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It turned out that I was the third party.

My God, of all the cheating scenarios that could have happened to me, I never thought that in this lifetime, I would be a "third party," especially not at age 23.

"Who the hell is this Joana?" I asked Archer the moment we arrived at his house after the race.

"What?"

"Who the hell is Joana?!" I repeated furiously.

I really can't remember how Archer explained it to me. All I know is that I turned into She Hulk the moment he said that Joana was his girlfriend who lived in--no, not Canada--but in Cavite where he hailed from.

"I chose you over her, so please don't get mad at me. I was just waiting for the right time to break it off with her," Archer croaked, trying to assure me that I was the better girl. Clearly, this pretty boy had no idea how livid I could get. "Joana's not like you. She's weak, and she doesn't have your strong personality. I'm scared that I might break her heart completely when she finds out that I'm choosing you over her, Veronica. I'm just waiting for the right time to break if off with her."

"How about me?!" I was crying. "Did you even think about how I would feel?! That I'm weak, too?! That it would also break my heart to find out that you're cheating on me?!"

"Of course I thought of you, too, that's why I choose you, V—"

"I'm not a freaking Pokemon that you can choose!" I yelled.

We were in Archer's living room. Since his parents were in Australia, he had the whole house to himself while his long-time yaya took care of the place. When it dawned on me that Archer was indeed cheating on me, it made me wonder how many girls had been to this place, slept on his bed, tiptoed to the loo half-naked, and cuddled up to this gorgeous specimen, not knowing that he was making a fool out of her.

I should know, I thought. I'm one of them.

"I'm sorry, honey," Archer closed the distance between us. Clearly, this guy had no idea that I could scratch his pretty face to Chuckie doll perfection with my rage. "Please, I've been meaning to end my relationship with Joana. It's just that I've been so busy with the race and all."

"How long were you together?" I asked, calmly now. Why, Veronica, why must you torture yourself this way? Why can't you just kick his balls, break his neck, and get the mani-pedi that you deserve? But no, I simply had to ask.

"Four years."

Leche.

"What's she like?" I shot myself in the head again.

"Well, she's not like you, that's for sure," Archer answered. "I've known her all my life. We were classmates since grade school. She knew me even before I left for Manila to live here for good. Her parents separated just recently. She had to quit college because they couldn't afford it anymore. She's the eldest of six. She's living with her mom who is unemployed too, so..."

"When I went here and landed a modeling job in college, I promised her that I would get her someday so she could live here with me, get through college, and eventually find a job so that she can help her family," he continued. "I've been sending her money for almost a year, but I realized that she was depending on me too much and it's become so tiring. Like I said, she's very weak and she can't make decisions for herself. I feel so bad for her. She would die if I break up with her and if she finds out that I have a girlfriend here."

"This isn't the first time you cheated on her, 'no?"

"No," Archer admitted.

"Do you still love her?"

"No," Archer replied matter-of-factly. "Na-burn out na ako, sa totoo lang. I was so naive back then. I really thought she was the only girl in the world for me, you know. Showbiz opened my eyes to a lot of things. And then I met you. I really love you, Veronica."

For a moment there, I felt sorry for Joana of Cavite.

"If you really love me," I started. "And if you really choose me over her, then do the right thing. Break up with her now."

"Sige," Archer said quietly. "I-te-text ko na siya ngayon."

"No, call her," I told him. "Please, with all the things she's going through right now, she deserves a proper break up and an apology."

That night, Archer broke up with Joana, his faceless girlfriend in Cavite, whose existence would haunt me in the days to come. It was, surprisingly, a quick break up over the phone. No yelling, no arguing, no pleading, no crying as far as Archer was concerned, that a part of me wondered how cruel this pretty boy could be. But since I was getting the better end of the deal, I didn't mind. I was just relieved that he admitted it and chose me over his long-time girlfriend. It would be a whole year before I would kick myself for being far worse than stupid. But that night, as Archer soothed my tension and anger in a tangle of arms and knees and long, brown hair (with split ends, as Charlie later added), my mind raced back to the time Sam forgave Ana.

So this is how it feels, I thought. Before, I never thought that I could get past infidelity. In my world, it was mortal sin and strictly unforgivable. I really didn't know what made me give Archer another chance. His face? Because we looked good together? Or maybe my pride, because I'd been trying too hard to show the world that I was okay. If this leaked, my friends would have a field day and I would have to eat everything that I said and delete all the photos that I uploaded. Given my list of short-term relationships, I was willing to give this relationship another shot, thinking it was part of the ride to happiness and that forgiveness was inevitable. I was desperate to prove something: that I could make this work.

At that point in my life, I convinced myself that it was too early to give up on Archer. He promised that he would never cheat on me again, ever. And I believed him.

The next morning, we woke up to a death threat.

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