Chapter 4: Her Ex

After breaking up with Dr. Patty, Janevee returned to her condo to change clothes. Naphat, who had followed her back, didn’t miss a chance to mock every line Janevee had used in the breakup, especially the phrase "not a good match," which seemed to irritate her the most.

“It’s for the best that you broke it off with Dr. Patty. Let her find someone better than you,” Naphat snapped. “If I were Dr. Patty, you wouldn’t have just gotten water splashed in your face. I’d have ordered a big plate of spaghetti and mashed it right into your head.”

Janevee sat in silence, her expression blank as Naphat eyed her sharply.

“What? Why so quiet?” Naphat asked.

Janevee let out a long sigh before replying with a teasing tone. “Well, you were scolding me so much I didn’t have time to feel guilty.”

That response nearly made Naphat leap forward to ruffle her hair.

“Could you try being a decent person for once, Janevee? When you do something wrong, own up to it. Stop making the world heavier!” Her voice was stern and genuinely scolding.

Janevee knew she was clearly in the wrong, so she tried to shift the topic and dodge further criticism. “I already texted Bai-Fern and Fah-Sai. They’ll be here soon. If you’re not planning to help, maybe you’d prefer waiting in the café downstairs.”

Naphat, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, immediately looked up, her big, round eyes locking onto Janevee with irritation. Janevee was speaking as if she could tell her what to do.

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll see you get doused in water and look like a wet dog again?” Naphat shot back.

Janevee raised an eyebrow, taunting her. “Or do you want to stay, Preme? That’s fine; I’ll just tell them you’re my new girlfriend, and we’re getting married soon.”

Naphat’s eyes narrowed as she smirked mockingly. “Don’t drag me into your mess, Janevee. And if I find out later that you’ve used my name as an excuse for breaking up with anyone… you’ll regret it, Janevee.”

Naphat’s voice was firm and final as she tossed her last words over her shoulder before striding out of the room.

“Wrap up your affairs by five. I need to have dinner on time—no delays.”

Janevee stood there, watching Naphat until the door closed behind her. Silence settled in the room, but a small, satisfied smile crept onto her face, a glimmer of amusement flickering in her eyes.

.

.

Finally, Janevee had managed to break up with all three women in a single day. The feelings that emerged afterward forced her to confront something she had never dared to admit before—a deep-seated cowardice hidden beneath her overconfidence. The whole ordeal left her with one valuable lesson:

‘Never assume you’re as great as you think you are.’

Janevee had never felt this shaken. The blow to her self-esteem was sharpest when she met with Bai-Fern, the flight attendant, at her condo to end things. Unexpectedly, Bai-Fern showed up with her girlfriend—also a flight attendant—and was the one to break up with Janevee first, apologizing for not speaking up sooner out of pity.

Then there was Fah-Sai, the beautiful up-and-coming actress. When Janevee tried to end things with her, Fah-Sai merely shrugged indifferently, saying she’d never taken it seriously since she already had a real partner. She had only been talking to Janevee to pass the time, which left Janevee stunned, realizing she had unknowingly been a third party all along.

Janevee’s confidence was left shattered like never before, yet she tried to keep up appearances around Naphat, pretending as if nothing had happened. She babbled on about a rival mall that had launched a new luxury mixed-use project instead of mentioning the breakups, creating an awkward contrast that was painfully obvious.

Naphat watched her for a moment before asking, her voice steady but tinged with curiosity, “Be honest. Do you really feel nothing about all this?”

“Why do you ask that?” Janevee raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding.

“I don’t know… You just broke it off with three women, yet you seem completely unaffected,” Naphat replied.

Janevee scoffed. “You’re not me; what would you know?”

Naphat raised her eyebrow slightly, then replied, her voice calm yet striking a nerve.

"You're right. I could never understand people who love to have fun at the expense of others' feelings," Naphat replied coolly. "No matter how many excuses they have or how much they've been hurt, it doesn’t justify hurting someone else."

Her words struck Janevee hard. She looked up from the plate of salmon sushi she was reluctantly forcing herself to eat, even though she disliked raw fish. She’d ordered it because she knew this was Naphat’s favorite restaurant, but now she had no response. All she could do was change the subject.

“So why did you break up with that racer?” she asked.

Naphat glanced at her sharply. “We were talking about you. Why are you suddenly turning it back on me?”

“Well, I should know something about my own girlfriend, right?” Janevee shrugged with a slight grin. “Even if it’s a fake relationship.”

Naphat sighed softly before answering with unexpected honesty. “She said we weren’t a good match… so she ended things.”

Janevee fell silent, the words "not a good match," which she had used on Dr. Patty, echoed in her mind. She finally understood why Naphat had been so harsh on her.

“So that’s why you gave me such a hard time,” Janevee said, beginning to understand. “How long has it been since you broke up?”

“Six months,” Naphat replied briefly.

Janevee nodded, meeting Naphat’s gaze with a thoughtful look. “The wound’s still fresh, huh…” She hesitated, then asked the question she’d been most curious about.

“If she came back, would you take her back?”

.

.

