Chapter 3

After my emotions calmed down a bit, I couldn't help but open Instagram.

Our mutual friend Tessa had posted a carousel.

In the third photo, Gavin had his arm around Megan, their heads leaning together. They were surrounded by seven or eight people.

All of them were the mutual friends Gavin and I knew best.

The caption read: "Such a fun night. So happy for you two, Gavin and Megan."

My fingers stopped.

I clicked into Tessa’s profile and scrolled back.

Three years ago, a group photo at a short-term rental cabin by Lake Michigan. Gavin and Megan stood together, everyone else smiling as if nothing was wrong.

Two years ago at Gavin's birthday party, Megan sat right beside him, the cake reading Happy Birthday, Gavin.

A year ago on New Year's Eve, everyone raised their glasses for a photo, Gavin's hand resting on Megan's shoulder.

Three years.

A full three years.

Every friend I treated with absolute sincerity knew he was cheating. They ate deep-dish pizza together, went to karaoke bars together, shared brunch together, and covered for them together.

And I was like a complete fool, still sharing my life with Gavin every day.

My whole body trembled as I dialed his number.

"You and Megan have been together for three years?"

He fell silent. "Who told you?"

"Instagram."

He sighed. "Since you already know, there's no need for me to keep hiding it. Megan understands me better. Being with you, I was too tired. Every day you were either writing or looking into your dad's case. I've had enough."

My voice trembled. "If you had enough, you could have broken up. Why lie to me for three years? Why steal my manuscript? Why force me to admit to plagiarism?"

"I didn’t want to make things turn out like this. You were the one who insisted on suing. If you had just agreed to settle it privately in the first place, none of this would be happening."

I almost laughed out loud. "So it's my fault?"

His voice turned cold. "That’s not what I meant. Forget it, there's no point talking about this now. Sign the agreement, take the compensation, and stop dragging me and my father into a public dispute. It's a better deal for you too."

The call disconnected.

I sat on the couch, screenshotting and saving those photos one by one. Familiar faces, people I had eaten with, people I had traveled with, people who drank with Megan when I was at my lowest.

All of them stood on Gavin's side.

The worst part of betrayal isn't the cruelty. It's realizing everyone else knew, and you were the only one bleeding in the dark.

My phone buzzed softly. A text message popped up.

“My flight tomorrow, landing at 3 PM.”

I stared at that line of text, a faint glimmer of light reigniting in my eyes.