> Standing on a beach, looking at the ocean waves clashing with each other. It sounds so peaceful, like a balm on my wounds that have healed but left marks. > > I still remember those days vividly. Me, Dua, and our friend group of five. Happy, friendly, joyful. > > We fought a lot. We laughed a lot. We were inseparable. > > But deep down, Dua was never my friend. > > They say when a friend becomes an enemy, whatever anger they throw at you is real. Whatever cruel words they say in anger is what they actually felt all along. > > That's when I realized it. > > I was foolish for trusting her. For being the emotionally mature one who always thought "maybe she's going through a difficult time." > > She wasn't. She was just used to playing the victim. > > I will never forget our last fight. A petty fight over leaving each other on seen. And then she said it - "Once a wise man said, beware of the people you do good to, because these are the same people who stab you." > > That line was for ME. The same girl she once helped, and I helped her too. She threw my love for novels in my face, saying "You're still living in fantasies, you need to grow up. This is real life." > > This is a story for everyone who had a Dua in their life. A friend who hurt you, then acted like YOU hurt her. ---