Chapter 1

Ava Rodriguez scrolled through her phone, her knuckles white.

The screen burned with two videos, both viral, both about her.

Or rather, about Lucas Diaz and her.

The first one was grainy, five years old.

A 22-year-old Ava, tired but smiling, juggled a coffee cup and a tray of pastries.

Barista by day.

Then another quick cut, Ava wiping down a diner counter, late at night.

Waitress by night.

The video showed her sharing a single, cheap slice of New York pizza with Lucas on a park bench.

Her younger self looked at him, eyes full of hope, talking about their future, his music.

"We're gonna make it, Lucas," she'd said, her voice earnest, "Your songs, they're amazing."

He' d smiled then, a quick, charming smile that used to make her heart skip.

The second video was slick, professional, from last night.

The "Indie Music Vanguard Awards."

Lucas, dapper in a tailored suit, stood on stage, award in hand.

Pop starlet Sophie Bellweather beamed at him from the front row.

He raised the award.

"This is for you, Sophie," Lucas's voice, smooth and confident, filled the auditorium.

"With you, Sophie, I finally see clearly, no longer mistaking shadows for the sun."

The camera zoomed in on Sophie, who blew him a kiss.

Shadows for the sun.

Ava' s breath hitched.

That was her. She was the shadow.

The comments section under the awards video was a dumpster fire.

"Lucas finally upgraded!"

"Good riddance to that clingy ex."

"Sophie is so much better for him."

"Who was that other girl anyway? Just using him."

Ava threw her phone onto the worn couch in her small Queens apartment.

It bounced and landed screen-down.

Good. She didn' t want to see any more.

The separation from Lucas was messy, painful, and now, brutally public.

He was a rising indie-pop star.

She was... the shadow. The girl who worked two jobs to support his dream.

The girl he was now publicly erasing.

Her chest felt tight, a heavy weight pressing down.

Mistaking shadows for the sun.

The words echoed, cruel and sharp.

This wasn't just a breakup, it was a public execution of her past, her efforts, her love.

And it was all orchestrated by Lucas, the man she had poured her life into.

Or so she had thought.