All I can see is that image.
All I can hear is Levi’s voice, asking if she’s coming.
All I can feel is the overwhelming sense of betrayal.
I was so stupid and naïve. I believed we could have a future together. That the three of us could really be together and they loved me the way I loved them.
I was wrong about everything.
The anger sets in first. How dare they humiliate me like this? How dare they make me feel like I was crazy for not trusting Anastasia when my instincts screamed that something was wrong? But beneath the anger is something worse: my heart is broken. It’s shattered into a million tiny pieces, and I’m not sure I will ever be able to recover.
I block them on everything—every single way they can reach me—phone, text, social media, email.
I don’t leave a note and I don’t explain. I vanish because if I tried to have that conversation, I would have fallen apart completely. And I tell myself I’m making the right choice. Those assholes aren’t worth my time and I’m better off without them.
But what if I’m wrong about what happened that day? What if there’s more to the story than what I saw and heard?
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to remember the details of that day more clearly. The photo, the call where Levi asked her if she was coming—those are facts.
But what if—what if Anastasia orchestrated the whole thing? What if it was some kind of manipulation to get rid of me? Surely no one would go to such lengths. It all sounds so fucking crazy; there is no way.
I roll over in bed and stare at the wall, feeling the weight of years of resentment crushing down on me. Tomorrow, Landon and I are supposed to film some content, and I’ll have to look him in the eye knowing I might have destroyed our future based on a misunderstanding.
The worst part? I don’t know the truth, and I’m terrified of what will happen when I tell my side.
I reach for my phone and call Leila’s number before I can reconsider. It rings three times before she picks up.
“Abby?” Her voice is sleep-filled, and guilt twists in my chest for waking her.“What’s wrong? It’s late.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but I need to talk to you.”
“Okay,” she says, and I can hear her moving around, probably getting comfortable. “What’s going on?”
I take a deep breath and tell her everything. From the text from the unknown number, to the photo, and the phone call. All of it.
There’s a long silence on the other end when I finish.
“Oh my god,” Leila breathes. “So that’s the real reason you broke it off with them.”
“Yes.”
“But you never told me the truth,” she says, and I can hear the hurt in her voice. “You said it wasn’t working out and that you couldn’t do it anymore. You made me promise never to bring it up again.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I couldn’t talk about it, not to you, not when they’re your brothers.”
“Abby,” Leila says quietly. “Do you understand what you just told me? I’ve spent five years watching my brothers hurting while trying to move on, and I didn’t even know why. They never told me what happened either. They only said you left, and you didn’t want contact with them anymore.”
Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes. “I’m sorry, but I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to choose between us.”
“Well, I did,” Leila says. “I chose to respect your wishes. To let my brothers suffer in silence because you wouldn’t tell me what the hell happened.”
“I’m telling you now,” I whisper.
There’s another long pause, then Leila sighs, and her voice softens. “Okay. Tell me everything again and don’t leave out any detail, no matter how small.”
I go through it all again, and when I finish, Leila is quiet for a long moment.
“Abby, before I say anything, I need to ask you something,” she finally says. “Did you ever try to talk to them about this and give them a chance to explain?”
