My Best Friend Tried to Steal My Life

In the first year after graduation, my family felt sorry for how exhausting my commute was, so they bought me a fully paid-off house near my company. On the first day after I moved in, I invited my best friend over for a housewarming dinner and a tour. But the moment she stepped inside, she pointed at my minimalist living room and started criticizing it. “This living room won’t do. You need to add a huge couch and buy a projector. Then we can lie here and binge-watch shows…” “Oh, and you can’t skip the coffee table. My boyfriend loves smoking, and he’ll have nowhere to tap his ashes. Besides, you can’t keep this dog anymore. He’s allergic to dog hair.” I didn’t like watching shows, so I only frowned slightly at first. But then I heard what she said afterward. “…This is my house. Why are you bringing up your boyfriend?” My best friend, Chloe, looked over my home’s décor with obvious disdain. “I’m going to live here with my boyfriend after we get married, of course I have to consider him!” I froze with a plate in my hands for two seconds, almost thinking I had heard wrong. “What did you say?” My best friend, Chloe, didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she had said. She turned around with a blissful smile. “Luke proposed to me yesterday. As my best friend, shouldn’t you help build my love story?” I had no problem giving her a wedding gift. But nobody had ever said a best friend had to give actual bricks and beams! I was so shocked that my mouth fell open, but I didn’t know how to respond. When Chloe saw me staying silent, she stepped forward and affectionately hooked her arm through mine. “You know Luke still hasn’t found a job, and his family isn’t well-off. There’s no way he can afford a house anytime soon.” “I’m just worried that my parents won’t agree to let me marry him. Since you happen to have a new house, why don’t you lend it to us for our wedding?” “We’ll give it back as soon as we’re married. I promise it’ll be just as good as new! You can even soak up some of our good luck and find a boyfriend sooner, so you won’t end up old and unwanted.” Her words made me uncomfortable. But when I noticed the plain silver ring on her ring finger, I thought she might simply be blinded by love and persuaded by her boyfriend’s sweet talk. So I tapped her lightly on the head, feeling frustrated that she was being so foolish. “He proposed to you without even having a job. Did he ever think about your future together? That’s incredibly irresponsible!” “What good would it do to let you use my house for the wedding? He has no house, no car, and no savings. Are you planning to sleep on the streets after marrying him?” “I can’t lend you this house. We just graduated. You need to think this through carefully. You can’t be careless about a major decision like marriage.” I thought I was patiently trying to talk some sense into her. But she was completely lost in her own little world. “You’ve been single your whole life, and you’re such a clueless idiot. What do you know about love? Love can overcome anything. All I need is for Luke to love me!” “He can find a job, and we can earn money. When the feelings are right, of course we have to seize the moment.” “Just help me this once. We’re so close, and I know you wouldn’t refuse such a small favor!” I had never dated, but I had seen the perfect example. My parents had been together for eight years before my father formally asked for my mother’s hand, after he had already prepared a house and everything else. After they married, he even transferred all their assets into my mother’s name, just so she would feel secure. Because of that, I had extremely high standards for a partner, which was why no man had caught my eye by the time I graduated from college. But in her mouth, that had turned me into a clueless idiot who knew nothing about love. I pressed my lips together, looked her in the eyes, and rejected her word by word. “No, Chloe. I can’t help you with this.”I only wanted to give her some time to cool down. But she seemed to have completely misunderstood me. She shoved my hand away like a spoiled child. “I haven’t even complained that your house is too small! Who are you to reject me? Clearly, you’ve never truly considered me your friend!” During our four years of college, Chloe and I had been inseparable, and I had shared almost every secret of my youth with her. My family was a little better off than hers, and whenever I had something, she had it too. One year, her family went through a crisis, so I gave her all the allowance I had saved over twenty years to help her get through it. Yet now she was saying I had never treated her like a friend just because of this? Before I could explain, she stormed out and slammed the door. It was the first time she had ever treated me this way, and I stood there in a daze, wondering if I had really done something wrong. However, the next second, she sent me a message: “I don’t care. I already told all my friends I was inviting them to my bachelorette