“Please, I just need to know.”
Another pause.
“I think you already know the answer—if you saw it with your own eyes. I’m sorry.”
The line went dead.
His words lingered.If you saw it, notif it happened.
My phone immediately lit up again.
Caleb.
Taylor hadn’t wanted to hurt me. But he hadn’t needed to say more. He had confirmed everything.
Alone in that parking lot, I cried the way people cry only when something irreparable has happened—without restraint, without dignity, without hope.
Today had been meant to be beautiful. I was going to tell Caleb I loved him with everything I had. It was supposed to be the best day of my life. Instead, the image of him and Caroline in bed together burned itself into my vision, inescapable.
Elle called.
I didn’t answer.
Time dragged on. The trees swayed in the wind, indifferent, offering no comfort—only proof that the world kept moving while I stayed shattered.
Thirty missed calls from Caleb. Ten from Elle.
Eventually, I called Elle back and told her I’d be there in half an hour. I wiped my face, powdered over the damage, and drove to her house, sitting in the driveway until my breathing steadied enough to walk inside.
I hugged Lucas tightly. Kissed his cheek. And in that moment, I knew one thing with absolute certainty—he was the only man who would never hurt me. The only one whose love did not come with conditions.
I told them Caleb was busy. I wasn’t ready to fracture friendships. Not yet.
On the drive home, my thoughts circled. Infidelity was something I could not and would not accept. If I’d only heard about it, I might have doubted it. Questioned it. But I had seen it. And Taylor’s careful words had sealed the truth.
By evening, Caleb’s calls stopped.
When I arrived at my apartment, he was there.
He looked pale. Worn down. Like someone who hadn’t slept. Like someone who was waiting to be sentenced.
Lucas ran to him instantly, wrapping his arms around him like nothing had changed, like the world hadn’t split in two.
Inside, I sent Lucas to brush his teeth.
When his bedroom door closed, I finally looked at Caleb. “Before you say anything,” I said calmly, surprising even myself, “I want to say something.”
He nodded.
“I thought you were the one person in this world who would never hurt me,” I said softly. “I was wrong.” My gaze dropped. “I don’t want to know when it started, or why, or how long it’s been going on with Caroline.”
He opened his mouth.
I raised my hand. “I haven’t told anyone. And I won’t—except to say that we’re no longer together. You can see Lucas whenever you want. But you and I—we’re done.”
“I don’t even know how she got into my apartment?—”
Lucas appeared in the hallway.
