Chapter 15 — Fake Kisses with My Ex's Best Friend

Two days after the stormy summary meeting, Khả Tâm proactively texted to meet Thành Kiệt privately, choosing a quiet coffee shop far from the office to avoid unnecessary prying eyes. She wants to end everything decisively and clearly, without leaving any space for misunderstandings or false hopes to continue.

Thành Kiệt arrived earlier than the scheduled time, sat waiting with an expression of both nervousness and hope, his hand constantly twirling the glass of water in front of him. When he saw Khả Tâm walk in, he quickly stood up, pulled out a chair and invited her to sit, a polite gesture familiar from the days of their relationship.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me," he said, his voice shaking a little.

"I came to give you a clear answer, as you requested at the meeting the other day," Khả Tâm spoke directly, without beating around the bush, her voice was so calm that Thành Kiệt himself was surprised.

"I'm listening," he replied, his eyes filled with hope.

"My answer is no," she said, firmly and clearly, "I will not go back to you, not now or any time in the future."

Outside the cafe window, the stream of people passing by was still bustling as usual, completely unaware of the conversation that would determine the fate of a three-year love affair taking place just a few steps away. Khả Tâm looked out at that familiar scene and felt strange when she realized that the world was still operating normally, while she was experiencing one of the most important moments of her life.

Thành Kiệt was stunned, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard, although in his heart, perhaps he had also anticipated this possibility. "Why? I know I was wrong, but I'm willing to fix everything, if you just give me a chance."

"The question is not whether you are willing to fix it or not," Khả Tâm replied, her voice gradually becoming sharper, "The problem is that I never really respected your feelings enough to not betray it from the beginning. I chose to keep both you and Bảo Ngân at the same time. When I saw that you could be happy with someone else, I panicked and wanted to take it back, not because I truly loved you, but because I couldn't stand the feeling of losing something I once owned."

Her words were like knives cutting straight into the truth that Thành Kiệt had been trying to avoid facing all this time. He bowed his head, unable to find a satisfactory rebuttal.

"I know I was wrong," he said, his voice quiet, "But I really love you, Tâm, that feeling has never gone away."

"If you truly loved me," Khả Tâm said, his voice softened a bit but still remained steadfast, "you wouldn't have let me find out about your betrayal through accidentally seen messages, through secret calls behind my back. True love does not come with prolonged deception, Kiệt," She stopped for a moment, looked straight into his eyes, then continued, her voice more sincere, without any resentment. "I don't hate you. I even thank you, because without what happened, I would never have had the chance to realize what I really need and deserve in a relationship. But our path here is over. I hope you find true peace, whether with Bảo Ngân or with anyone else, but this time, choose a more decisive and honest way." Thành Kiệt sat quietly, unable to say anything more, just nodded slowly, accepting a truth that he knew he had no other choice but to face. "I understand. I'm sorry for everything I've caused you."

"What about Bảo Ngân?" Khả Tâm asked further, her voice no longer complaining but simply a practical question, "She has been waiting for you to be decisive for a long time. If you still have any respect for her, I think you should give her a clear answer, instead of letting her continue to live in doubt like I did."

Thành Kiệt bowed his head and was silent for a long time before replying, his voice full of regret, "I know. I will talk frankly with her, no matter what the outcome."

"That's good." Khả Tâm nodded, feeling relieved to see that he at least realized his responsibility towards the other woman in this story. "I hope both of you can find a better direction for yourselves."

Khả Tâm stood up, left some money on the table for his drink, then left the shop without looking back. Stepping outside, she took a deep breath, feeling a relief she hadn't felt since the day she fell down the office stairs, the beginning of all the past events.

On the way home, she texted Bách Nhân, not to report the progress of the plan like before, but because she really wanted to share this moment with him. "I just met Thành Kiệt and definitely rejected him. Everything is really over," Bách Nhân called immediately instead of texting, his voice was a bit urgent when she picked up the phone. "Are you okay? Is he giving you a hard time?"

"I'm fine, really fine," Khả Tâm replied, and in her voice, Bách Nhân could feel a genuine, unforced relief. "Can I see you for a moment? I want to talk to you, not about plans, but about... something else."

They arranged to meet at Gió Sông restaurant, the place that had witnessed almost their entire journey since the first day. When Khả Tâm arrived, Bách Nhân was already sitting at the familiar table near the window, his eyes following her from the moment she entered the door.

"I just told Thành Kiệt what I really think." She sat down and recounted the entire conversation, her voice calm but containing a new certainty. "And while saying those things, I realized something much more important than ending the old relationship."

"What is it?" Bách Nhân asked, his voice was soft, his eyes never leaving her.

Khả Tâm took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to tell the truth that she had been denying herself for many weeks. "I realized, my feelings for you, now, are no longer part of a revenge plan. I'm not sure when, but it became real, so real that I couldn't continue pretending to myself anymore."

Bách Nhân was silent for a long time, his eyes contained a complex emotion that Khả Tâm did not dare to guess. She began to fear that she had said something she shouldn't have said, that perhaps, to him, this was still simply a plan to help his friends.

But then, he smiled slightly, a gentle smile that she had never seen him give to anyone else before. "I was afraid I was the only one who felt that way."

Those words made Khả Tâm's heart burst with happiness that she did not expect to be able to find again so quickly after all the past hurts.

"So what do we do now?" She asked, her voice both hesitant and expectant, "We've been 'acting' as a couple for so long, now if it's real, do we need to change anything?"

Bách Nhân laughed lightly, a rare, comfortable laugh, "I think, maybe we just need to stop calling this an act anymore. Everything else, maybe we don't need to change at all, because it's inherently exactly what a real couple should be."

He reached out, grabbed her hand and placed it on the table, a handshake that didn't need to be shown to anyone, without worrying about the eyes of Thành Kiệt or any other colleagues, simply a gesture between two people who were being honest with each other for the first time since everything started.

"Thank you," Khả Tâm said, her voice choked with emotion, "For agreeing to help me, for being patient, and for being honest, even when I didn't dare to be honest with myself."

"Thank you is correct," Bách Nhân replied, squeezing her hand tighter, "For giving me a reason to believe that, sometimes, the best things come from the most imperfect beginnings."

They sat together until it was completely dark, not in a hurry to leave like before, nor did they need to perform anything for anyone to see. The shop owner, a middle-aged woman who knew them both through many visits, brought two cups of hot tea without them ordering. She just smiled and said softly, "You two look different from usual this time. I noticed it right away." They both looked at each other, laughed, realizing that perhaps the most sophisticated outsiders sometimes realize the truth before the insiders themselves.

But both understand that admitting their feelings for each other is only the beginning, because there are still many challenges ahead, not only from Thành Kiệt, but perhaps, also from those around them who do not understand the whole story behind their relationship.