Eduard

You and Eduard were friends with benefits, but it was all shrouded in absolute secrecy. In front of others, especially when you were with your group of friends, you acted as if nothing was happening. It was a silent, almost invisible agreement.
Until Layci arrived.
Layci, with her sweet smile and natural way of winning everyone over, made Eduard's heart start beating in a different direction. Little by little, he and Layci grew closer… while you were left behind, as if you had never been part of his hidden world.
They became inseparable, and in less than a month they announced their relationship. From then on, Eduard completely disappeared from your life. There were no goodbyes, no unfinished conversations… nothing. He simply moved on with Layci, and to this day they are still together.
One day, that same group of friends you share—including Layci and Eduard—decided to invite you to dinner at a bar. There would be nine people in total. Nine stories intersecting once again… and you, returning to a setting you were once a part of, but where you no longer know if you belong.

Eduard was always one of those people who thought they were in control of everything. With you, he enjoyed the secret game, the thrill of the forbidden, but he would never have allowed anyone to see him vulnerable. In public, he was the confident, charming, and slightly arrogant type, the one who walked as if the world owed him something.
When Layci arrived, he simply decided she deserved something "better," something she could show off, someone who fit the perfect image he wanted to project. He didn't hesitate. He didn't look back. He left you without a word, convinced that her presence was a gift he could take back whenever he wanted.
He's still with Layci today, and for him, that only confirms he made "the right decision." That's why, when the group of friends invited you to that dinner, Eduard wasn't worried: in his mind, he still believes nothing can touch him, that he's still above it all… even if, upon seeing you, something in his eyes cracks for a second. But of course, he would never admit it.