"Hi, John."

Barbara's voice rang out, carrying an unsettling blend of defiance and confidence. She stood firm, her eyes locked with his.

"What are you doing here?" John spat, his words dripping with contempt as he cast a searing glance her way.

The venom in his voice sent a chill down my spine.

Ignoring John's hostility, Barbara pressed on. "Aunt Mimi said you'd be here. Can we talk?"

John didn't answer. His gaze had drifted from her face, and with an air of indifference, he lit another cigarette, taking a long, deliberate drag.

"John?" Barbara's voice softened, almost pleading.

Finally, he looked at her, the frown on his face deepening. "You've made yourself perfectly clear, Barbara. I know exactly how you feel about me, about us. There's nothing left to say."

"There is," she insisted, her voice firm. "There are things between us that need to be settled."

John's eyes flickered with cold recognition. "So you came to settle them for good," he replied, not as a question, but a statement.

His expression remained stony, his voice calm but laced with an edge sharper than ever. "Fine. Talk."

He took another drag from his cigarette, sending a veil of smoke in her direction. Barbara instinctively stepped back, but the cloud still enveloped her.

"Go on," he said, his eyes now fixed squarely on hers.

Barbara glanced at me briefly but turned back to John almost immediately. "I want to talk alone."

"Look, Barbara," John said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Lucy's not going anywhere."

For the briefest moment, Barbara's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered, exuding confidence. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine, a strange sense of foreboding settling in. Something was wrong, and I felt like an intruder in a scene I shouldn't witness.

"I'll leave," I said, quietly, avoiding her gaze.

John shot me a look, his frown deepening. "Stay, Lucy."

His hand, strong and unyielding, wrapped around my wrist, holding me in place. I could feel the tension tightening between us.

"John, let me go," I whispered.

"I want you to stay," he repeated, his voice firm, almost frightening.

Barbara interjected. "John, don't be stubborn—"

"Stay out of it!" John barked, turning a cold glare on her. "Lucy stays. Take it or leave it. Got that?"

Barbara's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "So, I was right all along," she murmured, shaking her head. "You denied it over and over, but I knew it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice trembling.

She chuckled darkly. "Why don't you ask John? He has the answer."

"Shut it, Barbara!" John's voice rose, his anger barely contained. "Not another word."

"Scared, are you, John?" Her smile grew wider, malice in her eyes. "I told you it wasn't a good idea for her to stay."

I turned to John, desperate, my voice shaky. "John, what does she mean?"

"Nothing," he snapped, his gaze locked on Barbara with disdain. "She's out of her mind. Ignore her."

But the bitterness in Barbara's smile only deepened. "Go ahead, John. Keep lying—to Lucy, to yourself."

I could feel her scorn dripping from every word she said, especially when she called me his "best friend." She'd always hated me for that, jealous of our bond, possessive of him.

John's expression darkened as he spoke. "Why are you here, Barbara? Just get on with it."

Barbara's laugh was soft, mocking. "Not so long ago, you had all the time in the world for me, didn't you?"

John's patience was wearing thin. "Spare me. Just say what you came to say."

Barbara wiped the tears from her eyes, her hand moving to the pocket of her denim jacket. She pulled out something that gleamed under the light. A bracelet.

John's eyes widened in recognition. "The bracelet I gave you... on our one-month anniversary."

The sight of it made my heart sink. I remembered when John had excitedly shown me that bracelet—rose metal, with a pink rabbit and pearl clasp. He'd been so in love, so certain Barbara was the one.

He stared at it for a long moment before speaking, his voice barely a whisper. "Gone is the love... lost is the value of my gift, right?"

Barbara didn't answer directly. "I want you to have it back, John. It's only fair."

"Fair..." John repeated, his face hardening. "I won't keep it. It belongs to a time I don't want to remember. And neither do you."

Barbara flinched, but kept her composure. "Do you mean that?"

"I do," he said coldly. "You never loved me, Barbara. You loved the idea of being with 'Teddy Boy John.' The rebellious rocker. You never cared about the real me."

"That's not true," Barbara whispered, her voice fragile.

"If it was real, you wouldn't have tried to change me," John's voice rose again. "You wanted me to leave my band, ditch my friends. You wanted control, not love."

Barbara seemed to shrink under his words. "John, stop. This isn't fair."

"Fair?" John's anger boiled over. "You want to talk about fair? Look at Lucy—she's my best friend. My anchor. She saw the good in you, even when you hated her. You made me choose between you and her. How could you do that?"

Barbara's voice faltered. "I—"

"Answer me!" I demanded, stepping forward. "Did you think John and I were having an affair?"

Barbara looked at me with icy defiance. "I think you're more than friends. You just don't know it yet."

Her certainty hit me like a slap. "You're wrong."

I turned to John, hoping he'd deny it, help me convince her. But he remained silent, his face a mask of suppressed emotions.

Barbara's voice softened, her smile now almost kind. "You'll see, Lucy."

"Enough," John growled. "Leave."

"Fine," Barbara shrugged, her eyes glittering with a secret. "But there's one more thing you should know."

John rolled his eyes. "Get on with it."

Her next words came like a blow. "I'm pregnant."

John went pale. "You... what?"

"And it's not your baby," Barbara added, almost gleefully.

"John!" I gasped, running to him as his body began to tremble uncontrollably. I locked my arm around his, trying to keep him steady.

"How long?" John's voice was barely audible. "How long have you been cheating on me?"

"Three months," Barbara answered, avoiding his eyes. "With Nigel."

"Nigel..." John repeated, his voice hollow. "Of all the people, you chose him? You know how much I despise him!"

"You're being unfair, John. He's not to blame for your mother's death."

John let out a bitter laugh. "Defending him now, are you? How loyal."

"I'm speaking the truth," Barbara insisted.

"The truth?" John's voice cracked. "You, of all people, talking about truth? Don't you find it ironic, Lucy?" He turned to me, his eyes filled with a mix of fury and despair.

"Get out," he finally said to Barbara, his voice shaking. "Get out of my life. For good."

Barbara said nothing as she turned on her heel, walking away with her head held high. She didn't look back.

As soon as she was gone, John's trembling grew worse. His face drained of color. I barely had time to react before his legs gave way beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.

"John!" I cried, rushing to his side. I knelt beside him, pulling him into my arms as he broke down, his sobs wracking his body. I held him close, letting him cry into my shoulder, feeling utterly helpless but refusing to let go.

I was there for him, as I always had been. As I always would be.