When Sofia finished at the mall, it was close to nine o'clock. The late autumn night was dark and starless.
She was carrying the stuff Anna wanted and was waiting for the car at the intersection.
The downpour came without warning and she was caught in it.
Unable to get a taxi, fearing the clothes she bought for Anna would get wet, Sofia held the paper bag to her chest and bravely ran down the fast lane.
Amid honking car horns and cursing drivers,
Sofia vexedly took out her phone to call her boyfriend Adam Parker.
The phone rang for a while before Adam answered, hastily saying,
"Hello?"
"Are you home? I can't get a cab and it's raining.
Can you come and pick me up?"
There was a trace of bewilderment and helplessness in Sofia's voice.
Under normal circumstances, Adam would have been very anxious.
But not today.
"Sofia...I'm still at the office.
As you know, the company's been busy and I can't get away...wait for me where you are. I'll be right there."
Sofia instantly understood what Adam meant,
"No problem, you can continue with your work. I'll wait a little longer.
Head home and rest once you finish your work."
As unobservant as she was, she noticed something was off with Adam.
His tone was overly obvious, indicating that he didn't want to come pick her up.
The rain turned the night into a hazy mixture of grey and black.
After hanging up, Sofia put her phone in her pocket.
She was about to brave the rain and try her luck at the upcoming traffic lights, when a familiar black Mercedes came down the slow lane.
She recognized the car license- it belonged to none other than Adam,
her boyfriend, who had just claimed to be at work.
Her body reacted before her brain, and Sofia instinctively spread her arms in the middle of the slow lane.
Although the Mercedes wasn't driving fast, it still had to screech to a halt to avoid hitting her.
Her long black hair and dark green coat were already wet.
The confrontation with the car's headlights made her gaze even colder.
Everything in front of her was blurred as she saw Adam get out of the car with an umbrella and a delicate silhouette of a woman in the passenger seat.
She was dumbfounded.
"Adam, didn't you say you were at the company?
Who is she?"
Sofia pointed straight at the woman behind the windshield on the passenger side, her beautiful face showing indifference.
Adam was surprised by Sofia's appearance.
He looked at Sofia uncomfortably, yet had a flattery smile on his face:
"Sofia, I was really working just now.
She...she is one of my business partners.
It began to rain after we finished discussing business, there's nothing wrong with me offering her a ride home."
Adam reached out to grasp Sofia's hand,
"Honey, let me have the driver take you home first."
Sofia skillfully evaded his gesture, a hint of coldness appearing on her lips:
"You don't have the time to bring your own girlfriend home,
but you have the time to drop a business partner?"
Due to the heavy rain, Sofia couldn't make out the face of the woman on the passenger side.
She cast a glance at Adam, quickly moving towards the passenger seat of the Mercedes,
"I would love to see who this business partner of yours really is!"
Adam tried to stop Sofia, but it was too late.
She opened the passenger door and was taken aback by the person inside.
She stepped back, dropping the paper bag she had been carefully holding in her arms.
"Aa...Aan Anna?"
It was Anna.
An incredulous Sofia widened her eyes.
Anna's delicate face showed an awkward smile,
"Sofia."
Adam walked up and pulled Sofia back.
He held an umbrella with one hand, his face no longer filled with discomfort: "Sofia, since you've already seen this,
I don't need to bother explaining... As you can see, Anna and I are together."
Sofia couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She looked at Anna, as if waiting for her explanation.
The usually gentle Anna met Sofia's gaze, holding onto Adam's hand,
"Yes Sofia, Adam and I were wondering how to tell you about this.
Now that you've found out, we might as well be honest.
It's better for all of us."
Sofia took a deep breath, her fingers clenched, her eyes reddening.
Anna, who came from a humble background and was timid, was always looked after by Sofia for fear that she would be bullied in the entertainment industry.
Sofia protected Anna like a hen protecting its chick,
but she never thought that one day she would be severely hurt by the chick she had protected.
"So, you two are really together?"
Sofia's voice was dry and strained.
Anna nodded,
"Yes Sofia, Adam and I are together."
Her voice was firm and resonant.
After years of being close friends, the woman she had considered a confidante was now involved with her boyfriend – it was truly ironic.
"Clear Moon, as a woman, you're a total bore.
I just can't see anything girlfriend-like about you,"
Adam said without hesitation, he put one arm around Anna's shoulders, looking straight at Sofia.
"Anna can give me what I truly desire."
Sofia clenched her teeth, her sharp nails sinking into the flesh of her palm.
Leaning into Adam's embrace, Anna looked pityingly at the disgraced Sofia and spoke,
"Sofia, don't blame me, emotions aren't something one can control by sheer willpower. I..."
"Get lost,"
interrupted Sofia, quickly wiping her nose.
Pointing ahead, she ordered,
"Both of you, just get out—"
Before Anna could say another word, Adam had pulled her into his car.
The engine roared to life, and the tail lights of the Mercedes soon disappeared into the curtain of rain.
Sofia stood alone, soaking wet, a cold breeze chilling her to the bone.
She looked at the expensive clothing and their packaging, crushed them under her foot, again and again.
That night, Sofia fell seriously ill.
After recovering, she sold the villa where she resided in the western suburbs of the city.
Her grandmother's death and betrayal by her boyfriend and best friend made her wish to leave the city.
However, she quickly regretted selling her villa.
On FB, she saw Adam announce his relationship with Anna.
To generate publicity for Anna, Adam intentionally allowed some paparazzi to catch them in an intimate moment.
The unabashed photos of them together deeply hurt Sofia.
Adam and Anna were the ones who had done something shameful, not her, Sofia. Why should she be the one to hide?
They should be the ones leaving tail between legs!
The more Sofia thought about it, the angrier she became.
Moreover, the villa in the western suburbs was filled with memories of her and her grandmother.
How could she just sell it!
Regretting her rash decision to sell the villa, Sofia decided to buy it back, regardless of the price set by the owner.
Sofia thought, teeth clenched, she only had herself to blame for the hasty decision.
