And another originally good story that goes down the drain because the author felt the need to spice things up by introducing another love interest. And to top it all off, it's the losing childhood friend - let's face it, there's no way she can win in this story.
I don't understand how you can like such story elements. Even a supposed happy ending for the main couple would dampen the mood considerably, as we know that it broke another heroine's heart, and in this case no less her longtime (in the end unrequited) love...