The two girls stood facing each other in the dim apartment hallway, blue eyes locked onto blue eyes.
Once upon a time, that shared shade had felt like fate.
Back in elementary school, when Kaija had first spotted another little girl with eyes as impossibly blue as hers, she had immediately felt drawn toward her, as though she had finally discovered someone who belonged in the same strange little world she lived in.
No other child had eyes like theirs.
Not in that school.
Not anywhere.
So tiny Kaija had walked straight up to the cute-looking girl and said a simple, fearless:
"Hi."
And from there, everything had begun.
Years of friendship.
Secrets.
Sleepovers.
Laughter.
Shared birthdays.
Shared tears.
Shared dreams.
Now, standing in front of Marja again, Kaija felt none of that warmth anymore.
Only loss.
Only bitterness.
Only the ugly ache of realizing that the person she had trusted most in the world had quietly slipped a knife between her ribs.
If the blue in Kaija's eyes looked cold enough to freeze oceans, then the blue in Marja's seemed seconds away from drowning in tears.
"Have you come to gloat?" Kaija muttered flatly.
Her exhausted gaze dragged over Marja's trembling expression with open disdain.
Marja immediately shook her head.
"No, Kaija… I…"
Her voice came out painfully small.
Fragile.
Guilty.
Once upon a time, seeing that expression would have made Kaija soften instantly. She would have walked over, hugged her, reassured her, asked what was wrong.
But now?
Even looking at Marja's beautiful face felt unbearable.
Kaija brushed past her without another glance.
"Just leave," she muttered coldly while swiping her keycard against the lock. "I seriously don't have the mood for emotional bullshit today. I already had a horrible day."
"Kaija, please!"
Marja's voice cracked immediately.
"I just want to talk to you! Please—just give me a moment!"
Kaija closed her eyes briefly.
God.
That voice again.
That soft pleading tone Marja always used whenever she wanted something.
Like some wounded little rabbit begging for mercy.
The apartment door slid open.
Kaija stepped inside first, tossing her suitcase down near the entrance.
"Five minutes," she said flatly without turning around. "Then get out of my sight."
Marja slipped inside immediately.
The door clicked shut behind her with a timid little sound.
Inside the apartment, Marja moved around with uncomfortable familiarity.
Of course she did.
She had spent countless nights here over the years.
She knew where the slippers were.
Where the cups were kept.
Which chair she always sat in.
Everything.
That realization irritated Kaija even more.
Marja quietly took her usual seat at the dining table.
Graceful as always.
Perfect posture.
Perfect hair.
Perfect face ruined only by the tears gathering in her eyes.
Kaija sat opposite her with a heavy sigh.
"Your five minutes already started," she said coldly. "Talk."
Marja lowered her gaze immediately.
"Kaija…"
Her fingers twisted together nervously atop the table.
"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."
Her voice shook violently now.
"I'm so, so sorry."
"And?"
Kaija's tone remained emotionless.
Marja looked up desperately.
"And I don't want to lose you!"
Tears spilled over instantly.
"To lose us… what we had…"
Kaija nearly laughed.
Us?
Really?
"You didn't want to lose me," Kaija repeated slowly, "but you still decided to fuck my boyfriend anyway?"
"It wasn't like that!" Marja cried immediately.
She leaned forward across the table, panic flashing across her beautiful face.
"Niklas was hurt, Kaija! He was upset because you insisted on taking that job, and I only wanted to comfort him! I just wanted to help the two of you reconcile!"
Kaija stared at her blankly.
Then one brow rose slowly.
"Well," she said dryly, "looks like you did a fantastic job."
Marja sobbed harder.
"Things just… happened…"
Her shoulders trembled violently now.
"I didn't mean for it to become like this, Kaija, I swear…"
Kaija leaned back silently while listening.
Marja pressed both hands against her face before continuing shakily.
"It's just…"
Her voice dropped into something quieter.
More vulnerable.
"I've never felt that way with anyone before."
Kaija's expression didn't move.
