Chapter 3 Torn Apart

Chapter 3 – Torn Apart

Mia didn't know how long she walked. The streets were quiet at this hour, empty except for the occasional car passing by, headlights cutting through the night. Her thoughts were anything but quiet. Sophie's confession echoed in her mind, gnawing at her from the inside. It wasn't just the betrayal-it was the fact that Ethan had been with Sophie first. He never told her, never hinted at it, and now Mia couldn't shake the feeling that she had been played.

What else had Ethan kept from her?

She wandered toward the park, the one where she and Sophie used to hang out when they were kids. They had shared everything once-secrets, laughter, dreams of the future. Now it felt like everything had been a lie.

Mia stopped at one of the benches, collapsing onto the cold metal. She buried her face in her hands, trying to breathe, but the suffocating weight of it all made her feel like she was drowning.

Her phone buzzed again, Ethan's name flashing across the screen once more. She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she swiped to read the message.

"Everything okay?"

No. Everything was falling apart. She wanted to scream at him, to demand answers. But what would that accomplish? He was just like everyone else-selfish, secretive, using her for his own needs. And she had been stupid enough to fall for it.

Mia's fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of what to say. But she couldn't bring herself to respond. Not now.

She stuffed the phone back into her pocket and leaned back on the bench, staring up at the dark sky. Her mind raced with a thousand questions, none of which she had answers for. How had she let things get so complicated? What was she even doing with Ethan? It wasn't supposed to be serious. But it had gotten under her skin, and now... now it felt like she was losing control.

The next morning, Mia dragged herself back to her apartment, exhaustion weighing heavily on her. She hadn't slept. How could she, with her mind spinning like it was? She didn't know what to say to Sophie, or to Ethan. And Liam... God, she couldn't even think about him right now. She was barely keeping herself together.

As she stepped through the door, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was Liam.

"Can we meet later? I miss you."

Her chest tightened. Liam was everything safe, everything stable, and she loved him for that. But her feelings for him were nothing compared to the raw, reckless passion she felt for Ethan. And now, knowing what she knew, she couldn't face Liam. Not yet.

Mia dropped her keys on the counter and collapsed onto the couch. She needed to figure out what to do next. She needed clarity. But instead, all she could feel was anger and betrayal, swirling inside her like a storm she couldn't control.

Her phone buzzed again. Ethan.

This time, she couldn't ignore it.

"We need to talk," she texted back, her fingers tapping furiously against the screen. "Now."

An hour later, Mia was back at Ethan's penthouse. The moment he opened the door, her heart skipped a beat despite the fury boiling beneath her skin. He looked like sin, as always-perfectly tousled hair, the sharp lines of his jaw, that confident smirk that had once made her melt. But now all she saw was deceit.

"Mia, what's going on?" Ethan asked, frowning as she pushed past him into the apartment.

She spun to face him, her eyes blazing. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of hurt and anger.

Ethan's brow furrowed. "Tell you what?"

"About Sophie." The words were like acid on her tongue. "She told me everything, Ethan. That you slept with her."

The confusion on his face vanished, replaced with something unreadable. "Mia-"

"No!" She cut him off, her voice rising. "You should have told me! You knew she was my best friend, and you never thought it was important to mention that you'd been with her?"

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It was before we got involved, Mia. It didn't mean anything. I didn't think-"

"That's the problem, Ethan! You didn't think. You never think about how this affects me. I trusted you, and now I find out that you've been keeping secrets from me this whole time?"

Ethan stepped toward her, his eyes dark with frustration. "I didn't lie to you, Mia. It wasn't relevant. What happened with Sophie was a mistake, something that never should have happened, and it was long before we started this. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you."

"Well, guess what? You did hurt me." Her voice cracked, emotion bubbling to the surface. "You always told me I was the only one. You made me feel like I mattered, and now I find out I'm just another girl in your bed?"

Ethan's jaw clenched, his gaze hardening. "You're not just another girl, Mia. You know that."

"Do I?" She shot back, her eyes brimming with tears. "Because right now, I feel like I've been a fool. I've been sneaking around, lying to Liam, all because I thought what we had was special. But you've been lying to me, too."

He closed the distance between them, his hand reaching out to touch her face, but she stepped back, her body trembling with rage and hurt.

"Don't," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I can't do this right now."

"Mia, I'm sorry." His voice softened, but the apology felt empty. "I didn't mean for you to find out like this."

"Well, I did." She wiped at her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. "And now I don't know what to believe anymore."

Ethan stood there, watching her, his expression unreadable. For the first time since they started this, Mia felt like she didn't know him at all. Maybe she never did.

"I need some time," she said, her voice trembling. "I need to think."

Ethan nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving hers. "Take all the time you need."

But as Mia turned to leave, she couldn't shake the feeling that the damage had already been done.

Mia spent the rest of the day in a fog, her mind swirling with confusion and doubt. She didn't go home. She didn't want to face Liam, not when her own life was falling apart. Instead, she wandered through the city, aimless, trying to make sense of everything.

By the time the sun began to set, she found herself back at the park, sitting on the same bench as the night before. Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was Sophie.

"Can we talk?" the message read.

Mia stared at the screen, her chest tightening. She didn't know if she was ready to face Sophie, not after everything that had happened. But she couldn't avoid her forever.

Taking a deep breath, Mia typed back: "Yeah. Let's meet tomorrow."

She hit send and leaned back on the bench, her mind spinning. Tomorrow. She'd deal with Sophie tomorrow. But for now, all she wanted was to disappear.