine had already soaked through the fabric and was dripping down onto my shoes. Haiden still did not look at me. His attention remained entirely on Kendall. I pushed my chair back and stood. "I'm going to the restroom." I left the private room before anyone could respond. The door had barely closed behind me when Kendall's voice drifted through from inside. "Haiden, is your girlfriend upset?" Her tone became quieter. "Did I make her angry?" Haiden answered calmly, "She isn't like that. Don't think too much about it." She gave a soft laugh. "Good. I was worried you might stop talking to me because of her." A few quiet laughs followed from the others. I remained in the hallway outside the closed door, and the familiarity of the situation suddenly struck me. The night before, I had stood outside Haiden's apartment while Kendall stayed comfortably inside. Less than a day later, I had once again found myself separated from them by a closed door. The circumstances were different, but the feeling had not changed. Everyone in that room seemed to belong naturally in Haiden's life. I was supposed to be his girlfriend. Yet somehow, I was always the excluded one. Chapter 3 The Seat That Was Never Mine Once dinner was over, everyone drifted out of the restaurant and gathered near the curb in small groups, chatting while they waited for their rides. I headed toward Haiden's SUV and reached for the front passenger door, assuming I would sit beside him. Kendall came around the vehicle before I could open it, stopping directly in front of me. "Can I sit up front?" she asked with an easy smile. "I get really carsick in the back." She did not wait for an answer. She opened the passenger door, climbed inside, and fastened her seat belt as naturally as if the seat had always belonged to her. She glanced toward Haiden. "Come on, Haiden. Let's go." Haiden looked at me briefly. "Kendall really does get carsick. Just take the back seat." I pressed my lips together, opened the rear door, and climbed in without arguing. We had barely left the restaurant when Kendall opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small bag of nuts. The ease with which she found them made it obvious that she already knew exactly what Haiden kept in his car. After eating a few, she picked up another and held it toward his mouth. "Open." Haiden leaned over without hesitation and took it straight from her fingers. His lips brushed against her fingertips, yet neither of them seemed to notice anything unusual about it. Kendall settled back into her seat. "Liam and the others are going to that new campground next weekend. Are you going?" "Yeah. I haven't gotten away in a while." "Then, I'm coming too. You're taking the SUV, right? I'll ride with you." "Sure. I'll pick you up." Kendall grinned. "Deal. Don't ditch me this time." She reached over and gave his arm a playful poke. I stayed quiet in the back seat while the two of them casually arranged their weekend together. My fingers curled tightly against my palm. Until that moment, I had not even known there was a camping trip. Haiden had never mentioned it to me. When we stopped at a red light, Kendall pulled out her phone and angled the screen toward him. "Ryan is bothering me about that proposal again. Look at what he wants me to change. Is he serious?" Haiden glanced at the screen. "Write it the way you normally do. Don't let him throw off your whole approach." Kendall sighed as she lowered the phone. "You're seriously the only person who understands me. When I complain to anyone else, they don't even get why I'm frustrated." We were nearing Haiden's apartment when Kendall suddenly began coughing. It started mildly, as though something had irritated her throat. Within moments, the coughing grew harsher and more frequent. She pressed a hand against her chest and sank into the passenger seat. "Haiden…" Her voice sounded strained. "I can't breathe." Haiden immediately slowed the SUV and pulled over to the side of the road. The casual ease disappeared from his voice. "Where's your medication? Do you have your inhaler with you?" Kendall struggled to catch her breath as she shook her head. "I… I forgot it." Haiden leaned toward her and rubbed her back in slow, steady strokes. His movements came so naturally that it was clear he had taken care of her like this before. After several uneven breaths, Kendall turned toward the back seat and looked directly at me. Her brows tightened. "Did you put on perfume?" Another cough interrupted her. "I really can't handle that smell." "I'm not wearing any perfume," I replied. Kendall appeared not to hear me. She bent forward and continued coughing, clutching at her chest. Haiden glanced at me through the rearview mirror, and irritation flashed across his face. "Jane, are you sure you didn't spray anything?" "I'm sure. I didn't." He fell silent after that. For several seconds, he stared through the windshield as though weighing his options. "We're pretty close to my place." He paused before looking back at me. "You can walk the rest of the way." For a moment, I wondered whether I had heard him correctly. Haiden had already unbuckled his seat belt. He stepped out, walked around the SUV, and opened the rear door for me. Cold air rushed into the car and cut through my thin jacket. There was nothing left to misunderstand. I got out. The door had barely closed behind me when Kendall's weak voice carried through the window. "Haiden… Can we go to the ER? I really don't feel good." The SUV pulled away seconds later. I remained beside the road and watched the red taillights grow smaller until they disappeared completely. The situation was almost ridiculous. The street was nearly deserted, the hour was late, and the cold wind passed straight through the thin jacket I had worn to dinner. Going back to Haiden's apartment was the last thing I wanted. Unfortunately, I had left something there that I could not afford to