Chapter 2

I stood there for another minute, the phone heavy in my hand. The world felt tilted, unreal. I had to talk to her. Not for an explanation I knew would be another lie, but for myself. I needed to see her say it to my face.

I walked out from behind the bush and went straight to the front door, pushing it open without knocking.

The happy scene inside froze.

Sarah' s eyes widened in genuine shock, then quickly hardened into something cold and guarded. Mark shot up from the couch, instinctively moving to stand slightly in front of her.

"Ethan? What are you doing here?" Sarah' s voice was sharp, accusing. "I told you I was out."

"Clearly," I said, my voice flat. I gestured vaguely toward the baby in her arms. "You' ve been busy."

"What is this, Ethan?" Mark stepped forward, his face a mask of false concern. "You can't just barge in here."

"I can't?" I looked from him to Sarah. "This is Sarah' s house. I' ve been walking in that door my whole life. Or did that change, too?"

Before they could answer, I heard another voice from the hallway.

"Ethan, my boy! Is that you?"

Mr. Jenkins appeared, his face breaking into a wide, honest grin. He hadn't seen the tension in the room. He just saw me.

"You're back! Why didn't you say you were coming?" He pulled me into a big hug.

"I wanted to surprise everyone," I said, my eyes locked on Sarah over her father's shoulder.

"Well, it's a wonderful surprise!" he boomed, clapping me on the back. "The world traveler returns! How was London?"

"It was good, sir," I managed to say, the words feeling like ash in my mouth.

"Look, Sarah, Mark, Ethan's back!" he said, turning to them.

Sarah forced a tight smile. "We see that, Dad."

Mr. Jenkins was oblivious. "Isn't this great? The three of you, all together again. Just like old times."

The irony was so thick I could barely breathe. I had to get out. I couldn't stand there and play along with this charade.

"Actually, Mr. Jenkins, I can't stay," I said, pulling away gently. "I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I have to go check into my hotel."

"Hotel? Nonsense! Your room is still here, just as you left it."

"No, I... I can't. It's better this way," I insisted, my voice cracking slightly. I started backing toward the door.

I saw the relief on Sarah' s face.

I turned and walked out, not looking back. I made it to my car, the engine roaring to life with a turn of the key. As I pulled away from the curb, I glanced in my rearview mirror. I saw them standing on the porch. Mr. Jenkins looked confused. Mark had his arm around Sarah again. And Sarah was watching me go with an expression of pure, unadulterated relief.

The drive to the hotel was a blur. I checked in, got my key, and made it to the room before the facade shattered. The grief hit me like a physical force, a tidal wave of betrayal and pain. I stumbled to the bed and collapsed.

All these years. All the promises, the shared dreams, the late-night talks. I thought our love story was an epic. It turned out to be a footnote in hers. She hadn' t just chosen someone else. She had chosen my best friend. And they had built their happiness on a foundation of my ignorance.

The tears came then, hot and furious. I wept for the boy I was, the one who believed in forever. I wept for the future that had been stolen from me. I wept for the profound, lonely emptiness that now filled the space where my heart used to be.

My phone rang, dragging me from my misery. It was Sarah. I stared at the screen, a fresh wave of anger washing over me. I let it ring, but she called back immediately. I finally answered, my voice rough.

"What do you want, Sarah?"

"Ethan, what was that all about?" Her voice was laced with feigned innocence, as if she were the one who had been wronged. "You just ran out of there. You upset my dad."

"I upset your dad?" I laughed, a harsh, broken sound. "You' re worried about your dad?"

"Of course, I am. And I'm worried about you. Are you okay? You seemed... off."

The gaslighting was so blatant, so shameless, it almost took my breath away. She was pretending nothing had happened. She was going to act like the baby in her arms and the man by her side were just minor details I had overreacted to.

"I'm fine, Sarah," I said, my voice dripping with a sarcasm I didn't bother to hide.

"Good. Look, I know this is a lot to take in," she said, her tone softening into one of practiced sympathy. "We should have told you. Mark and I... it all happened so fast."

I stayed silent, letting her spin her web of lies.

As she talked, a small detail caught my eye. On our last video call, she had been wearing a thin silver necklace. She was wearing it today, too. But now, I noticed a small, silver ring threaded onto it, resting just at the hollow of her throat. A wedding ring. She' d been wearing it right in front of me, hidden in plain sight.

The cruelty of it was breathtaking.