Suddenly, the sound of the restaurant’s sliding wooden door opening echoed, followed by the gentle chime of a bell hung above it. The staff collectively greeted the new customer in cheerful unison.

“Irasshaimase! Welcome!”

Janevee glanced toward the entrance and saw a tall, slender woman with short dark brown hair, a refined face, and a sharp, prominent nose. She wore a white button-down shirt with jeans, exuding a charm and confidence that stood out unmistakably. It was none other than Nuea Nayika, the famous race car driver recently making headlines for her big win in a major race.

Naphat noticed Janevee staring at the new arrival, so she turned to look as well. The moment she saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat, excitement mingling with an unexpected pang.

“P’Nuea…” she murmured, surprised.

But what truly shook her was the woman walking alongside Nayika—P’Kwan-Khao, an old friend of Nayika’s whom Naphat knew well. The two walked in with a noticeable closeness, smiling at each other as if they were in a world of their own.

Then, without hesitation, Nayika leaned down and gave Kwan-Khao a gentle kiss on the cheek. The intimacy of the moment made Naphat’s heart sink. What she had tried so hard not to think about was now clear as day in front of her.

“Bad luck for you, Preme. See your ex with her new girlfriend at your favorite restaurant,” Janevee teased with a smirk, noticing the pained and irritated expression on Naphat’s face.

Naphat clenched her teeth, trying to mask her emotions. “That’s just someone from Nuea’s friend group. It’s P’Kwan-Khao.”

“Keep telling yourself that. You saw it too—they kissed. What kind of ‘friends’ kiss like that? For all you know, that race car driver was probably seeing Kwan-Khao behind your back the whole time you were together.”

Janevee’s words made Naphat freeze, her heart aching instantly. She looked back at the scene, realizing she couldn’t come up with any excuses to fool herself anymore.

“Want some payback?” Janevee asked with a sly smile, reaching out to take Naphat’s hand. “Use me as your weapon! Let me play your fake girlfriend to make that race car driver jealous. Drive her crazy. Or should I flirt with Kwan-Khao just to spice things up?”

She spoke with a seemingly helpful tone, but in truth, Janevee saw this as the perfect opportunity to push Naphat to sever ties with Nayika once and for all. And if Naphat wanted revenge, Janevee was more than happy to assist, knowing she had everything to gain from it.

Naphat turned to Janevee, feeling a surge of heat rising in her chest, and quickly brushed Janevee’s hand away. “What nonsense are you talking about? Watching too many dramas, are you?” She shot back before standing up abruptly and striding toward Nayika and Kwan-Khao’s table, ignoring Janevee completely.

“Suit yourself,” Janevee replied, leaning back to watch the scene unfold with an amused smile.

Naphat stopped in front of their table, her gaze fixed on Nayika, her tone calm yet laced with anger.

“P’Nuea… P’Kwan-Khao…” She forced a cold smile. “Didn’t you say you were just friends? What kind of ‘friends’ hold hands and kiss each other on the cheek like that?” she said, eyes narrowing on their intertwined hands. Nayika quickly pulled her hand away, while Kwan-Khao avoided Naphat’s gaze.

Standing there with tears welling up in her eyes, Naphat cursed herself for ever trusting them. “I trusted you, P’Kwan-Khao. We all always used to go out to dinner together!” She then turned to Nayika, her eyes blazing with hurt and anger. “P’Nuea… you’re such a jerk!”

With that, Naphat spun around and stormed out of the restaurant. Janevee jumped up and followed her immediately. By the time they reached the parking lot, Nayika had caught up, grabbing Naphat’s arm as if trying to explain something. But before Nayika could say a word, Janevee stepped in, firmly pulling Nayika’s hand off Naphat’s arm.

Janevee’s gaze was sharp, and she looked at Nayika with a cold intensity. “Take your hand off her, now!” she said firmly, squeezing Nayika’s hand until she got her hand off Naphat.

Nayika glared at her. “Who are you?”

“I’m Preme’s girlfriend,” Janevee replied without missing a beat, her voice laced with a mocking smile. “And you’re holding my girlfriend’s hand.”

Nayika looked over at Naphat, but this time, Naphat averted her eyes, refusing to look at her ex. Left with no choice, Nayika let go.

Janevee took the opportunity to deliver one final blow. “I’ll let it slide this time, but if you try anything with my girlfriend again, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, Janevee took Naphat’s hand and led her to her sleek sports car, leaving Nayika staring after them in shock. She opened the door for Naphat first, then got in and started the engine, driving off slowly before pulling up beside Nayika once more.

Janevee lowered the window, giving Nayika a taunting smile before tossing a business card onto the ground in front of her.

"If you want to know who I am, try to search my name on Google." Janevee said, then pulled out her designer wallet, took out a stack of thousand-baht bills, and tossed them on the ground in front of Nayika.

“Cover my bill for me, thanks”

She raised an eyebrow with a smirk, revved the engine, and sped off, leaving Nayika standing there, watching her and Naphat disappear from sight.

…

Hojicha Studio Writer

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Lies Between Us by Hojicha Studio