Chapter 4

The night of the date was a disaster from the start. We were just getting into his car when another car pulled up behind us, its headlights bright in the darkness. The door opened, and she got out. Sophia.

"Liam! I was just in the neighborhood, and my car started making a weird noise," she said, her voice a mixture of helplessness and feigned surprise. "I didn't know who else to call."

Liam's face tightened with annoyance, but there was an undercurrent of concern in his eyes that he couldn't hide. "What kind of noise?" he asked, already walking toward her.

I stood by the passenger door, frozen. This couldn't be a coincidence. It was a calculated move, a power play designed to ruin our night and assert her dominance.

After a few minutes of looking under her hood, Liam sighed. "I can't see anything wrong, but you probably shouldn't drive it. Get in, I'll take you home after I drop Chloe off."

Before I could protest, Sophia smiled sweetly. "Oh, you don't have to do that! I can just ride with you guys. I'd love to try that new Italian place!"

And just like that, I was in the back seat of my boyfriend's car, while his mistress sat in the front. I felt like a third wheel on my own date, an unwanted spectator in their drama. I stared out the window, watching the city lights blur past, feeling a cold, heavy sense of detachment.

"Chloe, you're so quiet back there," Sophia said, turning to look at me, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Liam told me you're an astrophysicist. That's so... niche. Do you ever get lonely, thinking about all that empty space?" Her words were dripping with condescending sweetness, a veiled insult designed to make me feel small.

"Sometimes," I said, my voice flat. "But space isn't empty. It's just full of things you can't see."

Liam shot her a warning look. "Sophia, be nice." He was trying to maintain a fragile peace, to keep his two worlds from colliding too violently. But it was too late.

The restaurant was loud and crowded, but at our table, the silence was deafening. I pushed my food around my plate, the taste of betrayal ruining my appetite. Then, I saw it. Under the table, his hand found hers. Their fingers intertwined, a secret, intimate gesture that they thought I couldn't see. My heart, which I thought had turned to stone, felt a sharp, piercing ache. It was one thing to know, another to see it right in front of me.

"Chloe, you're not eating," Liam said, his voice laced with the same fake concern as before. "Is the food not good?"

I looked at him, then at her, and a bitter smile touched my lips. "It's fine," I said. "You know, Sophia looks a little tired. Maybe you should take her home. She has a big day tomorrow, I'm sure." My words were calm, but the meaning was clear. I was giving him an out. I was telling him to choose.

He hesitated for a second, a flicker of conflict in his eyes. Then he looked at Sophia, who was pouting slightly. He made his choice. "Yeah, you're right," he said, turning to me. "I'll just take her home and be right back to get you."

He chose her. Again.

"Don't worry about it," I said, standing up. "I can get a ride. You two go."

I walked out of the restaurant and into the cool night air. A local festival was happening nearby, and the sky was about to explode with fireworks. I found a spot on a nearby bench and waited. As the first firework shot into the sky, a brilliant burst of gold, I made a wish. I wished for a new beginning. I wished for the strength to walk away and never look back.

I felt a presence behind me and turned. It was Liam. He had come back for me after all. Or so I thought.

"The show's starting," he said softly, standing beside me. He raised his hand, as if to shield my eyes from the glare, but his fingers were spread slightly apart. And through the gaps, I saw her. Sophia. Standing just a few feet away. And as another firework lit up the sky, I watched, through the frame of his fingers, as he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't a small peck. It was a deep, passionate kiss, a kiss that sealed his betrayal and shattered the last remaining fragments of my heart.