Chapter 4

The screen glowed, mocking me with their triumphant smiles. Britney' s words, "Some people just don't understand what real love is," were a final, brutal blow. I stared at the picture for what felt like an eternity, the despair a cold, heavy blanket suffocating me.

Then, very slowly, I pushed myself up. My legs felt like lead. I walked to the front desk, the sterile lobby lights blurring around me.

"Everything alright, miss?" The night clerk, a kind-faced woman with tired eyes, asked softly. "Your boyfriend... he didn't come back, did he?" Her gaze was knowing, sympathetic.

I met her eyes, a strange calm settling over me. "No," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "He won't be coming back." I knew it, with a searing certainty. The Graham I loved, the Graham I thought I knew, was gone. He had ceased to exist the moment he chose her over me, again and again.

I finally managed to get into my room. I took a long, scalding shower, trying to wash away the clinging feeling of betrayal and humiliation. But it stuck to my skin. I collapsed onto the bed, the mattress too soft, too empty. My body ached, a dull throb in every muscle. My phone buzzed, Graham's name flashing across the screen. Then another, and another. Calls, texts, apologies, pleas. I just stared at it, the notifications a buzzing nuisance. I let them go unanswered. I didn't care.

Sleep claimed me, a fragile, troubled escape. In my dreams, our past flashed before my eyes. Graham, young and earnest, confessing his love under a canopy of stars. "Katelyn," he' d said, his voice thick with emotion, "I've never felt this way about anyone. You're the one." I remembered the airport, his tears streaming down his face as he clung to me. "Don't forget me," he' d begged, "Don't let anyone else take my place." I remembered our reunion in London, just a few days ago, his deep embrace, his whispered promise, "I've missed you so much, Katelyn. Marry me when you transfer here. Let's build our life."

The last memory, the most painful, was of his hand in mine, walking into the hotel. The bracelet on his wrist. Britney's triumphant smile.

I woke up with a gasp, my throat raw. A harsh, antiseptic smell filled my nostrils. I blinked, disoriented, the white walls of a hospital room coming into focus. And there, by my bedside, sat Graham.

His eyes were red-rimmed, his face pale. He looked genuinely distraught. "Katelyn! Oh my god, you gave me such a scare!" he exclaimed, reaching for my hand. "Why didn't you tell me you were feeling unwell? You always do this, you never take care of yourself!"

His words, full of feigned concern, held an undertone of accusation. He was blaming me. Even now.

"I don't know," I croaked, my voice a dry rasp. My head throbbed. What was I doing here? Why was I still trying to understand him? Why had I flown across an ocean for this? My heart ached with a profound, weary sadness. I was so stupid. So incredibly, hopelessly stupid for still holding onto even an ounce of hope.

He squeezed my hand. "I'm so sorry, Katelyn. For everything. I messed up. I know I did. I'll make it right. I promise." His voice was choked with emotion, his eyes pleading.

I just stared at him. For a long, silent moment, I searched his face, his eyes. Then, slowly, I nodded. A single, small nod.

For the next two days, Graham stayed by my side. He didn't touch his phone once. He brought me bland hospital food, read to me from a book, and watched over me with a quiet, attentive presence. It was a facade, I knew, but a convincing one. A desperate attempt to salvage what was already broken.

On the third night, I woke with a start. The room was dark. Empty. He was gone. My heart clenched. My phone buzzed. A text from Graham: "Emergency at school. Had to go. Be back before morning, I promise."

My blood ran cold. Emergency at school. The old lie, recycled. My fingers flew to Instagram. Britney's story, posted just thirty minutes ago. A picture of her, wrapped in a familiar grey duvet, a mischievous smile on her face. The caption: "Cozy night in. So glad certain people are here to keep me company."

The duvet. It was his duvet. The one I' d helped him pick out before he left. The one I' d slept under countless times. The room, with its distinctive bedside lamp, was unmistakably his apartment. My blood turned to ice.

Moving out. Renovations. The lies echoed in my head, a cruel symphony of deceit. He hadn't moved. He had been lying to me all along.

A cold, hard fury, unlike anything I'd ever felt, surged through me. My hands clenched into fists. I ripped off the IV, ignored the dull pain, and stumbled out of the hospital bed. I grabbed my clothes, dressed quickly, my movements jerky and determined.

I had to see it. I had to witness the betrayal with my own eyes, one last time. I needed to burn the image into my memory, to destroy any lingering doubt, any foolish hope.

I called a cab, my voice surprisingly steady as I gave Graham's apartment address. The ride was a blur. My heart hammered, a drumbeat of rage and despair. When the cab pulled up, I saw them.

Graham. And Britney.

They were standing by the entrance to his building, bathed in the glow of the streetlights. Britney was clinging to his arm, her head resting on his shoulder, her laughter tinkling in the night air. "Graham, you're the best! You really came back to me!" she chirped, a triumphant note in her voice.

He gently pushed her away, but his arm remained around her waist. A gesture of reluctant possessiveness. My eyes narrowed. On his wrist, glinting in the dim light, was the silver bracelet. And on hers, an identical one. The "thank you gift." The "couple's bracelet."

I ducked behind a parked car, my breath catching in my throat. I pulled out my phone, my fingers flying to his contact. Dial.

He answered on the second ring, his voice muffled, a hint of irritation. "Katelyn? What's wrong? I told you I was at school."

His lie was so smooth, so practiced. So utterly convincing. It was like he was talking to a ghost, to someone who wasn't there, seeing him with her.

"I... I just wanted to hear your voice," I whispered, my own voice shaking. I needed to test him. One last time. "Can I... can I come see you? For a little while? I miss you."

A pause. A long, agonizing pause. Then, "Katelyn, I told you, I'm really busy. I'll call you later. Get some rest." He hung up.

My phone dropped from my numb fingers, clattering on the pavement. The world went silent. I sank to the ground, the cold concrete seeping into my bones. Tears streamed down my face, hot and bitter. It wasn't a soft sob, but a deep, guttural cry that ripped through me. The pain was unbearable, a sharp, twisting agony that made me want to curl into a ball and disappear.

Hours later, I found myself back in the hospital room, staring blankly at the ceiling. The pain was still there, a dull ache that had settled deep in my chest. But something else had replaced the despair. A cold, quiet resolve.

I picked up the hospital phone, my fingers steady. I dialed my academic advisor back in New York. "Professor Davies," I said, my voice hoarse but firm. "I need to change my exchange program application. I don't want to go to London anymore."

A pause. "Katelyn? Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine," I lied. "I just... I've decided Berlin would be a better fit for my automotive engineering studies. More cutting-edge research, a stronger focus on electric vehicles. Can you switch my application to the technical institute there?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a sigh. "It'll be complicated, Katelyn. London was almost approved."

"I understand," I said, my voice unwavering. "But I need this. Please."

"Alright, Katelyn," he finally conceded. "I'll see what I can do. Berlin it is."

Berlin. A city of new beginnings. A city far, far away from London. A city that suddenly felt like salvation.