She Wore My Name

People always say that you should be careful about the enemies you make. I disagree. Enemies are easy to recognize. They don't smile at you when you walk into a room. They don't celebrate your birthday. They don't know your favorite coffee order. They don't know the password to your phone. They don't know the name of the person you call when you're having the worst day of your life. Your enemies don't know you well enough to destroy you. But your best friend? She does. And that was exactly why I never suspected Amethyst Hope. For almost eight years, she had been the person I trusted most. My best friend. My confidante. My chosen sister. The one person I thought would never hurt me. I was wrong. But I didn't know that yet. At that time, I was still stupid enough to believe that the girl standing beside me was genuinely happy whenever I smiled. --- “Kymm!” I heard my name being shouted across the parking area. I turned around and immediately saw Amethyst running toward me. “Wait!” I sighed. “Again?” She stopped in front of me, breathing heavily. “Don't start.” “You're late.” “Five minutes!” “Fifteen.” “Same thing.” I raised an eyebrow. “Since when is fifteen the same as five?” She rolled her eyes and linked her arm with mine. “Since you're my best friend and you're supposed to defend me.” I laughed. “I'm supposed to defend you from what? Time?” “Exactly.” “You're impossible.” “And yet, you love me.” “Unfortunately.” She laughed. “See? That's why we're best friends.” I smiled. That was Amethyst. Always loud. Always playful. Always making me laugh. We had met when we were teenagers. She had been the new girl who didn't know anyone, while I had been the quiet daughter of one of the country's most influential families. People expected me to be arrogant because of my surname. Castellanos. It was a name that opened doors. A name people respected. A name people feared. My family owned the Castellanos Group, an empire built over generations through real estate, luxury hotels, retail, technology, and investments. I was the only daughter. The heir. The future face of the company. But inside my family, I was simply Kymm. My parents didn't care about how many businesses we owned when we were at home. My mother still reminded me to eat breakfast. My father still complained whenever I worked too late. My grandmother still called me baby girl despite me being old enough to run several departments of the company. To the outside world, I had everything. And maybe I did. But I never thought I was better than anyone. Especially not Amethyst. “By the way,” Amethyst said. “What?” “Your dress.” I looked down at myself. I was wearing a simple cream-colored dress. “What about it?” “It's pretty.” “Thanks.” “Where did you buy it?” I told her. She nodded. “Is it expensive?” I shrugged. “I don't remember.” She laughed softly. “Of course you don't.” I smiled. But I didn't notice how her eyes stayed on the dress longer than necessary. I didn't notice how she studied every detail. The sleeves. The fabric. The necklace around my neck. Even my shoes. At the time, I thought she was simply admiring the outfit. I didn't know she was memorizing it. --- We entered the Castellanos headquarters together. The moment the security guards saw me, they greeted me. “Good morning, Miss Castellanos.” “Good morning.” Amethyst smiled politely. “Good morning.” We continued walking. I noticed her becoming unusually quiet. “What's wrong?” “Nothing.” “Sure?” “Yeah.” I stopped walking. She stopped too. “Amethyst.” “What?” “You're quiet.” She smiled. “I'm just thinking.” “About?” She looked around the massive lobby. The marble floors. The enormous chandelier. The golden Castellanos emblem displayed behind the reception desk. Then she looked at me. “About your life.” I laughed. “My life?” “Yes.” “What's there to think about?” She shrugged. “You have everything.” I smiled awkwardly. “I have problems too.” “But your problems are different.” I didn't know what to say. She smiled again. “Don't worry. I'm not jealous.” I immediately laughed. “I didn't say you were.” “I know.” She linked her arm with mine again. “I'm just saying.” We continued walking. I didn't see the look on her face when she turned toward the Castellanos emblem. Her eyes were fixed on it. Almost possessively. --- At lunch, my boyfriend arrived. The moment I saw him, my entire expression changed. “Kael!” He smiled. “There she is.” He walked toward me and kissed my forehead. Amethyst immediately groaned. “Please. I'm eating.” Kael laughed. “You're the one who keeps joining us.” “Because she's my best friend.” “And I'm her boyfriend.” “Exactly. That's the problem.” I laughed. Kael shook his head. “Come on, Kymm. I reserved a table.” I nodded. “Wait.” I turned to Amethyst. “Are you coming?” She smiled. “Sure.” Kael looked at her. “You're always welcome.” “See?” Amethyst smiled. “That's why I like you.” Kael laughed. But I noticed something. When he held my hand, Amethyst looked down at our fingers. Only for a second. Then she smiled again. Nothing strange. Nothing obvious. Just a tiny moment. One I would later remember over and over. --- That evening, after dinner, Kael drove me home. I rested my head against the window. “Quiet ka.” “Tired.” “Busy day?” “Kind of.” He glanced at me. “Something bothering you?” “No.” “You sure?” I smiled. “I'm okay.” He reached over and squeezed my hand. