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It feels good to focus on someone else’s life. Someone else’s happiness.

For a few minutes, I almost forget about Lucien. Eventually, the conversation circles back.

“So what happened?” Liam asks. “I mean, I know his mom walked in and his dad freaked out. But what made you break up?”

I take a long sip. “He told me something. Something he’d been hiding. It was a betrayal.”

Liam leans forward. “What?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s not my information to share.”

“Cam—”

“I’m serious, Liam. It’s personal. And it wouldn’t be ethical for me to talk about it.”

Liam frowns. “Was it illegal?”

I laugh, despite myself. “No. Nothing like that.”

“Did he cheat on you?”

“No. I don’t think he would. Or could.”

Liam sits back, studying me. “Then was it really a betrayal?”

I blink. “What?”

“I mean, if he didn’t cheat or do anything illegal…was it really that bad?”

I open my mouth to argue, but the words don’t come.

“It’s just…” I struggle to explain. “He knew something. Something important. And he didn’t tell me when he should have. And when he finally did, it destroyed everything.”

Liam nods. “Okay. I get that.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah. It’s about trust. About feeling like you know someone or a situation and then finding out you don’t.”

“Exactly.”

We sit in silence for a moment.

The Christmas music shifts to something slower, more melancholic: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“For what it’s worth,” Liam says, “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Thanks.”

“And I still think he’s an asshole.”

“Noted.”

We finish our drinks and pay the tab, and as we walk outside, snowflakes fall. The chill is a stark contrast to the warmth of the bar.

The streets are white and quiet.

“Thanks for coming over, for making me get out.”