“What was your reason?” I cut him off, my voice trembling but firm. “Give me the real one.”
Because I was done with lies.
Because the truth hurt less than imagining it.
—?—
Adrian
I couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. Because the truth was—I didn’t know why I helped Phoebe. I didn’t know what possessed me in that stupid moment when I saw her crying and begging. It wasn’t logic. It wasn’t intention. It was a reckless, thoughtless impulse.
“I don’t know, Elena,” I said quietly.
“You don’t know?” she echoed, her voice sharp with mockery.
“What else don’t you know, Adrian? Did you also ‘not know’ when you slept with her?”
Her tone cut through me, but what hurt more was the way her eyes suddenly glistened.
I clenched my fists. “It only happened once, Elena.”
She let out a hollow laugh. “Once, twice, ten times... it doesn’t matter, Adrian. Betrayal is betrayal.”
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to continue even though she already looked like she was breaking in front of me.
“When I went to Boston... she came to see me. We had dinner and ended up at a bar. I drank too much and—”
“Stop.” She cut me off sharply. “Don’t continue.”
“Elena, I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”
Only then did I notice her tears spilling over, running fast down her cheeks as she tried to fan her face and wipe them away quickly, desperate to hide them from the people around us. Ireached into my pocket and pulled out my handkerchief, placing it in front of her. She hesitated for half a second before taking it.
“We shouldn’t talk about this right now,” I said softly, worry tightening my voice.
I could see how overwhelmed she was, how close she was to breaking again. But Elena shook her head firmly.
“No. I want to know everything now. Before I decide anything.”
My chest tightened instantly at her words. A sharp, suffocating pressure.
“What do you mean, Elena?” My fist clenched even harder against the table, my nails digging into my palm until it stung.
She looked straight at me, her voice steady even with the traces of tears still drying on her cheeks. “Before I decide whether to leave you or stay with you.”
For a split second, everything inside me went still. Not panic. Not shock. Just impact.
I forced myself to breathe, to stay composed. If I begged, she’d think every word out of my mouth was a lie.
“Alright,” I said. “Ask me whatever you need to ask. But don’t think for a second that I’m giving up on us, Elena.”
“How long?” she asked quietly. “How long have you been in contact with her?”
“Since the college reunion,” I answered.
Her brows pulled together. “That long?”
“Yeah.” I exhaled slowly. “She reached out first. At the beginning it was just small talk. Nothing serious. College memories, catching up. That was all.”