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” “I know.” “And I love you.” I smiled. “I love you too.” For a moment, everything felt perfect. My family. My boyfriend. My career. My best friend. My life. I had no idea that someone was already planning to take it from me. --- The next morning, Amethyst sent me a message. Amethyst: Can I come over later? I replied immediately. Me: Of course. Why? Amethyst: I miss you. I smiled. Me: Drama. Amethyst: Your drama queen best friend. I put my phone down. Later that afternoon, she arrived at the Castellanos estate. “Wow,” she said as she entered. “You've been here a hundred times.” “I know.” She looked around. “But it still feels different.” “What feels different?” She smiled. “Nothing.” We went upstairs to my room. Amethyst sat on my bed while I searched for something inside my closet. “Remember this?” She held up an old photograph. I looked at it. It was a picture of us from years ago. We were younger. Messier. Happier. I laughed. “Oh my gosh.” “You looked so different.” “So did you.” She stared at the picture. “We were so happy.” “We still are.” She didn't answer. Instead, she asked, “Kymm?” “Hmm?” “Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be someone else?” I laughed. “All the time.” “Really?” “Sometimes.” She looked at me. “Would you ever want to trade lives with someone?” I thought about it. “Maybe for a day.” “Only a day?” “Of course.” “Why?” “Because I like my life.” She smiled. “Even though it's difficult?” “Even though it's difficult.” She looked down at the photograph. Then she whispered, “Lucky you.” “What?” “Nothing.” I sat beside her. “You're weird today.” She laughed. “Maybe I'm just tired.” I smiled. “Come on. Let's take pictures.” She immediately grabbed her phone. We took several selfies. She copied my pose. Then another. Then another. I laughed. “Why are you copying me?” “Because your poses look good.” “You're ridiculous.” “Maybe.” We continued taking pictures. I didn't think anything of it. Until she asked me something. “What's your usual signature?” I looked at her. “My signature?” “Yeah.” “Why?” “Nothing. Just curious.” I laughed. “Why would you need my signature?” She smiled. “Maybe someday I'll be famous too.” I laughed. “Then I'll give you an autograph.” She laughed with me. But deep inside, something about the question stayed with me. --- That night, after Amethyst left, I went downstairs. My mother was sitting in the living room. “How was your day?” “Good.” “Amethyst came?” “Yes.” My mother smiled. “I like her.” “So do I.” “She seems very sweet.” I smiled. “She is.” My mother looked at me. “Just be careful, Kymm.” I frowned. “About what?” She shook her head. “Nothing.” “Mom.” She smiled. “Your grandmother used to tell me something.” “What?” “Never give someone the entire map to your heart.” I laughed. “That's dramatic.” “Maybe.” She touched my cheek. “But sometimes the people closest to us know exactly where to hurt us.” I smiled. “Amethyst would never hurt me.” My mother didn't answer. She simply looked at me. At the time, I thought she was being overly protective. Years later, I would remember that conversation. Because my mother had been right. --- That same night, somewhere across the city, Amethyst stood in front of a mirror. She had printed the photographs from our afternoon together. One by one, she placed them on her wall. My smile. My hairstyle. My clothes. My poses. My signature. My boyfriend. My family. My home. My name. Everything. She stared at one particular photograph. A picture of me wearing the Castellanos family necklace. She touched the photograph with her fingertips. Then she looked at herself in the mirror. For a moment, she smiled. She lifted her hair the same way I did. Tilted her head the same way. Copied my expression. Then she whispered to her reflection. “Soon.” She looked back at my photograph. “You won't mind sharing, will you, Kymm?” Her smile slowly disappeared. “After all…” She picked up a picture of me and Kael. “…you already have everything.” She placed it carefully on the wall. Then she whispered the words that would eventually become her obsession. “I just want to know what it's like to be you.” She stared at my face. And smiled. “I wonder…” She slowly touched my name written beneath the photograph. Kymm Averylle Castellanos. “…how long it would take before everyone forgets that it was never mine.” And that was the first night Amethyst Hope decided that being my best friend wasn't enough. She wanted my life. My family. My love. My empire. And eventually… my name.