He Pretended to Be the One, But He Was Never Yours

It was no surprise who was calling — Damon.

His harsh words snapped me out of my daze, instantly bringing clarity to my thoughts. Without hesitation, I fired back.

“What do you mean, I’d be thrilled if you two broke up? Clara is my best friend. I saw everything that happened between you and that woman at the jewelry store. If there had been fewer people around, I’m sure you would’ve pulled her in for a kiss. You’ve been with Clara for so long—what have you ever bought her? Now you’re handing gifts to another woman. At the very least, a gold necklace, right? Are you even human?”

Damon's voice rose, louder and angrier. “What the hell are you blabbering about? Come on, let’s meet face-to-face. Give me your address, I’ll come over, and we’ll sort this out. I can’t stand people making up lies and throwing dirt on my name. I was just buying a necklace for my sister, and now you’re turning it into an affair, huh?”

His words left me momentarily stunned.

Sister?

I had never heard Clara mention that Damon had a sister.

Even if he did, there was no way they were that close. The two of them had been practically glued to each other earlier; I swear, Damon’s eyes were practically glowing.

“You’re out here spreading rumors about me, knowing full well Clara’s pregnant and can’t handle any stress. And yet, you’re still talking shit. Are you trying to hurt her on purpose? Let me tell you, I’ve seen plenty of women who hide behind the ‘best friend’ act while plotting harm. If you keep stirring up trouble in our relationship, don’t expect me to be polite anymore!”

He ranted, then hung up abruptly.

I sat there, still processing his words, unable to respond.

I didn’t have any direct contact with Damon—my number was clearly passed on to him by Clara.

But as for everything he just said, not a word of it felt true.

There was definitely something shady going on between Damon and that woman.

What hurt even more, though, was that the entire four-minute conversation happened with Clara sitting right next to me, saying nothing—just silently listening to Damon curse me out.

My phone buzzed with a new message from Clara.

I opened it, and it was a voice message.

“Elena, when Damon came back today, we got into a huge argument. I ended up telling him everything that happened at the store. He said he was just there to help his sister pick out a necklace, that’s all—he was just choosing a style, then left. Nothing else happened. I still trust him.”

The last sentence nearly made my blood boil.

I sat on the bed and started typing a reply.

“What sister? Which sister are you talking about? Did you make sure to ask? Is there even a blood relation? I’ve never heard you mention that he has any siblings before.”

“He said it’s his sister from back home. She came into town to visit him, so he helped her pick out a gold necklace and then sent her back. The money for the necklace came from her, not him.”

I hesitated for a moment.

Could it be that I had been wrong in my suspicions?