The Toxic Bestie, No More Saving Romance Brains

My romance-brained best friend got kicked out of her house by her husband, so I kindly took her in.

Instead of being grateful, she trashed my rented apartment to vent her anger while I was out. She accidentally set the place on fire and burned herself alive.

Afterward, the landlord sued me for everything I had.

I ended up with millions in debt. I was eventually hit and killed by a car while working myself to death to pay it off.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day she came to find me.

She asked me cautiously, "Gia, can I stay at your place for a few days?"

I pulled the car door open.

"Leo is just talking tough. He actually loves you very much. Let me drive you back."

Looking at the intact apartment and my younger self in the mirror, I couldn't believe I had actually been reborn. I was back on the day my best friend, Shae Zale, came to see me.

The phone rang at that moment. Looking at the name on the screen, my body felt a phantom pain.

It was the memory of being crushed by car wheels. That pain reminded me that all the tragedies of my past life began with this very phone call.

I took a deep breath and answered.

Shae's voice came from the other side. "Gia, do you have time? Let's grab some dinner together."

I let out a silent, cold sneer.

It was exactly like this in my past life.

At first, Shae just called to ask me out for a meal. I thought she just missed me, so I went to meet her.

It wasn't until we were eating that she told me she had been kicked out after a fight with her husband.

She claimed she had nowhere to go and wanted to stay with me for a while.

I felt sorry for her then and brought her back to the apartment I had just rented.

I didn't have extra blankets, so I went out that night to buy some. While I was at the store, I got a call from her.

She said her husband wanted a divorce and she didn't want to live anymore.

I tried to talk sense into her, but she wouldn't listen. She started smashing things in my apartment and set a fire, intending to end it all.

By the time I rushed back, the fire had spread. Two floors of the building were completely destroyed.

Although no one else died, the landlord and the neighbors sued me. Shae's husband even sued me, claiming I encouraged her suicide.

I was buried under millions in debt.

To help me pay it off, my parents and brother sold their car and house. Even then, it wasn't enough.

I worked five jobs a day to clear the debt. One late night, I was killed by a speeding car on the road.

I took another deep breath, trying to calm my hatred. I answered Shae in a normal voice.

"Where are we eating? Send me the address. I'll drive over right now."

"Great! I'll share my location with you immediately. Gia, I'll be waiting for you!"

Shae quickly sent me the location of a BBQ wing place.

I grabbed my car keys and walked out the door.

This time, Shae wouldn't step a single foot into my home.

When I arrived, the food Shae ordered had been on the table for a while.

Seeing me, her eyes turned red as if she had suffered a world of injustice.

"Gia, you're finally here."

I subtly dodged her attempt to grab my arm and sat in an empty seat.

I looked at the leftovers on the table. They were all expensive, greasy dishes that she loved.

She handed me the menu and asked me to order.

I pushed the menu aside. "No thanks. I already ate dinner."

She froze, clearly not expecting me to refuse. But she quickly regained her pitiful expression.

"Gia, you have to save me. My life is falling apart!"

This was also just like my previous life. After she stuffed her face, she started crying about how badly her husband treated her.

This time, the reason Leo Harper kicked her out was simply because she bought a high-end designer dinner set against his wishes.

"It was only three hundred dollars. Gia, he kicked me out over three hundred dollars. How am I supposed to live like this?"

"When we were dating, he said he'd give his life for me. I can't believe he's changed so much!"

I stayed silent.

Shae, her husband Leo, and I all grew up in the same small town.

Our families weren't wealthy, and our skills weren't particularly strong. We had been struggling for years to make it in the city.

But ever since Shae married Leo, she quit her job to be a housewife. She was healthy and had no children, yet she insisted on a luxury lifestyle.

Leo had to pay the mortgage and support her all by himself. This wasn't the first time they fought over her reckless spending.

Every time they argued, Shae would come to me crying about how Leo had changed.

