I Got Revenge When They Drew The Same Room Key Chapter 01

I Got Revenge When They Drew The Same Room Key Chapter 01

The night before Julian Croft and I were supposed to get our marriage license, our friends threw a party. Someone suggested a room-keycard game.

“The rules were simple: whoever’s key you drew, you spent the night with.”

My heart sank before I even knew why.

Julian leaned in, brushed his lips against my ear, and smiled like he’d already won.

“Relax,” he murmured. “I had someone fix the draw.”

“I’m going to pull your card. Guaranteed.”

So I said okay.

But when Julian turned over his keycard…

It had Chloe Thorne’s name on it. My best friend.

The room exploded.

Someone whistled, and cheers broke out.

“A deal’s a deal. You’re not gonna back out, are you, Hazel?”

Chloe’s cheeks went pink, and she reached for my hand.

“Hazel, don’t read into it.”

“It’s one night. I’ll just keep him out of trouble for you.”

“I’m your best friend. You know you can trust me.”

Julian turned to me with a frown.

“It’s just a game. Don’t make it weird.”

They both smelled like the same cologne. I didn’t know when that had started.

I smiled.

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll take my turn.”

I reached for the last keycard on the table like it didn’t matter.

I turned it over, and the whole room went dead silent.

Nathaniel Reed.

The one person Julian hated most.

I held the keycard up between two fingers and smiled at Julian.

“It’s just a game.”

“You’re not gonna back out, are you?”

…

Julian’s expression darkened instantly.

He reached for the keycard.

“Hazel, stop making a scene.”

I pulled it out of reach and smiled.

“Isn’t it just a game?”

Someone jumped in, trying to play peacemaker.

“Hazel, come on. This is different.”

“Chloe’s your best friend. What do you think is gonna happen?”

Someone else chimed in.

“Exactly. She’s doing you a favor, watching your man. What’s the problem?”

“God, Hazel, you’re so possessive.”

Chloe stood beside Julian, her eyes already rimmed red.

“Hazel, let’s just forget the whole thing.”

“I don’t want to come between you two. Not the night before your wedding.”

She held the keycard out as she said it.

But her grip was tight. She didn’t actually let go.

Julian caught her wrist and stopped her.

Then he looked at me, voice flat.

“There’s nothing going on between me and Chloe.”

“If we back out now, it just looks like we have something to hide.”

“We’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, so why act like we do?”

Chloe bit her lip, her voice dropping into something that was supposed to sound like concern.

“Hazel, I get it. I know this bothers you.”

“But if Julian and I tiptoe around this, people will only gossip.”

“We share a room, nothing happens. That proves there’s nothing going on.”

She dropped her gaze.

“I’m your best friend.”

“Don’t you even trust me?”

I looked at the keycard still locked in her fist. A bitter laugh crawled up my throat.

Someone nearby let out a loud, sympathetic sigh.

“Chloe, you’re way too nice for your own good.”

“You’re literally doing Hazel a favor and she’s making you look like the bad guy.”

“Hazel, she’s already bending over backward here. What more do you want?”

Julian’s jaw tightened, as if the dogpile bothered him.

But he didn’t say a word to stop them.

He just turned to Chloe and said, quietly, “Don’t cry. Nobody’s blaming you.”

Chloe’s voice went even softer.

“Don’t say that about Hazel.”

“It hasn’t been easy for her either, you know, marrying into Julian’s world.”

“The Sterlings have been through a difficult time. No wonder she’s feeling pressured.”

The room went quiet for a beat.

Then someone let out a knowing laugh.

“That’s true.”

“The Sterlings have faced challenges for years. No wonder she’s so desperate to keep him.”

“No wonder she’s so paranoid.”

Every drop of color drained from my face.

When my family’s business went under, Julian was the one who proposed.

He told me, “Hazel, I’ve got you. No one’s going to look down on you ever again.”

But now…

His friends were tearing me down right in front of him.

And Julian just did nothing.

And just like that, it clicked.

His friends weren’t the ones looking down on me.

Julian was.