Chapter 2
I opened the chat.
There were tons of messages.
The last one was from today at noon.
Sophia: [Did you get everything moved out?]
Ryan: [Yeah, all done.]
Sophia: [Awesome! I'll cook something nice for you tonight.]
Ryan: [Sounds good.]
I stared at the screen, stunned.
He really took everything?
I kept scrolling.
Sophia: [Babe, I miss you.]
Ryan: [I miss you too.]
Sophia: [So when are you gonna break up with her?]
Ryan: [Soon.]
Sophia: [That's what you said last time.]
Ryan: [I mean it this time. She's about to take the NP job interview. Once she's done, I'll end things.]
My hand started shaking.
I scrolled further.
Sophia: [Babe, send me some money. I want a new bag.]
Ryan: [How much?]
Sophia: [2,000.]
Ryan: [Sure.]
I opened Venmo. Transfer that same day: two thousand dollars.
Memo: Happy birthday, baby.
Date: May 20th, 2025.
My birthday.
That day, Ryan sent me seventy dollars, saying work was rough, the company was struggling, and he was too busy to buy a gift.
I told him it was fine.
He bought me a 70-dollar cake.
Honestly, I was pretty moved.
But then, he sent another woman two thousand dollars.
I kept scrolling through his Venmo. Transfer after transfer.
One thousand. Seven hundred. Three hundred. Two hundred. Two thousand...
I counted them. Forty-seven transfers.
First one in November. Last one—last week.
The total...
I grabbed my calculator and punched in the numbers.
Forty thousand dollars.
Forty. Thousand. Dollars.
I spent 50 thousand supporting him.
And he spent 40 thousand on another woman.
I sat on the bed, numb and staring at the screen.
The messages kept scrolling up.
Sophia: [Babe, when are you coming home?]
Ryan: [Almost there.]
Sophia: [I made your favorite grilled ribs.]
Ryan: [Good girl.]
Sophia: [Babe, I love you.]
Ryan: [I love you too.]
I stared at those words and laughed.
Fucking ironic.
Three years busting my ass for this job, and I finally made it.
But he'd been in someone else's bed the whole time.
I walked to the living room and set the phone on the coffee table.
Then I grabbed that "We're done" note. Tore it into pieces. Tiny pieces.
Don't cry.
Hold it together, Emily.
Don't cry.
Crying wouldn't get my 50 thousand dollars back.
And it sure as hell wouldn't give me those three years back.
But that 40 thousand dollars? I was taking it back.
Every last damn cent.
I sat on the couch, staring at the phone on the coffee table.
Ryan's phone.
All his secrets were in there.
I opened WhatsApp and found Sophia's chat. Started reading from the beginning.
First message: November 10th last year.
Ryan: [Hi, I'm Ryan. A friend introduced you.]
Sophia: [Hi! I heard you work in operations?]
Ryan: [Yeah, at XX Company.]
Sophia: [That's so cool! I want to learn operations too.]
Ryan: [Sure, I can teach you sometime.]
Normal at first. Work talk, weather, food.
But by December, things changed.
Ryan: [It's freezing today. Did you wear your long johns?]
Sophia: [Yeah. What about you?]
Ryan: [Me too, but I'm still cold.]
Sophia: [Want me to come over and warm you up?]
Ryan: [Yeah, I'd like that!]
My hands shook.
I kept scrolling.
December 25th, Christmas.
Sophia: [Babe, Merry Christmas!]
Ryan: [Merry Christmas, baby!]
Sophia: [Did you get me a present?]
Ryan: [Of course! I'll give it to you tonight.]
Venmo transfer: one thousand dollars.
Memo: Christmas gift.
That day, Ryan said he had a meeting that night and had to work overtime.
I ate a sandwich alone at home.
He got back at 11 PM and said he was exhausted.
I heated up food for him. He took a few bites and passed out.
He was with her the whole time.
I took a deep breath and kept scrolling.
December 31st. New Year's Eve.
Sophia: [Babe, I miss you. When are you coming back?]
Ryan: [On January 7th. See you soon.]
Sophia: [I miss you so much, every single day.]
Ryan: [Miss you too. I'll make it up to you when I get back.]
Venmo transfer: two thousand dollars.
Memo: New Year's cash gift for my baby.
That New Year, Ryan said he was going home to see his parents.
I said I wanted to come. He said it wasn't a good time and told me to stay and rest.
I spent seven days alone in our apartment.
New Year's Eve—I watched TV by myself and ate dinner alone.
Ryan transferred me 70 bucks. Said it could count as a gift, and since money was tight that year, he promised to do better later.
I told him it was fine, as long as we were together.
Money was tight, huh?
Tight enough to send two thousand dollars to the other woman.
I set the phone down and closed my eyes.
Don't cry. Not yet.
I needed to save everything.
I grabbed his phone and backed up every message with Sophia to Google Drive. Sent them to myself.
Then I opened his photos. Tons of them.
I started scrolling through them, one after another.
First one: last December.
A selfie of Ryan and a young woman.
She looked barely in her twenties.
Long hair, big eyes, and a sweet smile.
She was wrapped around his neck. His arm around her waist.
Cheek to cheek, both grinning.
The background was clearly a hotel room.
I zoomed in. Sign on the nightstand: [Welcome to XX Hotel.]
I snapped a screenshot and saved it.
I kept scrolling.
Next photo: February. The same two. Restaurant. Table full of food.
She was raising a wine glass, beaming at the camera.
Ryan was grinning.
I'd never seen him look that happy.
Third photo: May. Her in a red dress by the river.
Ryan was hugging her from behind. Both of them were staring into the distance.
Caption: [200 days with my babe.]
I did the math. November to May—exactly 200 days.
So they got together back in November.
Back then, I was stuck at home, buried in books for the exam.
Woke up at six every morning, studied until midnight.
When I got tired, I'd just crash on the table for a bit, then wake up and keep going.
Every night, I had dinner ready when Ryan got home.
He'd eat, then go straight to the bedroom to game.
I'd just keep studying in the living room.
Sometimes he'd come out, glance at me, and say, "Still studying? Get some sleep."
"Yeah, just a little longer."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
Then he'd head back to the bedroom.
I thought he cared about me.
But he was just rushing back to text another woman.
I kept scrolling.
Sixty-seven photos total.
Hotels, restaurants, theaters, parks, riverside spots...
They'd been everywhere together.