Throwing Away What He Had

My best friend's brother and I have been dating for half a year, and she has no clue.

My best friend drags me out on Christmas for a singles' night out. Unexpectedly, we see her brother, Chris Lambert, holding hands and kissing a girl under the fireworks.

"Damn, Chris finally got the school belle!"

She looks thrilled and pulls me forward to say hi.

Chris awkwardly rubs his nose and introduces me to his girlfriend, "This is my sister, and the one beside her is… sort of like my sister too."

I smile silently.

We have held hands and kissed, yet now, I am just sort of like his sister.

After my best friend, Tricia Lambert, had a breakup, she dragged me along with her to spend Christmas together. She aptly called it having a "single women's night out", and we went to see the fireworks show that was being put on for the festivities.

However, the truth was that I had been secretly dating someone for six months without telling her.

Thus, I went out with her with a guilty conscience.

In the midst of the crowd, Tricia suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn! Isn't that my brother?"

I followed her gaze and saw a tall, eye-catching figure in the crowd.

I knew that figure very well—it was Chris Lambert, Tricia's older brother. He was even wearing the black puffer jacket that I'd given him.

Since he couldn't spend Christmas with me, I had given him his gift in advance.

Indeed, the boyfriend I had been hiding from everyone was my best friend's brother.

But why was he here?

Just as I was wondering, I heard the sound of fireworks exploding.

The sparks streamed across the night sky like scattered stars. Couples around us hugged and kissed each other, seemingly trying to freeze time in this fleeting, romantic moment.

Chris was no exception. He turned to the woman beside him, gently cupped her face like she was a treasure, and kissed her.

It felt like a jolt of electricity ran through my whole body.

So, he hadn't come alone.

He had turned down my Christmas invite, claiming to work overtime, just so he could watch fireworks with another woman.

It truly felt like the moment had been frozen in time. I couldn't hear the surrounding noise or see the fireworks.

The cold wind stung my eyes as the sight of the sweetly kissing couple slowly blurred before me.

Tricia pounded on me excitedly. "Oh my gosh! That's Yvonne! Chris finally got the school belle! Can you believe him?"

I looked up at the dazzling scene, trying hard not to let the tears in my eyes fall. I just wanted to run away.

However, Tricia grabbed my arm and dragged me forward through the crowd.

"No can do! We already ran into him, so now he owes us a late-night snack!" she said excitedly.

By the time we got to Chris, the fireworks had just ended. The night