lose. The original property transfer agreement was still on the desk in his study. My mom had gone to great trouble to get it back home before mailing it to me. She had reminded me more than once to keep it somewhere safe because it was the only original copy I had. Leaving it behind was not an option. All the time she had spent going back and forth to the notary office would have been wasted if anything had happened to it. I eventually hailed a taxi, climbed into the back seat, and gave the driver Haiden's address. Chapter 4 The Night the Truth Came Out The taxi stopped in front of Haiden's apartment, and I used the access code he had given me earlier that night to enter. When I reached his study, warm yellow light spilled across the desk. My document envelope was sitting exactly where I had left it, except someone had opened it. I walked closer and immediately saw the damage. The property transfer agreement had been torn cleanly in half. Both pieces were wrinkled and drenched with water, and dark stains had spread across the pages. The ink had bled so badly that the official seal and signatures were almost impossible to read. I carefully picked up the two pieces. My fingers trembled when they touched the torn edges. The agreement was supposed to transfer ownership of our family home in my hometown from my mom to me. My mom had originally planned to mail the paperwork straight to my place. Haiden had changed her mind after he found out about it. "Have her send the documents to me instead. I know someone at the property office, so I can help you with the paperwork. Your mom won't have to keep making trips." I had believed he was helping us. Now, everything my mother had spent the past two months arranging had been ruined. Starting over meant she would need to return to the notary office in our hometown, complete the paperwork again, and mail me another set of original documents. After that, we would have to wait at least another month for the process to be completed. My mom was no longer in good enough health to keep traveling back and forth for paperwork like this. I stared at the ruined agreement in my hands and noticed a faint shoeprint across one of the pages. Someone had not merely spilled water by accident. I took out my phone and called Haiden. The phone rang for a long time before he finally answered. Exhaustion and impatience were obvious in his voice. "I'm at the ER. Kendall is on oxygen. What is it?" I looked down at the torn papers. "My property transfer agreement was on your desk. Someone tore it in half and poured water all over it." Haiden went quiet for a couple of seconds before responding, "I don't have time to deal with this right now. The doctor says Kendall could've been in serious danger if we got here any later." "That agreement came from my mom—" He interrupted me before I could finish. "Do you seriously have to talk about this right now?" His voice turned colder. "Kendall just had an asthma attack. She could've been in real danger. Do you understand that?" I remained silent. "Just get another copy of the agreement. Stop blaming everything on her." He paused briefly before continuing, "She's still on oxygen. Try to be reasonable." The call ended before I had a chance to respond. A notification appeared on my phone almost immediately afterward. Kendall had posted an update, writing, 'Asthma attack. Haiden brought me to the ER. Thank God he was here.' Someone had already left a comment underneath. 'Haiden playing hero again?' I stared at the screen and realized I no longer had the energy to feel heartbroken or angry. I was simply exhausted, and the feeling seemed to have settled all the way into my bones. I turned off my phone and began collecting the damaged pages so I could place them back inside the envelope. While reaching across the desk, I accidentally bumped the computer mouse. The monitor lit up. A hotel booking site was still open on the screen, and an unread notification under "My Reservations" immediately caught my attention. 'Your stay is complete. We hope you enjoyed your visit and would love to hear your feedback.' I clicked on it, and the reservation details appeared. Three months earlier, Haiden and Kendall had stayed together in a king room at a hot spring resort outside the city, with a private hot spring included in the booking. The date was painfully familiar. It was the exact weekend Haiden had told me he was away on a business trip. I went completely still as a heavy pressure tightened around my chest. I did not close the reservation page. Instead, my attention shifted to the bookmarks along the top of the browser. One of them led to a food delivery app. I clicked it and opened the order history. An order from the same weekend appeared on the screen. The delivery location matched the resort. The time was 10:47 p.m. The order included two hot mulled wines, a fruit platter, and a box of condoms. Haiden had placed the order. My eyes remained fixed on the word "condoms" until the screen eventually dimmed from inactivity. My reflection appeared in the black monitor. That was when I remembered the message I had sent Haiden that same night. 'Are you tired from the business trip?' His reply had been simple. 'Not too bad. Go to bed early.' I had listened to him. I had actually gone to sleep believing he was away on business while he was sharing a king room with Kendall and ordering condoms to their room. I quietly put the mouse back down. I did not cry, and my hands did not shake. I felt no urge to scream or destroy anything. Instead, I walked to his closet, pulled out the suitcase I had left there, and packed everything that belonged to me. Once I finished, I carried the suitcase out of the apartment. The door closed behind me, and the electronic lock chimed through the silent hallway. "Door locked." I kept walking without turning around. There was nothing left inside that apartment that I wanted to look back at.