Chapter 2
When Dwayne saw the chat logs on the screen, his eyes darted away nervously.
"What... what is this? Who used my phone?" he stammered.
He snatched up his phone, fumbling with it in a panic.
"Baby, please listen to me! I was just in the shower. It must've been those jerks from work messing with my phone as a prank!" he blurted out.
"They love pulling stunts like this!" he added.
He shoved his phone into his pocket, looking all anxious and innocent.
"And that photo? It's totally photoshopped! AI face-swapping is insane these days. There's no way Nahla would ever take a picture like that!" he insisted.
"You have to believe me. Why would I ever join a messed-up group like that?" he pleaded.
He was putting on a real show.
If I hadn't seen him chatting and joking around in that group like it was second nature to him, I might've actually bought it.
I just stared at him, not saying a word.
He got all nervous under my stare and reached out, trying to pull me closer.
"Baby, don't look at me like that. You're scaring me," he said, his voice trembling.
"We've been together for three years. You know me better than anyone," he insisted.
"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this and find out which bastard is messing with me!" he said, trying to sound determined.
With that, he made a show of heading for the door, acting like he was really going to investigate.
"Dwayne," I called out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Do you seriously think I'm that dumb?" I asked, my voice cold.
He froze, then turned around, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Of course not..." he stammered.
"This phone? I gave it to you for your birthday last year. The unlock code, every app password. The only people who know them are you and me," I said, keeping my voice steady.
"So tell me, how did your so-called 'buddies' manage to unlock your phone, find that group, and pretend to be you, all in the few minutes you were in the shower?" I pressed, eyes fixed on his.
I took a step closer, my gaze never leaving his eyes.
"And you even pinned that group to the top," I added, my voice cold as ice.
Dwayne's face went ghostly pale in an instant.
He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
I pulled out my phone and called Nahls.
The phone rang for a long time before she finally picked up.
"Ugh, Angeline, what do you want?" Nahla Frost answered, sounding groggy and a little annoyed.
"Nahla, where are you right now? What are you doing?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"I'm at home, sleeping. Are you checking up on me or something?" she replied, still sounding half-asleep.
"Did you... take any inappropriate photos?" I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady.
There was a long silence on the other end.
"What photos? Angeline, what are you even talking about?" Nahla grumbled, sounding annoyed.
"I'm exhausted. If you're just checking in, I'm hanging up," Nahla muttered, sounding totally annoyed.
She hung up on me.
Her reaction cut deeper than Dwayne's lies.
"See? Nahla said she didn't do anything!" Dwayne blurted out, pointing at my phone like he'd found a lifeline.
Dwayne grabbed onto that like it was his last hope, pointing at my phone and shouting.
"It's gotta be a misunderstanding! Seriously, someone's trying to mess with us!" he insisted, desperation in his voice.
I stared at him coldly.
"It's over, Dwayne," I said, my voice flat and emotionless.
"We're done," I added.
Dwayne's face drained of all color.
He rushed over and grabbed my wrist with a grip that was shockingly strong.
"No! I don't agree!" he shouted, his voice trembling with desperation.
"You're seriously dumping me over some stupid group and a photoshopped picture?" he yelled.
"Angeline, do you even care?" he cried, his voice cracking.
I wrenched my hand free from his grip.
"You want to know if I have a heart?" I shot back, my voice icy.
"You used my phone number to set up a secret WhatsApp account, snuck into some disgusting group chat, and plotted how to target my own sister, and you dare ask me if I have a heart?" I spat, my voice shaking with rage.
I set up a new WhatsApp account and sent a friend request to the group admin, The Botanist.
In the request, I wrote: [Pine's friend. I'm here to admire Orchid.]
Dwayne froze, his eyes wide with shock.
"How did you know..." he stammered.
"Your secret account? You registered it with my backup phone number. When you logged in, I got the verification code," I said, my voice cold and steady.
I never thought much of it before.
But just now, everything finally clicked.
Dwayne collapsed onto the couch, all the fight drained out of him.
"I... I was just curious..." he muttered, barely audible.
"I just wanted to see what was going on. I didn't do anything!" he insisted, his voice shaking.
"That photo... I didn't post it! She sent it herself!" he shouted, suddenly looking up and pointing at my phone like Nahla was right there.
"Nahla chose to do it herself! She was desperate for money!" he shouted, his voice full of desperation.
My heart sank.
Just then, my new WhatsApp buzzed.
The Botanist had accepted my friend request.
I sent him 150 dollars, with the note: [Thanks.]