That was why Shane felt so crushed when Yvonne chose someone else over him. He came to a sudden halt in the middle of the street.

He remembered then that Yvonne had never actually said she loved him. It was Sasha who had planted that idea in his head.

The only reason he'd believed it was because he saw Yvonne going out of her way to please him, and he let Sasha's words convince him that it meant something more.

A growing sense of unease settled over him. He turned around and headed back to Sasha's place and rang the doorbell.

"Hey," Shane called out.

Sasha shuffled to the door, yawning. "What now?"

Shane fixed his gaze on her. "I need to ask you something. Yvonne never really loved me, did she?" The question threw Sasha off balance. How had he figured it out? A brief flicker of guilt flashed across her face, but she quickly looked away.

Shane's voice grew louder. "So, you've been lying to me all along? Why? Was this your idea of revenge?" Once her deceit was out in the open, Sasha saw no reason to pretend anymore. "Of course it was. What did you expect?

"You went off and found some woman to date, even called her my 'stand-in.' You dragged me into this mess for no reason, then showed up with her just to rub it in my face.

"So yeah, I got back at you. What's the problem with that? Don't forget this, Shane: I'm not someone you can walk all over." Sasha wasn't the type to just sit back and take it.

As much as Shane hated to admit it, Sasha did have a point. After all, he was the one who had set everything in motion. He paused for a moment before asking, "So, are we even now?"

"Yeah, more or less," Sasha replied.

"But what did Yvonne do to you? Why target her, too?"noveldrama

"She kept pushing my buttons at the office. I wasn't about to just let that slide," Sasha answered without hesitation.

"I see," Shane mumbled.

"It's getting late," Sasha said as she got up. "I've got work in the morning, and if I don't get some sleep tonight, I'll never make it through the day. You should head home."

Shane got up as well. "Okay."

He couldn't bring himself to go back

home. Instead, he aimlessly

wandered through the streets, his gaze fixed on the night sky. The moon hung above, casting a serene glow while scattered stars sparkled faintly.

Shane continued walking, the recent events lingering in his mind like a dream Carlisle had walked away from him, and one by one, his friend's had turned their backs,

looking at him with disdain

He had been relieved to find people who cared about him. But now, it felt like waking from a dream-only

to discover that it had never been real. None of them had ever truly cared for him.

Shane stopped, unsure of where to go next. Yvonne was with her boyfriend at her place, and showing up there would only complicate things.

As for going home? He had just told Carlisle he was going to spend some time gaining experience outside, so it didn't feel right to backtrack now.

After a moment of indecision, Shane

decided to book a hotel for the night. He was used to reserving rooms Cost

that cost tens of thousands per night, so he opened the booking page without thinking twice.