Every Bet They Made, Every Line They Crossed Chapter 04

Every Bet They Made, Every Line They Crossed Chapter 04

Instead of going home, I headed straight to HR to speed up my resignation paperwork.

The HR rep didn’t even look up, a sneer curling her lips. “Some people have zero self-respect, chasing after someone else’s man like some cheap homewrecker. Now you’re slinking away with your tail between your legs.”

I stayed quiet and slid a sealed envelope across the desk. “Inside is a printed summary of evidence, along with a secure link to the full archive. I’ve also CC’d the compliance officer and the CEO. Anyone can review it and see who the real homewrecker is.”

I grabbed my resignation confirmation and left for the train station.

Philip called me while I was already sitting at my parents’ dining table. The table was covered in all my favorite dishes, alongside a bowl of warm chicken noodle soup.

His voice shook with rage through the speaker. “Bella, how could you be so cruel? You’re destroying your best friend!”

I didn’t reply, scrolling up through the company group chat.

Hundreds of messages flooded the thread, everyone criticizing Selena for crossing lines and marrying her best friend’s boyfriend. The comments grew harsher by the minute.

“People online are bombarding Selena with hateful messages. She’s locked herself indoors and refuses to face anyone. Are you satisfied now?”

I answered calmly. “Moderately satisfied.”

“You!” Philip struggled to contain his anger. “Make a public post right now. Claim all those screenshots and clips are complete fabrications, admit you’re obsessed with your best friend’s boyfriend and made it all up out of jealousy!”

“If you don’t clear her name, Selena will lose this promotion, maybe even her job. All her years of hard work will go to waste!”

I set down my fork. “Her hard work?”

“Philip, don’t pretend I don’t know how she got that award-winning proposal. You snuck into my laptop and sent her my complete files word-for-word.”

“What you did almost got me fired and cost us a major client! I kept this secret for the sake of our history, trying to spare you both the embarrassment.”

Silence stretched on the other end of the call.

“Is this a threat? Selena thought of you as her closest friend, yet you undermine her at work and want to ruin her life. How can you be so cold? She genuinely cared about you, and you choose to destroy her with such cheap tactics.”

He paused. “Bella, Selena and I both realize we misjudged you.”

My parents exchanged worried glances, sensing the tension.

His claim that Selena “cared sincerely” triggered a memory from a year ago. My mom was unwell and came to the city for medical appointments.

I was traveling for work, so I’d asked Philip and Selena to pick her up from the station and drive her to the hospital.

They’d agreed without hesitation, but Philip got so absorbed in gaming with Selena that he completely forgot.

My mom waited at the train station all night, ran a high fever for two days.

She hid the truth to spare me worry. I’d only learned what really happened today.

“Philip, I’m the one who misjudged you.”

He paused, then spoke slowly. “Help me fix this mess, and we can still get married. I’ll quit my job and move to your hometown with you.”

I took a deep breath. “What if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll leak your private photos online. You’ll face the same public harassment Selena’s going through. Those photos were taken when I lost a bet to Selena—but they’re intimate enough to destroy your reputation. I wouldn’t lose sleep over people seeing them, but you and your parents would.”

I froze.

My parents were deeply traditional. Just hearing the wedding was off had caused my father’s blood pressure to spike dangerously, landing him in the hospital for two days.

If scandalous rumors spread to relatives and neighbors, they would never recover from the shame.

It would break them.

My nails dug into my palms. I forced the words out. “Go ahead.”