"The way Niklas made me feel…"
A long exhausted breath slipped from Kaija's lips.
'Wait until you disagree with him about something important,' she thought coldly.
'Then you'll see exactly how wonderful he is.'
But she kept the thought to herself.
That wasn't her place anymore.
Not after this.
"So what exactly are you expecting from me?" Kaija finally asked tiredly. "You want us to pretend none of this happened? You want my blessing or something?"
Suddenly—
Marja slammed both hands onto the table.
The loud sound echoed through the apartment.
"Kaija…"
Her voice trembled violently.
"I'm pregnant."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Kaija stared at her.
Her brain genuinely stopped functioning for several seconds.
Pregnant?
She had dated Niklas for four entire years without a single pregnancy scare.
Meanwhile Marja managed it in three months?
"You're…" Kaija blinked rapidly. "Pregnant?"
Her voice almost cracked from disbelief.
"With Niklas?"
"Of course it's his!" Marja cried.
Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks while she wiped at them desperately.
"I haven't even told him yet!"
Her breathing had become uneven now.
"I didn't know what to do when I found out…"
She looked at Kaija with utter desperation.
"You're the only person I can talk to about this."
Kaija slowly dragged a hand down her face.
Then slapped her own cheeks lightly a few times.
Maybe to wake herself up.
Maybe to stop herself from screaming.
Great.
Fantastic.
This situation somehow got worse.
Now this wasn't merely her traitorous best friend sitting across from her.
It was a pregnant woman.
A pregnant emotional woman.
Wonderful.
"What do you want to do?" Kaija asked flatly.
Marja hesitated.
Then admitted softly:
"I… want to keep it."
Kaija exhaled slowly through her nose.
"At least tell Niklas first," she said. "It's his kid too."
Marja sniffled quietly.
"You need to talk to him properly. Then both of you decide what you're doing."
Kaija's voice became drier with every word.
"Like actual adults."
Marja's watery blue eyes lifted toward her again.
"And…"
Her lips trembled.
"Will you forgive me?"
Kaija almost laughed out loud.
Forgive her?
Absolutely not.
Not in this lifetime.
But strangely—
Kaija also no longer had enough energy left to hate her properly.
Everything simply felt… numb.
"I forgive you," she said at last with a faint icy smirk.
Marja visibly brightened—
Right until Kaija continued:
"Now go be happy with him and never bother me again."
The warmth vanished from Marja's face instantly.
Her shoulders shook.
"Alright…" she whispered weakly. "If that's what you really want…"
Then suddenly, as though remembering something horrifying, Marja's eyes widened again.
"There's just… one tiny problem."
Kaija closed her eyes briefly.
Of course there was.
"What now?"
"My parents!"
Marja nearly wailed.
"What am I supposed to tell them?!"
Kaija stared at her blankly.
"They'll kill me if they find out I'm pregnant! They don't even know I have a boyfriend!"
Dark invisible lines practically slid down Kaija's face.
Right.
How could she forget?
Marja Ralpha wasn't just some random girl.
She was the daughter of the Ralphas.
Owners of the biggest luxury conglomerate in the country.
The golden princess of an untouchable empire.
Kaija had only met Marja's parents once in her entire life—on the very first day they met as children.
Even back then, they had looked distant.
Busy.
Too important for ordinary life.
Meanwhile Marja herself had grown into a world-famous supermodel whose face covered billboards, magazines, and luxury campaigns across the country.
If news broke that the precious daughter of Ralpha was pregnant out of wedlock?
Society tabloids would explode.
Her parents probably would too.
"Funny, isn't it?" Kaija muttered dryly.
Marja blinked.
"That someone like you and someone like me ever became friends in the first place."
Her voice sounded strangely distant now.
"My mom nearly worked herself to death taking three jobs just so I could attend your fancy elementary school for one year."
Marja immediately frowned.
"Kaija! This isn't the time to talk about that!"
She leaned forward desperately again.
"You're the only person I trust with this!"
Trust.
What a funny word.
After everything.
"Please," Marja begged softly. "You have to help me think of something."