He Chose a Bitch Over Me

The new female coworker was gorgeous.

But my childhood friend, Victor, told me she was nothing but a bitch.

That was until I had to pull three all-nighters in a row just to clean up her work disasters.

Instead of apologizing, he stormed into my place, smelling of alcohol and radiating anger.

Why is your work ethic so trash? You couldn't even cover one little mistake by yourself?

"If you hadn't desperately called me back to the office, I wouldve been in her bed by now."

I stared at him, wondering if I was hallucinating from sleep deprivation.

Later, he stood by the office entrance early in the morning, blocking my path.

"Kate, why did you request to change partners?"

The new girl captured everyones attention the second she walked in.

Her low-cut, white lace dress perfectly hugged her curves.

The moment the clock struck five, guys from our departmentand even other floorscrowded around her desk, trying to strike up a conversation.

Only Victor, my childhood friend, didn't join the crowd.

He shut his laptop and walked over to me.

He gave me his usual bright, sunny smile. "Kate, what are you spacing out for? Lets head home."

In the car, I couldn't help but ask, "Don't you think the new girl is pretty? Her body is insane."

Victor scoffed dismissively. "Looks are just skin deep. Who cares how pretty she is? Shes just a bitch who uses her body to hook men."

I frowned. His harsh words made me uncomfortable.

But he didn't notice. "Don't you dare learn from her. She doesn't want to work hard; she just wants to rely on men while she's still young."

I chose to stay silent.

The next day, the office was still buzzing around her.

To my surprise, the new girl hadn't stayed at her assigned cubicle. She had packed up her things and moved.

Right next to Victor.

She flashed a radiant smile and extended her hand to him. "Please look after me from now on, neighbor."

I turned to look at Victor.

Without a second thought, he grabbed her hand.

The new girl turned her head, her eyes shifting from my face to their clasped hands.

She arched an eyebrow. Her smile widened, and she squeezed his hand even tighter.

After work, I was organizing the files for tomorrows meeting.

Then, like always, I stood by the lobby entrance, waiting for Victor. We always commuted together.

But minutes ticked by. Victor, who was usually the first to bolt after work, was now thirty minutes late.

I sent him a text on Snapchat, but got no reply. I had no choice but to go back upstairs to find him.

He was still at his desk. The new girl, Alice, was holding his hand, whining and swaying gently against him.

I tapped on the partition.

They both looked up at me.

"Kate, is it time to go?" Victor blurted out, looking slightly flushed.

"Oh, actually... I won't be heading out with you today. I'm helping Alice sort out some of her work."

My hand froze on his desk.

My eyes met Alices. Half of her body was practically draped over his shoulder.

She gave me a fragile, pitiful smile, as if she were the victim here.

"I heard you two have known each other since you were kids and make a great team. Im new and have so much to learn. Can I borrow him for tonight?"

"Don't be so stingy. I'll return him to you tomorrow."

Victor pinched her cheek playfully, though his tone held a mock complaint. "Why are you asking her permission?"

Alice giggled, placing her hands on his face, pinching him back. "What? Are you trying to reject me?"

It hadn't even been two days, and they were already flirting in broad daylight.

Without a word, I grabbed my bag and turned on my heel.

As I reached the door, I heard Alices teasing voice behind me.

"Oh, stop pinching me. Your little wife looks mad."

"What wife? Weve just known each other a long time."

"Oh, really? So theres nothing going on between you two?"

"Of course not."

A sharp ache bloomed in my chest. My eyes burned.

I slammed the door shut behind me.

Our families lived next door to each other, so I usually had dinner at Victor's house before heading home.

As I walked past his porch, his mother, Mrs. Miller, was waiting at the door, wearing her apron and smiling warmly.

Seeing me alone, she looked surprised.

"Why are you so late today, sweetie? Did they make you work overtime?"

"That company is ridiculous. Whatever it is, it can wait till tomorrow."

"Wait, where is Victor? Did he get held up?"

I pulled my coat tighter around myself, forcing a smile. "A new colleague started today. Victor was asked to stay behind and show her the ropes."

"I won't be eating here tonight, Mrs. Miller. My mom already made dinner. See you later."

Before she could say anything, I blinked back my tears and ran across the lawn to my house.

"But I made slow-roasted beef ribs tonight! Your favorite!" Mrs. Miller called out, sounding disappointed. "At least have a few bites!"

But some invitations, once declined, can never be accepted again.

I wasn't just being delusional.

Victor and I grew up together. For as long as I could remember, Mrs. Miller had treated me like her own daughter.

She used to hold me in her arms and brag to the neighbors:

"Look at our Kate. Gorgeous, isn't she? Shes ours. When she grows up, shes going to marry Victor."

"And Victor absolutely adores her!"

When I turned eighteen, boys at school started asking me out.

When Mrs. Miller found out, she immediately wanted to set up an official engagement.

Though my parents politely declined, saying we were too young, she went out and bought a delicate gold chain with a heart pendant.

"It's just a small token for now. I'll get you a bigger, proper diamond later. Don't feel pressured, just wear it for fun."

It was an expensive piece of jewelry, and I felt uncomfortable accepting it. I tried to hand it back.