I used to advise her to find a job. She would agree with her mouth, but she'd forget everything the moment she turned around.

The next time they fought and I asked about her job search, she'd just say, "Leo is only mean with his words. He still loves me."

I used to be angry at her lack of ambition, but I was soft-hearted. I couldn't help but take care of her.

She seemed to sense my weakness and used it repeatedly.

Thinking back, I was the one who gave her the chance to set that fire in my home.

It was my soft-heartedness that gave her the illusion that I would always be her safety net. She felt I would always watch over her and save her from any trouble.

That was why she felt she could smash things and start a fire without a second thought.

Shae spent half the night complaining that Leo didn't love her anymore.

I didn't offer any comfort. I just listened to her vent.

Once she finished her food and her rant, she finally looked at me cautiously.

"Gia, can I stay at your place for a few days?"

I sneered internally, but kept my face neutral.

"Shae, you need to be more understanding of Leo. He's just stressed. He still loves you. I'll drive you back now, or he'll start worrying."

I grabbed my keys to head to the parking lot. Shae called out to me as I stood up.

"Gia, you..."

Her eyes darted between the messy table and my face. I knew exactly what she meant.

In the past, I would pay for everything to cheer her up. Over time, she got used to me picking up the tab.

But I wasn't going to enable her anymore.

I pretended not to understand. "What is it?"

She hesitated. "Gia, aren't you... aren't you going to pay?"

I almost laughed out of pure irritation.

"I didn't eat anything. Why would I pay?"

Shae didn't expect me to say that. A look of hurt flashed in her eyes, and she tried to say something else.

I didn't stick around for her mess. I went straight to the car and waited. Eventually, I saw Shae pay the bill with a look of extreme physical pain on her face.

Once she got in the car, I drove her straight back to Leo's house.

Before she got out, she asked me uncertainly, "Gia, do you really think Leo still loves me?"

I mocked her in my head, but spoke with total confidence.

"Of course he loves you. Didn't he say you were his world? Who else would he love? You're just overthinking things."

Hearing my answer, Shae finally smiled and headed inside.

I burst out laughing the moment she walked away.

Only a fool believes what a man says when he's in the honeymoon phase.

Besides, even the most intense love gets worn down by the petty details of daily life.

Leo might tolerate her for a while, but I didn't believe he could last forever.

Sure enough, as soon as I got home, my phone rang. It was Shae.

"Gia! Leo doesn't love me! He wants a divorce! I don't want to live anymore!"

Hearing her hysterical crying, I was certain I was living a second life.

In my past life, after she came to stay with me, Leo discovered she had hidden even more unnecessary purchases. She had even blown money on gaming accounts.

Leo reached his breaking point and demanded a divorce.

While I was out buying blankets, Shae made this exact call. Then, she ignored my pleas and burned my house down.

After Shae died, I went to Leo for compensation. Not only did he refuse to pay, but he also used my old texts with Shae to claim I encouraged her to take her own life.

I remembered how my parents aged overnight to pay my debts. I remembered my brother being dumped by his girlfriend because we were broke.

I took a deep breath to suppress the hatred in my heart.

Thankfully, none of that had happened yet. This time, Shae and Leo were going to stay stuck together.

I pretended to be worried as I spoke.

"Shae, you're exaggerating. Leo loves you so much. How could he divorce you?"

She started her dramatic performance. "Gia, he's not joking this time! He already called a lawyer! What am I going to do? I can't live without him."

"He's so angry right now. Can I just stay at your place for a couple of days until he cools down?"

Absolutely not! Go die somewhere else!

I quickly cut her off.

"Running away won't solve anything. You need to talk it out with Leo. You guys were so in love; I'm sure you can fix this. Go talk to him right now."

Shae tried to argue.

I hung up immediately and started packing my bags to flee.

In my last life, I didn't spend enough time with my parents. I was going to use this chance to avoid Shae and visit them.

To make sure Shae didn't break in while I was gone, I changed my door code before leaving.

