Three Sweethearts, None for Me

It wasn’t until Chloe, the scholarship student, showed up that I realized I was just a placeholder princess. But my father didn’t know that. So, at a business gala, he announced loudly, “Anya, tell Daddy who you like. Bring him over, and I’ll welcome my new son-in-law today!” The entire ballroom turned to look at the three wealthy heirs who had once been my closest friends, my protectors. But the three of them acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing. One was feeding Chloe a piece of cake. Another was making her laugh. The third was watching her with an expression of pure, tender adoration. The silence was thick with awkwardness. My father’s face stiffened. “Dad,” I said quickly, “my boyfriend is studying abroad. I’ll bring him to meet you when he’s back.” The three of them shot me a look of pure scorn. I knew they didn’t believe me. They thought I was just trying to save face. But the truth was, I really did have a boyfriend.

1 The next time I visited their homes, it was to deliver my wedding invitations. I was having tea with Mrs. Hayes when Liam, her son, came downstairs. “Liam, darling,” she called out. “We were just talking about Anya’s wedding—” Liam, every inch the domineering CEO, shot me a glare. “Anya, who said anything about marrying you? Don’t use my mother to pressure me. I’ve told you I’m not interested. Get it through your head.” He stormed out of the house without another word. Mrs. Hayes sighed. “That boy only ever hears half of a conversation. Who said you were marrying him?” She looked at me apologetically. “Anya, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into Liam. He used to adore you. He and the other two were always fighting over who could be nicer to you. I used to think he’d have to fight them off if he wanted to be my son-in-law, but now…” I just smiled and shook my head. “It’s fine. You can’t force a connection that isn’t there. Well, I should get going.” “Of course, dear. We’ll be at your wedding.”

2 From the Hayes’ estate, I went to the Thorne residence. As the maid was showing me in, Ethan was just ending a call. The moment he saw me, a smirk touched his lips. “Liam just called,” he said, walking towards me. “Said you tried to force a marriage proposal at his house and now you’re trying your luck with me?” He put on his usual mask of gentle civility. “Anya, I thought we made it clear at the gala. We’re not interested in you. We’re not going to marry you. You should stop this.” I just smiled and nodded. “Which is why I’m here to deliver my wedding invitation.” He froze for a second, then that mocking smile returned. “Let me guess. You’re pulling the same stunt your father did, hoping to corner one of us at the altar so we’ll have to play along to avoid a scene? Anya, haven’t you learned your lesson? We don’t like you. And we won’t do anything that might make Chloe misunderstand. You won’t be able to invent another fake boyfriend to save yourself this time.” I shook my head, about to speak, but his phone rang again. His entire demeanor softened when he saw the caller ID. “Hey, Chloe… Okay, I’ll be right there.” He hung up and shot me a look that said, You’re on your own, before brushing past me and leaving. It seemed that because of my father’s stunt at the gala, they were utterly convinced I was trying to trap one of them into marriage. Fine. They’d find out the truth soon enough. Mrs. Thorne came out then, greeting me warmly and accepting the invitation. “My Ethan just doesn’t know how lucky he could have been,” she sighed. I was delivering the invitations myself because, despite the fractured friendship with the three of them, their parents had always been incredibly kind to me. After my mother died and my father threw himself into his work, I had spent my childhood rotating between their three homes. I would never forget the warmth and love they had shown me. Just then, I saw a new post on Chloe’s social media—a picture of the four of them at an amusement park. Perfect. That meant I could go to the third house without any interruptions.

3 I was sitting with Mrs. Monroe when I said, “The wedding is next month—” “Mom, how could you arrange a marriage between me and Anya without asking me? This is my girlfriend, Chloe!” Noah Monroe stormed in, pulling Chloe by the hand. “Mom, I know we used to play house and you all joked about me marrying Anya, but we were just kids. We’re adults now. You have to respect my choice!” Mrs. Monroe was stunned. “Noah, that’s not—” But Noah, never one for patience, was already glaring at me. “Anya, can you just stop chasing us? Do you really think getting our parents to pressure us is going to work? Can’t you see how much we can’t stand you right now? How we’re trying to get away from you?” “Noah!” Mrs. Monroe snapped, her voice sharp. But he wasn’t listening. “I love Chloe, and I will never, ever marry Anya. So you can all just wait for a wedding that’s never going to happen!” He grabbed Chloe’s hand and dragged her out. Mrs. Monroe sighed heavily. “He’s not even interested in Anya. Where does he get the confidence to think she’d want to marry him?” I just shrugged with a small smile. “He probably dislikes me so much right now he can’t be bothered to listen to anything I say. It’s fine. They’ll all understand eventually.”