party at your house. I gave them your address. If you refuse, you’ll embarrass me.” “I’m begging you, Audrey. Sacrifice a little for my happiness.” At the same time, my college roommate sent me a picture. It was a screenshot of Chloe’s Instagram post. “Our college romance is finally turning into happily ever after! Thank you, darling husband, for my wedding gift!” The picture showed her taking a selfie inside my house, along with my property deed, though my name had been covered. “Audrey, isn’t that your house? How did it become a wedding gift from Chloe’s husband?” My roommate’s family worked in interior design. After I bought the house, I had asked her to help design and decorate it. That was why she recognized it at a glance. “Maybe she just found a random picture to use with the caption.” I wasn’t in the habit of gossiping about people behind their backs, so I instinctively made an excuse for her. But that didn’t mean I had no temper. “I don’t agree. If you want to get married or hold a bachelorette party, do it at your own home or rent a place. Just don’t come to mine!” “And as for your Instagram post, either delete it or repost it. Don’t let people misunderstand!” But more than ten minutes passed, and Chloe still didn’t reply. When I opened the chat, I saw that our class group was buzzing with activity. “November first, Building A, Eighth Floor, at Emerald Heights. Everyone is welcome to come to my new home for my bachelorette party!” That message caused an uproar, and many classmates immediately joined in. “Wow! Property around Emerald Heights is insanely expensive. Your husband must be loaded! He treats you so well!” “I can’t believe Chloe is the first one in our class to get married! Your boyfriend must have given you so much confidence. I’m jealous!” “Congratulations! Don’t worry, we’ll definitely come! We’ll make sure to bring a huge wedding gift!” I was the only one missing from the crowd, even though I was her best friend. Some people who had never liked me directly tagged me. “@Audrey, Chloe bought a house to get married in. As her best friend, you’ll definitely have to give her a huge wedding gift, right? Why are you staying silent?” “Could you be jealous? After all, Chloe is beautiful and outstanding, and she even found such a powerful husband. That’s a level you’ll never reach in your entire life.” “She probably doesn’t have the face to show up. Beggars can’t enter an upscale community. The security guards would throw them out.” I had only been a little introverted in college, but I had always received inexplicable hostility. I couldn’t be bothered to respond to them. But Chloe sent a giggling, hand-over-mouth emoji. “Everyone, stop. You’ll make Audrey sad.” “She’s my best friend. No matter what, she’ll still wish me well.” “Audrey even said she was going to give me an expensive gift.”Her words brought another wave of mockery down on me. I couldn’t understand how she had the nerve to lie so blatantly. I directly posted a picture of the property deed in the group. “Chloe, don’t try to use our classmates to pressure me morally. I’m not lending you my house for your wedding.” After sending that, I angrily left the group and sat down at the dining table to calm myself. My hand accidentally knocked over the gift bag sitting on a chair. It was the housewarming gift Chloe had brought when she came over. When I opened it, I discovered a limited-edition collectible figure that I had searched everywhere for but still hadn’t been able to buy. I had only casually complained about it on Instagram, but she had remembered and bought it for me. There was also a receipt inside showing that it had cost fifty thousand dollars. I froze. Then I remembered that I had been unpopular with my classmates in college because I was introverted. Chloe had been the one to approach me and become my friend. Once, I fainted from severe menstrual cramps in our dorm, and she skipped class to bring me painkillers and hand warmers through the pouring rain. When I was followed and harassed by someone, she had also stepped in front of me and loudly cursed at and chased him away. If someone asked what my greatest gain from college had been, I would say without hesitation that it was meeting her and becoming friends. I didn’t know how to repay her, but her family wasn’t well-off. So whenever she said she envied me for going to a certain restaurant or buying a particular piece of jewelry or designer bag, I would immediately take her there and buy her one too. Later, I started preparing two of everything without waiting for her to ask. The memory of my cheerful and warmhearted best friend made my hand stop just before I blocked her. She wasn’t this kind of person… Maybe her boyfriend really had something special about him, and they had simply run into some trouble. Maybe she only wanted to borrow my house to save face for the wedding. Was I being too sensitive? I sat at the dining table and struggled with the question for a long time, until all the food had gone cold. Only then did I pick up my phone and