Chapter 4

I confronted Ethan that evening.

"You lied to me," I said, my voice flat. "You weren't at the office. You were with Chloe."

He looked irritated, not guilty.

"So what if I was? Her aunt is sick, she was upset. I was comforting her."

Another lie, or a twisted truth? Ben said it was a celebration.

"You missed my birthday, Ethan. You lied about a work crisis."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sarah, you're overreacting. It wasn't a big deal. My phone died, I forgot to charge it."

"My birthday is not a big deal?" My voice rose. "And your colleagues said you called Chloe 'the boss's girl'."

His face hardened. "They're idiots. It was a joke. You're being jealous and insecure, Sarah. It's not attractive."

Gaslighting. He was twisting it, making me the problem.

"I'm not being jealous, Ethan. I'm hurt. You consistently prioritize Chloe over me, over us."

Chloe herself wasn't subtle.

She'd "accidentally" wear his sweater.

She'd post pictures of just her and Ethan on social media, captioned "Besties for life!"

She'd call him late at night, crying about some minor issue, and he would rush to her side.

If I complained, Ethan would say, "She's fragile, Sarah. She's been through a lot. Why can't you be more compassionate?"

My compassion was wearing thin.

I saw her smirks when Ethan wasn't looking.

I noticed how she'd subtly put me down in front of him, disguised as innocent comments.

"Oh, Sarah, that dress is... brave."

"Sarah, are you sure you understand this concept? It's quite advanced."

Ethan never saw it. Or he chose not to.

He' d defend Chloe. "She doesn't mean it like that, Sarah. You're too sensitive."

I felt like I was going crazy.

He made me doubt my own perceptions.

The man I loved was disappearing, replaced by someone who dismissed my feelings and defended the woman who was clearly trying to drive us apart.

Our arguments became more frequent.

"She's manipulating you, Ethan!" I'd plead.

"You're the one causing problems, Sarah, with your constant suspicion!" he'd retort.

He started spending more nights "working late" or "helping Chloe with a crisis."

The warmth in our apartment faded, replaced by a chilling silence.

I was losing him. I knew it.

But I didn't know how complete that loss would be until graduation day.

The day he didn't just break my heart, he shattered my life.