Chapter 2
But unlike me, she didn’t seem surprised at all. Instead, her expression held a hint of… pride?
Tessa Reynolds. My arch-nemesis from elementary school all the way through high school.
By some cosmic joke, we’d spent almost our entire education in the same school and same class.
Instead of turning into some heartwarming friendship story, this “destiny” created nine straight years of fierce rivalry.
The reason? Whenever Tessa and I were in the same setting, she always ended up as the eternal runner-up.
Not just in academics, but looks and family background too.
I tried multiple times to bow out of this competition. Once, I deliberately tanked an exam to let her taste what being number one felt like.
But she caught on and confronted me: “Claire Moore, what the hell do you think you’re doing? I don’t need your pity. One day I’ll beat you fair and square.”
So our hate-fueled rivalry continued until high school graduation.
The weird connection finally broke when we went to different colleges, and I hadn’t heard anything about her for years.
My head started spinning. Was this twisted relationship about to pick up right where we left off?
Even after all these years, her smug attitude hadn’t changed a bit—if anything, it had gotten worse.
Even her tone was exactly the same.
“Claire Moore, let’s not dig up ancient history, but I have to admit there’s one area where I just can’t compete with you.”
“They say women should be independent, but look at you, working so hard out here all by yourself. Unlike me—I’ve got a husband who spoils me rotten. All I have to do is enjoy life.”
She “casually” flashed her Patek Philippe watch and Hermès bag, then pointedly glanced at my bare wrist.
“My husband buys me so many accessories and bags I can’t even wear them all. Sometimes it’s better to go simple like you do.”
I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly got stuck.
The ironic part? I actually owned every single item she was showing off. Nathan was so extravagant with his gifts that he apparently bought duplicates of everything.
And why wasn’t I wearing mine? Not because I didn’t want to.
It was literally against school policy to wear flashy jewelry in the classroom.
I sighed, deciding to push her buttons.
“Sure, I’m not as lucky as you—just signing some papers and calling it a marriage, living that boring married life. Still, I guess that’s slightly better than being the side piece.”
Her expression flickered for a moment before quickly recovering.
“In a marriage, the real ‘side piece’ is the one who isn’t loved. What’s the point of just clinging to a marriage certificate otherwise?”
Snapping back at her was practically muscle memory at this point. I almost forgot that Nathan cheating with her was actually my ticket to freedom—my chance to finally file for divorce. I should be thanking her.
With that odd sense of gratitude in mind, I said sincerely, “Your husband must really love you. Love is important, though I still think that marriage certificate matters too.”
Hearing this hint of surrender, her expression shifted back to superiority—probably savoring the taste of finally winning against me.
She smiled. “It’s good that you think that way, Miss Moore. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
With that, she put her arm around Aiden and turned toward a car I recognized from our home garage.
“Come on, Aiden, let’s go meet Daddy for dinner, okay?”
The little boy’s voice was sweet: “Okay~”