At the complex gate, I showed Shae's photo to the security guards. I told them she was a dangerous person with a history of starting fires and that she shouldn't be allowed in.

Once the guards memorized her face, I finally felt safe driving away.

Shae called me several times on the road. I ignored every single one.

I drove straight to my hometown. My parents were shocked to see me.

Looking at their faces, which hadn't yet been hollowed out by grief and debt, I almost cried. I held it back.

They asked why I was home.

I couldn't tell them about the rebirth, so I made up a vague excuse. Finally, I told them to be careful if Shae ever showed up.

Even though they had seen Shae many times, they nodded and listened to me.

The next morning, I checked the local news. There were no reports of a fire.

It seemed Shae didn't want to burn things down when she was in her own house. Maybe Leo stopped her, or maybe she realized she wouldn't get enough attention there.

Either way, the crisis was avoided. But I was done with her. I needed to stay far away from that woman.

My mom told me there was a wedding in the village and asked me to help out.

I had just finished getting ready when I opened the front door and saw Shae.

The moment she saw me, she rushed up to interrogate me.

"Gia! I went to your place last night, and the guards wouldn't let me in! They called me a psycho! What's going on? And why didn't you tell me you were going back to the countryside?"

I blocked the doorway, having no intention of letting her in.

"I didn't tell you on purpose."

"What?" Shae looked at me in disbelief. "Why? Gia, why would you do that?"

I stopped pretending. I didn't want her bothering me anymore.

"Shae, every time you fight with your husband, you run to my house. Have you ever considered that your husband might resent me for that? I didn't tell you because I don't want you staying with me. Do you get it now?"

My cold tone stunned her. Her expression immediately shifted to her classic pitiful act.

"Gia, I only come to you because I have nowhere else to go. Aren't we best friends for life?"

She was trying to manipulate me again. Why did I never realize how disgusting her words were before?

"Nowhere to go? Shae, what about your parents? Your in-laws?"

"Gia, you know I don't get along with my family. Please, this is the last time. Just let me stay for a few days. Once Leo calms down, I'll leave. For the sake of our years of friendship, I'm begging you."

I almost laughed at her audacity.

In the past, I believed her stories about her parents being mean and her grandparents neglecting her.

But after she died in my previous life, I met them. They were crying, asking me about her life.

I found out both her parents were only children. She and her sister were the only grandchildren. She had grown up being cherished by three households.

Once she started working, the family focused more on her younger sister who was still in high school. Shae decided they didn't care about her and cut them off. She only visited once in two years after getting married.

In my last life, I felt so guilty toward her parents. Even in their grief, they never made things hard for me.

I couldn't understand how such a family raised someone as selfish as Shae.

She was still complaining about her family, and it made me feel sick.

"Shae, in your dreams!"

I slammed the door in her face. She banged on it for a while.

I didn't move. Soon, she lost her temper.

"Gia Quinn! Fine! If that's how you want it, our friendship is over! I don't have a friend like you anymore!"

Is that supposed to be a threat? That's the best news I've heard all day.

I sneered and didn't answer.

After a while, it went quiet. I opened the door and she was gone.

I didn't care where she went. I finished getting ready and went to help with the wedding.

To my surprise, I ran into an old upperclassman from college named Cassidy, who was a design major.

She was shocked to see me.

"What a coincidence! Are you not with Shae? Her trophy and award certificates for the design contest are still at my office. Does she only care about the prize money and not the recognition?"

I was confused. "What trophy and certificates?"

Cassidy spilled everything.

"Last year, during the state mascot design competition. She gave me a design file and asked me to help her submit it. It was really well-done, so I entered it for her. It won third place! The prize was eight thousand dollars. She took the money, but she never picked up the award."

"Third place? Cassidy, do you have a picture of the design? I want to see it."

Cassidy pulled out her phone and showed me.

I took the phone and scrolled to the third-place gallery on the official website. My blood began to boil.

The winning design was mine.