Chapter 5

Janessa's reply was instantaneous and dripping with feigned concern. "Oh my god, Claire! You're awake! I'm on my way, sweetie! So worried about you!"

A ghost of a smile touched my lips, cold and humorless. I carefully placed Eric's burner phone back on the bedside table, ensuring it was exactly as I had found it. The storm was brewing, and I, for the first time in years, felt utterly calm.

Minutes later, Eric returned, a plate of perfectly cut fruit in his hand. He smiled, a practiced, gentle expression that now felt like a mask. "Here, Claire-bear. Your favorite. Freshly cut."

Before I could even respond, the door burst open. Janessa, a whirlwind of manufactured distress, rushed in, her eyes wide with fake worry. She launched herself at me, pulling me into a suffocating hug. "Claire! Oh, my poor Claire! I was so worried! Are you okay? Eric told me you fainted. I' m so, so sorry this happened to you." Her voice trembled, a performance worthy of an Oscar.

I gently pushed her away, my gaze unwavering. A small, dry laugh escaped my lips. "Sorry?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady. "Sorry for what, Janessa?" I looked pointedly at Eric, still holding the fruit plate. "He's the one who made me sick. Why don't you punish him for me?"

Their faces froze, the carefully constructed masks cracking. Eric' s eyes darted to Janessa, a silent message passing between them. Janessa, caught off guard, hesitated.

Eric, ever the quick thinker, stepped forward. "She's right, Janessa. It's all my fault. I upset her. Punish me. Claire deserves it." He lowered his head, presenting himself like a sacrificial lamb.

Janessa's eyes, brimming with theatrical tears, flickered with genuine reluctance. But she raised her hand, her palm connecting with Eric's cheek with a soft, almost tender slap. It was barely a tap, but Eric flinched convincingly.

"There, Claire," Janessa said, her voice strained, her hand trembling slightly. "I slapped him for you. Are you happy now? See, Eric? You made Claire upset. You really need to be more careful with her feelings." She even managed a tearful smile, as if she had just performed a great act of justice.

Eric, rubbing his cheek, maintained his contrite expression. He then picked up a piece of watermelon, smiling at me. "It's okay, Claire-bear. It's all my fault. You have every right to be mad at me. Here, eat some watermelon. You need your strength."

I took the watermelon from his hand, my eyes locked on Janessa. "Why aren't you wearing your ring, Janessa?" I asked, my voice a silken thread, cutting through the thick tension in the room. "The one Eric gave you today. The engagement ring."

The air in the room solidified. Eric's eyes widened, his face draining of color. Janessa gasped, her hand flying to her left ring finger, which was conspicuously bare. She had taken it off. She had been so careful.

"Ring? What ring?" Janessa stammered, forcing a nervous laugh. Her eyes darted to Eric, then back to me, desperately searching for an explanation. "Claire, honey, are you feeling okay? You're talking nonsense. Eric and I are just friends, you know that. You must be really distressed." She turned to Eric, her voice rising in a desperate plea. "Eric, tell her! She's clearly delirious!"

Eric, still rooted to the spot, stared at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

I spat the watermelon out, letting the pulp and juice land squarely on Eric's face, splattering across his already-stained shirt. "Don't you dare gaslight me, Janessa Burris! Don't you dare try to manipulate me one more time!" My voice rose, gaining strength with every word. "You're worried about my feelings? You're worried about my precious Eric's feelings? Why, Janessa? Because you're so in love with him?"

The question hung in the air, a live wire crackling with unspoken truths. A suffocating silence descended upon the room. My friends, who had been listening from outside, now stood frozen in the doorway, their faces a mixture of confusion and shock.

Eric was the first to move, slowly wiping the watermelon from his face. He knelt beside my bed, grabbing my hand, his grip surprisingly firm. "Claire, stop this. You're upset. You're saying things you don't mean. Let's not say anything we'll regret. I'll go get you some real food, okay? You haven't eaten all day."

Janessa, meanwhile, had found her voice, a high-pitched, indignant whine. "Of course I don't love Eric! Claire, what are you even implying? I'm leaving for Europe next week, remember? To find love there! I'm going to spend all my time with you before I go, my best friend!" She tried to laugh, but it sounded brittle and fake.

