I went to my best friend’s engagement party intending to smile to hide my pain – until my fiancée’s laughter echoed through the room. She clinked glasses and sneered, “Look who finally crawled out of thin air.” Everyone stared. Then the host leaned in and whispered, “She’s been lying about you all night.” My heart sank as I watched her sneak upstairs… and heard a voice behind the door calling my name. I wish I hadn’t listened.

Part 1: The Masked Party
The sea breeze from Massachusetts Bay whistled through the marble doors of Blackwood Manor, but inside, the air was thick with the smell of expensive champagne and empty flattery. I stood in the corner, my hand gripping my glass so tightly my fingertips turned white.

Today was the engagement party of Leo, my best friend, whom I considered like a brother. And his fiancée was none other than Chloe—the woman who had sworn eternal love to me three years before disappearing without a trace, only to reappear six months later beside Leo with a 5-carat diamond ring on her finger.

I came here with only one purpose: to smile, to offer my blessings, and to bury my pain deep within. Until that laughter rang out.

Ha ha ha!

Chloe’s laughter was as sharp as a razor, piercing through the soothing jazz music. She stood in the middle of the crowd, wearing a dazzling red silk dress, clinking glasses with a group of high-society ladies. When our eyes met, instead of embarrassment, a malevolent glint flashed in her eyes.

“Oh look!” Chloe sneered, her voice echoing through the main hall, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “Look who finally crawled out of thin air. Welcome back from the mud, Julian. I thought you were still wallowing in some corner wallowing in self-pity.”

The crowd began to murmur. Disdainful glances fell on my outdated suit. Leo stood beside her, his face showing a hint of confusion, but Chloe pulled him back, whispering something that made him frown in disappointment.

Part 2: The Landlady’s Whispers
I was about to turn and leave immediately, but a firm hand rested on my shoulder. That was Meredith Blackwood, the owner of the mansion and Leo’s mother. She was a powerful woman with eyes that could see through any mask.

She leaned close to my ear, her breath carrying the bitter scent of black tea: “Be careful with her, Julian. She spent the whole evening fabricating a disgusting story about you. She told everyone you were an addict who swindled Leo out of money, and that you came here only to blackmail them with old photos.”

My heart sank. Chloe not only stole my past, she wanted to ruin my future with my only remaining friend.

“Look,” Meredith gestured toward the stairs.

I saw Chloe stealthily slip away from the crowd, glancing around nervously before hurrying up to the second floor—the area reserved for the Blackwood family. There was something about her hurried footsteps that alarmed me.

Leaving the noise of the party behind, I quietly followed her.

Part 3: Behind the Ajar Door
The second-floor hallway was shrouded in dim light. The music downstairs had faded into a low, intermittent murmur. I saw Chloe stop in front of the door to the late Mr. Blackwood’s study. She pushed the door open and left it ajar.

I approached, holding my breath. From inside, I heard Chloe’s voice, but it was no longer arrogant or mocking. Her voice trembled, filled with fear:

“I did as you asked! I humiliated him in front of everyone! Leo now firmly believes he’s a piece of trash. What more do you want?”

Then there was a long silence. A low, hoarse voice responded. That voice stunned me, for it called my name:

“Julian… he’s always been stubborn. But he doesn’t know that his father’s death ten years ago wasn’t a traffic accident. And you, dear Chloe, you must ensure he never finds that file in this safe.”

I was speechless. It was the voice of the family doctor—the one who signed my father’s death certificate all those years ago. Why was he here? And why was Chloe working for him?

Part 4: Climax – The Bloody Truth
I couldn’t hold back any longer; I kicked the door open and stormed in.

Chloe screamed in terror, dropping the crystal vase to the floor. But the person standing opposite her wasn’t the old doctor.

It was Leo.

Leo stood there, a pistol in his hand, his face so cold I couldn’t recognize my brother. On the desk lay a stack of old files and photos of the scene of my father’s accident.

“Julian,” Leo said, his voice devoid of emotion. “You should have stayed downstairs and savored your final humiliation. Why did you crawl up here to hear this?”

“Leo… what’s going on?” I stammered. “You… you know about my father’s death?”

“Of course,” Leo chuckled, a smile even more venomous than Chloe’s. “Because my father was the one who cut your father’s brake lines that day. They were business partners, but your father was too honest; he wanted to report the Blackwood company’s fraud. The Blackwood family couldn’t allow that.”

Chloe collapsed to the floor, sobbing: “Julian, I’m sorry… they threatened my family… they forced me to approach you and then abandon you to break you down… they wanted you to lose your sanity and not be able to reopen the case…”

Part 5: The Twist – A Game Within a Game

To

I looked at Leo, at the friend I had once trusted most, now pointing a gun at my heart. But at that moment, I heard another laugh.

The laugh came from the old radio on the table.

“Well done, Leo. You confessed very smoothly.”

The cabinet door swung open. Mrs. Meredith Blackwood stepped out, holding a digital tape recorder. Behind her were two plainclothes police detectives.

Leo, stunned, lowered his gun: “Mother? What are you doing?”

Mrs. Meredith looked at her son with utter disappointment: “I’ve suspected you and your father for a long time. I can’t let the Blackwood name be tainted by your cruelty. Julian wasn’t looking for any files; I’m the one who brought him here. I need a direct confession to send you to prison, instead of letting you continue killing like your father did.”

She turned to me, her gaze softening slightly: “Julian, I owe you and your father a truth. That file really exists, but it’s in my hands.”

Part 6: The Extreme Climax – The End of Pride
Leo frantically lunged at his mother, trying to snatch the recording device, but the detectives quickly subdued him. Chloe was led away in a state of panic.

I stood alone in the room filled with ghosts of the past. The words of the family doctor I had just heard? It turned out to be just an old recording that Mrs. Meredith had played to lure Leo and Chloe out. She knew that Leo’s pride would make him proud of his family’s crimes, thinking he had the upper hand.

Leo was escorted over to me. He looked at me, no longer with contempt, only emptiness.

“Julian,” he whispered. “You win. But you’ll have to live with the fact that all the people you loved most were deceivers.”

I walked out of Blackwood Manor. The party below had dispersed in chaos. The sea breeze blew, carrying away the champagne and the deceit. I wish I hadn’t heard that voice calling my name behind the door, for now, my world had completely crumbled. But in the ashes of betrayal, I saw a glimmer of justice—the very justice my father had paid with his life to protect.