Chapter 1I Refuse To Be Your Distraction

My boyfriend Hudson’s childhood friend is a social media influencer who specializes in "prank" videos.

The first time, she deliberately flashed her bikini photos to him while I was sitting right there, secretly recording his reaction.

The second time, she let her towel slip in front of the camera during a FaceTime call to see how he'd react.

The third time, under the watchful eyes of everyone at a party, she suddenly grabbed him and kissed him on the mouth, laughing it off with a breezy explanation: "Don't be mad, Miranda! It's just a 'Kiss Your Best Friend' challenge for my channel!"

This time, it was at our proposal party.

She grabbed the microphone, her eyes rimmed with red. "Hudson, I'm pregnant."

The entire room fell into a dead silence.

Hudson froze.

Then, she burst into a loud, mocking laugh. "Gotcha! Just kidding!"

But right at that moment, a row of glowing, translucent text floated across my field of vision, like a live chat stream:

[Girl, wake up! This time it's actually real!]

[The night you two had that massive fight because of the kiss and went cold turkey? He got wasted and slept with her!]

I stared blankly at Hudson, who was quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

A cold smile touched my lips.

"I'm pregnant too," I said softly.

"And it's not yours."

…

* * *

The face of Manhattan's golden boy instantly turned a dangerous shade of ash.

"Miranda, say that again. I dare you."

He grabbed my wrist, a dark, raging storm brewing in his eyes.

I looked at him, completely calm. "Just kidding."

But Hudson's anger only flared hotter. He gripped my shoulders hard, his voice echoing through the silent room. "Miranda, you think a pregnancy is something to joke about? Are you messing with me?!"

I glanced over at Lexi.

Then I looked back into Hudson's cold, menacing gaze, a faint smirk playing on my lips. "Why? Lexi can joke about it, but I can't? How many times has she made a fool out of you? Why aren't you angry at her?"

My nails bit into my palms. I forced down the crushing ache in my chest.

Hudson stiffened. The aggressive fire in his eyes died out instantly.

The guests shifted uncomfortably, barely daring to breathe.

I took a deep breath, pushed him away, and turned to leave.

Behind me, Lexi's loud, scoffing voice carried across the room.

"Oh, so this tantrum is directed at me? Is she crazy? I was just trying to add some flavor to their proposal party. Was that really necessary?"

She raised her voice, making sure every word reached my ears.

I wasn't about to pretend to be deaf.

I snatched a bottle of champagne from a passing tray and smashed it violently at Lexi's feet.

She shrieked, jumping back. "Miranda, you're insane!"

I gave her a polite, empty smile. "I was just trying to make the party more exciting. Was that really necessary?"

Infuriated, Lexi grabbed a heavy wine bottle from the table and lunged to throw it at me.

As I braced to dodge, Hudson suddenly threw himself in front of me, locking me in a tight embrace.

The heavy glass bottle struck the back of his head with a sickening thud. Shattered glass rained down, and blood immediately began to pour down his neck.

"Hudson! Oh my God, call 911!"

The crowd erupted into chaos, rushing toward him.

And I, standing in the middle of the madness, calmly dialed the police.

At the precinct, Lexi refused to back down, loudly claiming I had started the fight. But the security footage was clear: I had targeted the floor; she had aimed directly at a human head.

Lexi shook with rage. "Miranda! Are you really not going to let this go until I'm locked in a cell?"

"Shouldn't you be held accountable for what you do?" I asked quietly.

Just then, Hudson walked in. He should have been in the ER.

"Officer, I'm the victim here," Hudson said, his voice flat. "I want to drop the charges. We're settling this privately. She doesn't need to be detained."

Lexi's eyes welled with tears, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing dramatically.

Hudson's body went rigid as he looked at me, his lips parting as if to explain.

I simply smiled, picked up my purse, and walked out into the cool night air. The autumn breeze cleared some of the fog in my head.

Hudson caught up with me quickly.

"Miranda, wait! Just hear me out!" He grabbed my arm, his tone laced with a familiar, impatient frustration. "It was just a stupid spat. Did you really have to take it this far?"

The floating text flickered across my eyes again.

[Just got back from reading the future chapters—the countdown starts now.]

[She's going to apply for that three-year medical aid program in Southeast Asia, but she'll let him torture her emotionally for another two weeks before actually breaking up!]

A bitter laugh escaped my throat.

Why wait for a countdown?

"Hudson, let's break up."

The arrogant, untouchable smirk on his face completely froze. He narrowed his eyes. "Break up? Are you kidding me?"