I watched their performance, my heart filled with a chilling contempt. Their clumsy attempts to cover their tracks, their desperate lies, were almost comical. Just then, Eric's burner phone on the bedside table buzzed again, vibrating against the wood.

My eyes narrowed. Who could it be this time? Another accomplice in their elaborate scheme?

Eric, seeing the phone, visibly stiffened. He tried to subtly push it under the pillow, but I was faster. "Don't you dare," I hissed, my voice low and dangerous. "Answer it. Now."

He hesitated, glancing at Janessa, then back at me. His face was a mask of fear. "Claire, it's just a work call. It can wait."

"Answer it!" I roared, the pent-up fury finally erupting.

Eric closed his eyes, a silent prayer escaping his lips. He knew. He knew the jig was up. He picked up the phone, placed it on speaker, and answered.

"Hello?" His voice was strained, hoarse.

"Eric? Is that you, son?" Mrs. Williams' voice boomed from the speaker, clear and unapologetic. "What's all this nonsense about Claire being in the hospital? I thought you were finally rid of that pushy woman! Did you propose to Janessa yet? The family is so excited to have her as our daughter-in-law. She's so much more refined, so much more docile than that career-obsessed Claire. Make sure you get rid of Claire properly this time. The whole family approves of Janessa. We've been waiting for this for years!"

Eric's face crumpled. He slammed the phone down, his hand shaking uncontrollably. Janessa let out a small, terrified whimper, her knees buckling. She would have fallen if Eric hadn't instinctively caught her, pulling her close. He held her tight, his eyes wide with horror, completely forgetting my presence, forgetting everything but her.

A hollow, mirthless laugh escaped me. My heart ached, but it wasn't the searing pain of betrayal anymore. It was a cold, quiet disappointment. Disappointment in the people I had loved, in the trust I had so freely given.

"Oh, don't mind me," I said, my voice dripping with scorn, "carrying on your little love affair, right here in front of me. How touching. How utterly, sickeningly devoted you both are." I looked at them, their faces a mixture of fear and guilt. "All that hard work, all those years of hiding, all those carefully spun lies. All for what? Just to be exposed by a phone call from your doting mother." I laughed again, a harsh, grating sound. "And to think, you both look so shocked. Why? You've done nothing wrong, have you? You're just two innocent lovers, caught in the crossfire of my 'delirious' imagination, right?"

Janessa finally pulled herself away from Eric, tears streaming down her face. She stumbled towards me, her hands outstretched. "Claire, no! Please! Let me explain!"

I recoiled, pulling my hand back as if her touch would infect me. "Don't touch me," I spat, my voice laced with venom. "You disgust me. Seeing you both, parading your 'love' and your lies, makes me feel like I need a long, hot shower to wash off the filth."

Janessa crumpled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Eric, his face a mask of anguish, tried to salvage the situation. "Claire, please, calm down. My mother... she doesn't understand. She's old-fashioned. I can explain everything. I'll take you home, we'll talk to her together-"

Tears, hot and heavy, finally rolled down my cheeks. But they were tears of pure, unadulterated rage, not sorrow. I sat up slowly, my eyes fixed on Eric, then on Janessa. The illusion was shattered. The truth, ugly and raw, lay exposed.

"You know what's funny, Eric?" I said, my voice barely a whisper, yet ringing with a terrible clarity. "I came all the way here, thousands of miles, to surprise you. I had a ring in my pocket. I was going to ask you to marry me."

Eric's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. Janessa stopped sobbing, looking up at me, her face pale with shock.

"I had it all planned," I continued, each word a hammer blow. "The perfect spot, the perfect words. I imagined your face, your joy. I imagined our future. A future where I dedicated everything to you, funded your life, believed in your every word." I pointed at Janessa. "And you, Janessa. My best friend. My sister. I imagined you by my side, at my wedding, celebrating my happiness." I paused, letting the full weight of my shattered dreams hang in the air. "But instead," I said, my voice rising, "I got to watch you propose to her. My boyfriend, proposing to my best friend. The woman I trusted more than anyone in the world. The woman who was supposed to be my guardian angel, my spy." I glared at Janessa. "You weren't spying for me, were you? You were just waiting for your turn. Waiting to steal my life. Waiting to steal my man."