But Victor had smiled and gently clasped it around my neck. "It looks beautiful on you, Kate. Right?"

Later, I bought Mrs. Miller a gift of equal value to make things even.

But that moment had rooted itself deeply in my heart.

Now, it felt like a cruel joke. I was the only one who had taken it seriously.

The next morning, I didn't wait for Victor. I drove to the office early by myself.

My coworkers were surprised to see me alone.

"Wheres Victor? Don't you guys always arrive together?"

I stayed quiet, my eyes involuntarily drifting to Victor's empty desk.

Sarah, my coworker, gave me a knowing nudge.

"Good for you. Men need to be kept on ice sometimes. You pamper him too much, so he takes you for granted."

She pointed chin behind me. "See? You ignore him for one morning, and hes already begging for forgiveness with flowers."

I turned around. Victor was walking in, holding a bunch of red roses.

My heart fluttered with a sudden hope. Despite how much his words had hurt me yesterday, if he was planning to apologize and confess...

Maybe I could forgive him.

But we would need to set boundaries. He had to stay away from Alice.

Just then, the click-clack of high heels echoed. Alice walked in, smelling of expensive perfume.

Seeing Victor, her face lit up.

"Oh! You actually bought me the roses?"

Victor turned to her, tilting his head with a proud grin. "Of course. I keep my promises."

"I got up an hour early just to drive to that specific florist you mentioned."

"I even ditched Kate for you. Now that I lost my usual pretty companion, shouldn't you make it up to me?"

His tone was greasy, loaded with heavy innuendo.

Sarah, who was standing next to me, gasped. "Is he out of his mind??"

I lowered my gaze.

Alice took the roses.

They walked right past my desk, shoulder to shoulder. Neither of them spared me a single glance.

Sarah fell dead silent.

That evening, our department manager organized a team dinner at a steakhouse to welcome Alice.

Everyone was laughing and ordering food.

Alice came back from the drink station, holding a plastic cup of Coke.

She navigated the carpeted stairs perfectly fine.

But the moment she reached the flat carpet right in front of me, she suddenly "tripped."

The entire cup of sticky Coke splashed all over my sweater and jeans.

Sarah, who witnessed the whole thing, stood up in anger.

"You bitch! Nice stunt. Anyone with eyes can see you did that on purpose!"

Alice straightened up, looking down at me with zero remorse.

"Oh, my bad. Victor's little Kate~"

The mockery was practically dripping from her face.

Sarah couldn't take it. She grabbed Alice by the collar. "I cannot stand fake-ass bitches!"

"You know you're trying to slide into a relationship that isn't yours, so why don't you keep your hands off another girl's man?"

"Do you think your pathetic act actually works on everyone"

Before Sarah could finish, a hand violently shoved her aside.

Victor wrapped his arms around Alice, shielding her. He glared at me.

"Kate! Since when did you become such a bully?"

I stared back at him. My stained, dripping clothes were right in front of his eyes.

He chose to ignore it.

The pain and confusion in my chest suddenly turned into a cold, dead calm.

"Victor, are those two things on your face actually eyes, or just decorations?"

Victor froze, staring at me in utter disbelief.

In all the years we had known each other, I had never spoken to him like this.

Even when he made me angry, I would usually hide in a corner and cry quietly.

Then, I'd wait for him to feel guilty and buy me food to make up.

But this time, I wasn't going to wait.

Alice clung to his chest, her voice trembling with fake tears.

"It's my fault... Kate didn't trip me. I just lost my footing and spilled it on her."

"Don't get mad at her because of me. It's fine. It's normal for Kate to be upset. I'll just apologize."

She flipped the script effortlessly.

"I know you two are going to get married eventually. It's only right that you take her side. I don't blame you."

"Why should you suffer like this?" Victor interrupted her, his eyes cold as ice as he looked at me.

"There is no marriage. It was just a joke my mom made."

"Why would I ever marry a bitter, toxic girl like her?"

He guided Alice toward the exit.

Alice buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled but clear enough for the room to hear. "Well, your description of her was certainly accurate..."

Bitter. Bitch.

He had painted me as a monster to her. A cold shiver ran down my spine.

I went to the restroom and tried to scrub the sticky brown stain off my clothes with cold water.

The freezing water against my skin felt like it was numbing my heart.

When I got back, Alice was laughing, looking pristine and untouched.

Victor sat right next to her.

Looking around their table, it was Alice, Victor, and a bunch of male coworkers from various departments catering to her every whim.

She was the queen bee, surrounded by guys pouring her drinks.

Sarah scoffed from beside me. "Why do men always fall for this garbage? First my ex, now Victor."

I knew Sarah's ex-husband had cheated on her with a girl who played the victim.

Sarah had kicked them both out, and now they were struggling to pay rent.

Honestly, she was a great role model.

"He's not my man," I said, giving Sarah a brief hug, as if hugging my past goodbye. "Hes Alices now. They deserve each other."

Sarah looked shocked. "Years of history, Kate. Can you really just let go like that?"

I sat down and picked up my fork. "Haven't you heard of the sunk cost fallacy? You don't let past investments ruin your future."

I couldn't even blame Alice entirely.

Victor was the real issue here. In a way, I should thank her.

She showed me his true colors before it was too late.