Chapter 3

The change was gradual at first.

It started when Chloe transferred to our college in junior year.

Ethan said, "She's like a sister to me. We grew up together."

Chloe was petite, with wide, innocent eyes. She looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly.

But I saw something else in those eyes when she looked at me. Something cold.

Ethan started spending more time with her.

"She's new here, needs help adjusting," he'd explain.

Study sessions became Chloe needing help with her assignments.

Our date nights became group hangouts because Chloe felt lonely.

I tried to be understanding. I really did.

But a knot of unease started to grow in my stomach.

He began to share details of his business, his dreams, with her. Things he used to share only with me.

"Chloe has some really great insights," he'd say.

My opinions, once so valued, were now met with a distracted nod.

The distance between us grew, slowly, painfully.

I remembered my twenty-first birthday.

I had cooked his favorite meal, bought a small cake. I waited.

Hours passed. He didn't come home. He didn't call.

I called him. Straight to voicemail.

Again and again. Nothing.

Fear mixed with anger.

Finally, around midnight, he answered.

"Sarah? What's up?" He sounded casual, almost annoyed.

"What's up?" I repeated, my voice trembling. "Ethan, it's my birthday. Where are you?"

A pause. "Oh, shoot, Sarah, I'm so sorry. I got held up at the office. We had a crisis."

The office. His startup was still small, just him and a couple of part-time coders.

"A crisis? At this hour?"

"Yeah, a server crashed. Chloe's here with me. We're trying to fix it."

Chloe. Of course.

The next day, I went to his small office space to drop off some lunch, a peace offering.

His coders were there.

One of them, a friendly guy named Ben, saw me.

"Oh, hey Sarah. Looking for Ethan? He's not in yet."

"He wasn't here late last night? With Chloe?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Ben looked confused. "Last night? No, we all left at six. Ethan said he was taking Chloe out for her birthday. Or was it to celebrate something for her? He called her 'the boss's girl' jokingly."

The boss's girl.

The words echoed in my mind.

He had lied. So easily.

He missed my birthday to be with her.

The knot in my stomach tightened until it hurt.