Hailey has just parked her car inside the University when her phone rings. It was a video call through Instagram.

“Princess Hailey!” screamed a woman on the other end of the video chat.

“Kelly? Do you really have to shout my name?” she rolled her eyes.

Start whining, Kelly pouted, “How dare you not call me every day!”

“We see each other grow up every day for almost two decades. Aren’t you tired of seeing my face?” she joked.

Kelly widened her eyes with hurt and shock. “How dare you say that to me now! I was on the verge of bursting out every single day, worrying about you!”

Hailey only smiled charmingly in front of her phone, letting Kelly continue blabbing.

“Well, looking at you… You’re still pretty, so I guess nothing I should worry about.”

Hailey laughed out, shaking her head. She asked, “Okay! So, what’s up?”

“Is that how you only ask me? My God! When will you come back? I’m always on a fret. Might your dad one day show up, and you weren’t here in Dubai!”

“It will be soon…” And she is hoping it was soon! She prayed.

“How soon? Your dad called me almost every day asking about you since he can not contact you. You should phone your dad.”

“I want to, but I was too busy lately.” Since Vince left their mansion! Now he’s here every single day and night! The reason she could not have regular contact with her dad.

Of course, she couldn’t tell Kelly this. She doesn’t want to explain anything yet to her friends. Besides, she’s worried about what would happen if her dad learned what she’d done!

Jeez! She didn’t weigh things when she signed the agreement! But why does Vince let things be left off like this? He didn’t seem to look for his wife seriously! He has money to locate Eva’s whereabouts!

Hailey hid her concerns. She beamed as she uttered, “I might only finish this school year, and I will go back to Australia.”

Hearing the word ‘school’ Kelly’s face turned sour. “Really? And who says she’s going on a vacation? But then, I heard you enrolled in a University? Gosh! The last time you go on vacation, when you come back home, you are waving your certificate as an International Chef! What kind of vacation is that? No one asks for a vacation to get another course in college! I’m done going to school!”

“Hey, I know there are people out there who are still going to school even after they got their degree,” she countered.

Kelly twitching her lips, she blabs, “They were on mastering their courses! Unlike you! How many courses did you already finish aside from your Vocational courses? If I’m not mistaken, you’ve finished three courses, and two of them got your master’s degree. I don’t know what course you will get after this? And don’t you dare wave your certificate on me the next time we see each other!”

Hailey was laughing hard, staring at Kelly’s frowning face. Kelly is one of her closest friends whom she treats like a sister, so she loves joking with her. And she had one at the moment.

“Hey, don’t worry. The next certificate I’m waving at you is my Marriage License.”

Popping out her eyeballs, Kelly dropped her jaw. “Don’t you dare joke like that!”

Hailey burst out laughing. She already guessed what Kelly would look like if she threw this joke.

“Jeez! Don’t give us a heart attack! That’s not a nice joke! Because the last joke you ever throw at us is when you decide to get married to Bryan!”

Seeing Kelly darkened her face, Hailey pursed a thin smile. She’s overwhelmed with the love her friends have given her. That is why she has no room to feel depressed. She’s not in love with Bryan, and she is honest about that.

But he is the guy she trusted the most, next to her father.

She thought she would be happy if she will marry her best friend. But things aren’t perfect even if what in the eyes of many on the surface. There is something that is missing from her relationship with Bryan, and she never put a thought about it before she said yes. And it’s not enough for him…

Hailey tilted her head to the side to bury the past. The part of her life she wanted to forget and buried deep because it was the stupidest decision she made.

She thought her life is perfect, however, she is wrong. But she would not dwell on that. Shrugging her shoulder, Hailey plastered an ‘okay’ smile across her face.

However, Kelly is still not over it. “I’m sorry. I should not mention that bastard’s name!”

“Hey, he is your cousin!” she reminds Kelly.

“Not anymore! Start when he breaks your heart!” Kelly snaps. Her sympathy is with Hailey all along.

Tearing a wide smile, Hailey chuckled. She muttered, “It might be my fault as well. I only love Bryan like a brother. So maybe I take him for granted.”

Shocked, Kelly could not believe everything she’s hearing at the moment. She blurted out. “Oh, my gosh! Who are you!”

“What?” Creasing her forehead, confusion written on Hailey’s face.

“This! You are not the Hailey whom my sister is! You must possess her!”

She laughed. Hailey now understood. Does she truly sound different now? She mused.

“Is this the effect of being heartbroken?” Kelly added

Her statement made Hailey speechless, she pondered. She knows that in her case, it isn’t about like it. The bitterness that Bryan gave her is not the reason she was now the better version of herself.

It was Vince.

Since she met Vince, getting to know him and living with him… She opened herself into someone she never imagined that she could become. She allows herself to grow and learn how to adjust in a situation such as; ‘working a relationship’.

And she is happy… However, there are feelings she could not determine because she had none to compare. Or maybe the reason is that she doesn’t have any experience with such a thing yet? Like love?

Besides, they aren’t an actual couple but as days on… She finds herself acting as a mature person thinks. Of course, she already was in the past, but she is more spoiled because she got everyone’s back. Now she could actually rely on only one man. She need not an entire clan to feel secure.

The saying was true, after all. It was…

“US against the WORLD!”

‘Oh, wait! There is no US!’ They were only a fake couple. What she’s thinking!?

Sadness flashed in her eyes, Kelly thought she was still hurting from what happened. “Hail, I’m really sorry for what my cousin did to you. To be honest? I want to murder that guy!” she stressed out. She has known Hailey all her life. Hailey doesn’t deserve to be treated how Bryan knocked her on the head. But she could say nothing to make Hailey feel better. She has no experience with deep true love either.

Pushing a cheerful smile, Hailey responded to Kelly, “Don’t worry about me. I am really fine! I enjoy going to Uni and learning new things.” She is! She’s learning things beyond her imagination. And she’s discovering more things that are new to her and it’s not about school. She is talking about her being a fake girlfriend.

Maybe this is the reason she felt sad when everything would be over…