4 When I left the Monroe mansion, all four of them—Liam, Ethan, Noah, and Chloe—were waiting outside. Remembering how much they supposedly despised me, I decided to ignore them and walk away. “Anya!” Chloe ran up and grabbed my arm. “Don’t misunderstand. Noah was just pretending I was his girlfriend to get you to back off.” “Chloe, why are you even talking to her? I’m doing this to get rid of her,” Noah called out impatiently. “Noah, don’t be like that. We’re all friends. I only met you guys because of Anya. I miss the days when the five of us used to hang out together,” Chloe said sweetly. “Anya, please don’t be mad at everyone. I really want us all to be friends again.” As she spoke, her nails dug sharply into my arm. I hissed in pain and pulled my arm away. “Ah!” She stumbled backward as if I had shoved her with all my might. “Chloe!” The three of them rushed to her side, their faces etched with concern. “Anya! Chloe is being so nice to you, and you push her? Have you no conscience?” Noah yelled. Ethan’s face was cold. “Chloe has been trying to get you to rejoin our group, but it seems you’re just not worthy.” “Apologize to Chloe right now, Anya!” Liam commanded, his voice low and dangerous. Chloe leaned against Liam, looking fragile and hurt, but her eyes, when they met mine, were filled with a familiar, triumphant malice. I brushed off my arm and gave them a cold look. “I’m so terrible. Why would I ever apologize to her? If you just keep her away from me, she won’t get hurt. Problem solved.” I turned and walked away. “Anya, if you don’t learn to be kind to Chloe, then there’s nothing left between us!” Liam’s cold voice followed me. A bitter smile touched my lips. Since Chloe had appeared, had there ever been anything left between us to begin with?

5 That evening, Mrs. Hayes asked me to deliver some medication to her at their vacation villa in the suburbs. But when I got there, only Liam, Ethan, and Noah were there. It turned out our parents had tricked all of us. And our cars were gone. There was no way to get back to the city tonight. On the phone, Mrs. Hayes said she hoped that by being in this place, a place filled with so many childhood memories, we would reconcile and become friends again. Noah scoffed. “What a waste of time. I wonder if Chloe needs us for anything.” His words made Liam and Ethan frown with worry. I agreed it was a waste of time, but looking around the familiar villa, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia. I walked over to the grand piano that had been sitting in the corner for over a decade. I remembered the four of us, eight clumsy hands trying to play a duet. Noah was always the troublemaker, and we would end up bickering and laughing while our parents watched, taking countless pictures of us at this very piano. “Chloe started taking piano lessons. Look, I took a video of her.” Noah pulled out his phone. Liam and Ethan immediately crowded around to watch. The sound of hesitant, clumsy notes filled the air, followed by Chloe’s sweet voice. They watched, completely engrossed, their faces lit up with smiles. I stepped outside onto the patio. The lights illuminated the swimming pool. I remembered the summer they’d had a contest to see who could hold their breath the longest. I was so young, I thought they were drowning. I jumped in, screaming, to “save” them. “Liam! Ethan! Noah! Don’t worry, I’m coming!” Of course, I was the one who ended up swallowing half the pool. They all had to work together to pull me out, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Our little Anya. So cute and so clumsy. We’ll have to protect you forever.” The words echoed in my ears. And they had. They had protected me my entire life. They shielded me from every danger, took me for ice cream, took me on adventures… The air around me seemed to shimmer with the ghosts of our laughter. But then, a real voice shattered the illusion. “Chloe, don’t be scared! We’re coming to get you right now!” Liam was on the phone with her, his voice frantic. “There’s a thunderstorm in the city, and Chloe’s terrified. We have to go to her!” He turned to the other two, who looked just as panicked. They rushed out of the villa, looking around wildly. “There are no cars!” “I don’t care. I’m not waiting. I’m running back!” Noah gritted his teeth and started sprinting into the darkness. The other two were right behind him. “Wait,” I called out.

6 Noah spun around and glared at me. “Anya, Chloe is crying her eyes out and you’re trying to stop us because you’re jealous?” Liam and Ethan shot me equally annoyed looks. My face was impassive. “By the time you run all the way back, the storm will be over and she’ll have already been scared.” “Then what are we supposed to do? We can’t just wait here!” Noah seethed, ready to run again. Ethan, the more rational of the three, stopped him. “Let’s call someone to pick us up, and in the meantime, we’ll look for another way to get back.” They started searching the villa grounds with their phone flashlights. We knew every inch of this place from all the games of hide-and-seek we had played as kids. “There’s an old utility vehicle over here,” I said, shining my light on a dusty three-wheeled vehicle in the corner of the garage. They rushed over. After a bit of effort, they managed to get it started. Liam got in the driver’s seat. Ethan and Noah squeezed into the back. It was a tight fit. There was no room for a third person. They all hesitated, looking at me. I shrugged. “I never planned on going back with you anyway. Go ahead.” “Anya—” Ethan started. My voice was cool. “Chloe’s probably terrified.” That was all it took. Their concern for me evaporated. “Anya, we’ll send someone back for you,” Liam said, and then he was gone, the little vehicle sputtering off into the night, carrying them towards the girl they cared about. And with them disappeared twenty years of memories. “Goodbye, my old friends,” I whispered to the darkness. Just then, a sleek black car pulled up. The man who got out had come straight from the airport. I ran to him with a smile and threw myself into his arms.