Chapter 2

I closed the laptop, my fingers numb.

I walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, but couldn't drink.

Liam came home an hour later, smelling faintly of beer and laughter.

"Hey, find the document?" he asked, kissing my cheek.

His touch felt cold, alien.

"Yeah," I managed, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears.

He talked about his night, his friends, his plans for the weekend, and I nodded, smiled, a perfect imitation of the girlfriend he thought I was.

Inside, I was replaying every memory, every "I love you," every shared dream, now tainted, twisted.

That time I had a stomach bug, a few months back, I remembered his face, pale with fear.

"Are you... pregnant?" he' d asked, his voice tight.

When the test was negative, his relief was so huge, so obvious, it almost knocked me over.

I' d thought he was just worried about the timing, about us not being ready.

Now I knew, he was terrified of being tied to me, truly tied, while Chloe was still out there.

His attentiveness lately, the way he' d hover, ask if I was okay, it all felt like a performance now.

Was he trying to be the perfect boyfriend because Chloe was single again?

I didn't check the dates on the journal entries about that, I couldn't bear to.

One entry from years ago burned in my mind, Chloe mentioned she loves Italy. Booked that trip for Sarah' s birthday. Maybe I' ll post pictures.

Our trip to Italy, the most romantic week of my life, was it just a stage prop for his silent play?

I felt sick, a deep, physical ache in my chest.

He was asleep beside me now, breathing evenly, oblivious.

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the weight of his deception pressing down on me, suffocating.

How could I have been so blind?

He' d made me his stand-in, his placeholder, while his heart chased a woman who probably barely remembered his name until recently.

The love I thought was ours was just a reflection, a distorted echo of his feelings for someone else.