anonymously post: “My best friend is getting married and wants to borrow my new house. Should I lend it to her?” I also explained everything I was struggling with. At first, most people sided with my best friend and accused me of being cold and heartless. “You’re only lending your house to your best friend for her wedding. You’re not giving it to her. What’s the problem? No wonder nobody wants to be friends with you when you’re so dramatic.” “Exactly! Your best friend has treated you so well. She’s practically family. That limited-edition figure she gave you is worth tens of thousands, yet you won’t even help her with such a small favor! You’re so selfish!” “Good thing you’re not my friend. I’d be completely heartbroken.” Reading those comments, I felt a wave of guilt. So I really was being too stingy. Chloe still hadn’t replied to me. Just as I was about to delete my post, a user suddenly posted a screenshot of the limited-edition figure she had given me and circled several details. “That doesn’t seem right. I don’t think this friend is as nice as the poster thinks.” “This collectible is obviously fake.” What? I hurriedly contacted the user, and they enthusiastically explained everything to me. They even brought out the genuine version from their own collection to compare with mine. “I’m not trying to stir up trouble. I just don’t want you to be guilt-tripped by a counterfeit collectible that cost only a few dollars.” Holding the figure in my hands, I felt as if I had a knot of anger stuck in my chest. I couldn’t spit it out, but I couldn’t swallow it either. Suddenly, my phone rang. My supervisor said anxiously that there was a problem with the project I was in charge of. I had to return to the office immediately to deal with it. There was nothing I could do, so I had to put these matters aside for the moment.By the time I finished handling the work and returned home, it was already three in the morning. No matter how late I worked, my dog, Buddy, would always run out to greet me. But tonight, the house was unusually quiet. My heart lurched, and I hurriedly called out to him several times. There was still no response. His favorite dog bed, my bedroom, and every corner of the house were empty. I was about to rush outside and search for him like a madwoman when I discovered a note by the door. “I took Buddy. I’ll bring him back after you agree to lend me the house.” I recognized Chloe’s handwriting at once. I had kindly given her the password to my front door, and she had actually taken my dog while I was away simply because I refused her request?! Furious, I grabbed my phone and called her. But after more than a dozen calls, all I heard was a busy signal. I kept calling as I rushed out of the house. In my panic, I even forgot to bring a coat. The weather had turned bitterly cold, and icy wind tore into my bones. But it still couldn’t compare to the coldness in my heart. There was nothing I could do but lower my head to her. “Fine, I agree to lend you the house. Bring Buddy back now!” The next second, Chloe called me back. “Sure! But you’ll have to wait until after my wedding! Otherwise, Luke will be allergic to him!” “But I sent him to a dog-meat processing plant. If you don’t get there in time, he might end up as a dish at my wedding.” Her words made the blood drain from my entire body. I had never thought Chloe’s sugary voice could sound so horrifying. “What did you say?!” “What exactly do you want?” A light, cheerful laugh came from the other end. “I already told my parents that Luke gave me the house, but they don’t quite believe me.” “So I want you to transfer the house into my name temporarily so I can get married.” “The dog plant where Buddy is being held is filthy and disgusting. There’s blood and bodies everywhere. He must be terrified. So, Audrey, if you want to keep Buddy from suffering, just agree to this little request too.” I stood frozen in place, suddenly understanding everything. Chloe hadn’t merely wanted to borrow my house for her wedding. Her real goal had been to take over my home! She just hadn’t expected me to keep refusing her first request. So she had decided to drop all pretenses and threaten me directly! “Fine, fine, fine!” “Chloe, you finally couldn’t keep pretending anymore, could you!” Her innocent voice came through the phone. “What do you mean, pretending? Haven’t I been your best friend all these years? Without me, you’d still be that weird loner nobody wanted to talk to!” “Besides, don’t you always buy me one of everything? Of course you should give me a house too!” “Transfer it into my name before the bachelorette party tomorrow, or you can wait to eat Buddy’s meat!” Then she hung up. I clutched my freezing phone, trembling with rage. I quickly called my parents and briefly explained what had happened. Chloe only knew that my family had some money. She had no idea that money was the least important thing my family possessed. Finding Buddy’s location was only a matter of making one phone call. But Chloe, you had just cut off your own escape route!