Chapter 3

Ethan's mention of my twenty-year-old self pulled me straight back into the past.

At twenty, I was the kind of girl other women envied.

My family had money, and I'd been told more than once that I was beautiful.

On top of that, I had three remarkably good-looking men who never left my side.

Ethan, Sebastian, and Caleb — lifelong best friends who had grown up practically joined at the hip.

Maybe because their lives had always run on the same track, their taste in women ended up nearly identical. All three of them fell for me at the same time.

Strangely enough, they didn't fight over it. Instead, they made a pact — fair competition, no dirty moves.

They each had their own way of pursuing a girl.

At twenty, I was obsessed with those over-the-top romance novels about powerful, possessive men who swept women off their feet. I couldn't resist Ethan's bold, unapologetic approach.

So I chose him.

The whole campus assumed that once I was taken, Sebastian and Caleb would finally shift their attention to other girls.

They didn't.

They stayed by my side as they always had. If Ethan ever slipped up even slightly, neither of them needed me to say a word — they'd handle him themselves.

The four of us existed in a dynamic that was complicated, but somehow it worked.

That life lasted until I was twenty-six.

That year, my family's business collapsed. My parents moved back to their small hometown. The pampered girl I used to be was gone.

I turned down all three of their offers to help and found work on my own — performing as a dancer at a local theater.

At a dinner one evening, I crossed paths with a young woman named Yvonne, who was being harassed by her boss.

She was four years younger than me, fresh out of college, and she looked completely lost.

I had never been able to stomach watching someone get pushed around. And having been sheltered and spoiled my whole life, I had a tendency to act first and think later.

I grabbed a bottle off the table and smashed it over the man's head.

He let go of Yvonne — but then turned his attention to me.

The situation dissolved into chaos. I fought back, and by the end of it my face was bruised and swollen.

Fortunately, Ethan and the others showed up in time.

Dealing with a paunchy middle-aged man was effortless for the three of them — like handling a child.

Once the man was gone, Yvonne dropped to her knees in front of me.

She pressed her forehead to the floor, her eyes full of tears. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry you got hurt because of me."

I couldn't bring myself to be angry with her.

I thought that would be the end of it — a brief encounter, nothing more.

But while I was recovering at the hospital, Yvonne showed up with fruit she'd bought on sale.

I was in the VIP suite Ethan had arranged. Yvonne looked visibly out of place, fidgeting with her hands.

"Kayla… that night, if you hadn't stepped in, I don't know what would have happened. I asked Ethan what you liked, and he said durian, so I bought some. I really hope you feel better soon."

The durian she brought had gone partially bad.

I didn't want to make her feel worse, so I ate it anyway.

The spoiled fruit wrecked my stomach. I was sick for days.

Ethan and the others scolded me first for being too soft-hearted, then went and yelled at Yvonne.

The poor girl had never been on the receiving end of anything like that. She sobbed so hard she could barely breathe.

Between tearful apologies to me, she vented about being let go from her internship.

Back then, I just thought she was sweet and a little naive.

I liked her. I wanted to help her.

So I got her a position at the theater and took her on as my personal assistant.

It was the decision I would regret most in my entire life.