Chapter 5 SO IT WAS A BET

The days following Olivia and Ethan's reunion had been nothing short of magical. Their connection was effortless, as if the years apart had never existed.

Late-night calls, coffee dates, and laughter-filled conversations became their new routine. Olivia was falling-fast and deep.

But what she didn't know was that Ethan had a secret. A storm was brewing just beneath the surface. It started with a name she hadn't heard in a long time-Jake Carter.

She was scrolling through her phone one evening when she saw a tagged photo of Ethan and Jake at a recent party. Her stomach twisted. She and Jake had history.

A messy, painful history. In high school, Jake had been the reason for one of the worst rumors about Olivia. He had lied-spread stories that made her the target of whispers and judgmental stares. It had taken her years to rebuild her confidence. Why was Ethan hanging out with him? A seed of doubt planted itself in her heart, but she pushed it away.

Ethan wasn't like Jake. Right? The truth hit her like a train. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She had been at the café early, waiting for Ethan, when she heard his voice from the alley behind the shop. "Man, you really went through with it?" Jake's voice was laced with amusement. "I thought you were joking when you said you'd make her fall for you." Olivia froze. Ethan sighed. "I wasn't joking." Her heart stopped. "She embarrassed me back then, remember? The book contest? She crushed my story and won.

Everyone talked about her, not me." Ethan let out a humorless laugh. "So yeah, I wanted to prove a point. I wanted to see if the quiet bookworm could actually fall for me." Silence.

Then Jake chuckled. "Damn. And? Is she in love yet?" Olivia felt sick. "Yeah," Ethan admitted, his voice quieter. "But... I didn't expect this." "Didn't expect what?" Another pause. Then, so softly she barely heard it- "I think I fell for her, too." A sharp breath left Olivia's lips. Her vision blurred as reality shattered around her. This had all been a lie. A cruel game. Her knees wobbled as she turned and walked away, each step heavier than the last.

Ethan had played with her heart, and the worst part? She had let him. Ethan didn't notice anything was wrong until Olivia's calls stopped. Until his texts went unanswered. Until he showed up at her house, only for her to meet him with cold, distant eyes.

"You knew, didn't you?" she asked, her voice eerily calm. Ethan's stomach twisted. "What are you talking about?" She laughed bitterly. "Jake. The bet. The revenge." She took a shaky breath, her eyes glistening. "Was any of it real, Ethan?" Panic surged through him.

"Olivia, let me explain."

"You used me." Her voice broke. "You wanted to humiliate me, didn't you?" "No! It wasn't like that-I mean, at first, maybe, but then-" Her expression crumbled, pain flickering across her face. "At first," she repeated in a whisper. Ethan stepped closer, desperate.

"But then I fell for you. That's the truth. I never meant to hurt you." She shook her head. "You never meant to get caught." Silence stretched between them. The Ethan she had trusted, the one who made her believe in something special, had betrayed her. Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She straightened, her voice firm. "Goodbye, Ethan." She turned and walked away, her steps unwavering.

Ethan could only watch, helpless, as she disappeared from his life. For the first time in his life, Ethan Cole realized that winning wasn't everything. Because he had just lost the one thing that mattered. Weeks Passed.

Ethan tried calling, texting, even showing up at her workplace, but Olivia never responded. She had erased him from her life. And the worst part? He knew he deserved it. Jake thought it was funny. "Move on, man. She was just another girl." But Ethan knew better. Olivia wasn't just another girl. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

And he had ruined it. Late one night, he sat in his apartment, staring at his phone. His fingers hovered over Olivia's contact. He wanted to call her. Beg for another chance. But what good would it do? Would she even believe him? He ran a hand over his face and exhaled heavily.

He had been selfish, blinded by the past, by some stupid need to prove himself. And now, he had no one to blame but himself. Olivia, meanwhile, was moving on. She was hurt, yes. But she refused to let Ethan's betrayal define her. She poured herself into work, into friends, into rediscovering who she was before Ethan had re-entered her life.

But sometimes, late at night, she thought about him. About the way he had made her feel. About the moments that had been real, before she knew the truth. She hated that a part of her still missed him. But she knew better now. Some betrayals were unforgivable.

And some people didn't deserve a second chance. One evening, as she sat by her window, sipping tea and watching the city lights, her phone buzzed with a message.

Ethan: I don't expect you to forgive me. But I need you to know-I loved you. I still do.

Her fingers hovered over the screen. For a moment, she considered replying. Then she deleted the message. And with that, she let him go.