Chapter 1

My long-distance boyfriend sent me a "good morning" text at exactly 5:20 AM every single day.

At first, I thought it was the ultimate romance.

Until I was added to a Snapchat group. There were ten of us in total.

The latest message in the group read:

"Girls, his 5:20 AM texts are automated. He sends them to all ten of us every single day."

I stared at the screen, my fingers trembling.

The chat was blowing up. The other girls were sharing when they started dating him. Most of them had only known him for a year or two.

So, the other nine girls were also his girlfriends?

The romance I cherished so deeply was just an automated task he had set up on a schedule?

But we had been together for six years. We were getting married next month.

A notification popped up at the top of my screen. It was from him: "Babe, I'm here."

A second later, I heard the sound of keys turning in my front door.

Liam Hayes stood at the door, holding a massive bouquet of champagne roses.

"Babe, we're finally done with the long distance."

He walked in, handed me the flowers, his eyes shining with a warm smile.

"My transfer got approved. I'm back for good. We can be together every day now."

Yes, our long-distance struggle was finally over.

Six years of being apart. Every single morning, at exactly 5:20 AM, he would text me "good morning." He told me 5:20 was our magic number, standing for "five minutes to say I love you." I truly believed it was a romance meant only for me.

He used to say that if we could survive a long-distance relationship, we would survive for a lifetime. He said we would never have to say goodbye again.

I believed him with all my heart.

I wanted to speak, but my throat was tight. Nothing came out.

Liam bent down to change his shoes, wheeled his suitcase into the living room, and turned around to see me standing frozen. He reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He tilted his head, studying my face with a soft chuckle.

"Are you really that excited? Speechless, huh?"

His thumb brushed against my cheek.

"Your eyes are so red."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper.

"Oh, come on, babe. It's just the end of long distance. We're going to see each other every single day now. Just don't get sick of me."

He thought I was crying tears of joy.

Liam didn't notice anything off. Or rather, he assumed my reaction was just normal emotional relief.

He gently took the flowers from my hands, tossed them onto the shoe cabinet, and pulled my wrist to lead me into the living room.

"Sit down and relax. I'll make us dinner."

He guided me onto the couch.

"You said you wanted my homemade steak last time. I actually practiced making it. Let me show off my skills tonight."

I sat on the couch, completely paralyzed.

Liam looked around the kitchen, checked the fridge, and walked back out.

"Just wait here, okay? No more tears."

He ruffled my hair affectionately and went back into the kitchen.

Liam's phone was sitting on the coffee table.

I reached out and picked it up.

I knew his passcode. It was my birthday.

I unlocked it, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. My fingers shook as I swiped across the screen.

And then, I saw their profile pictures. Nine of them.

I remembered every single one.

They were all right there in his Snapchat friends list.

I tapped on the first girl's chat.

Empty.

Squeaky clean. Not a single message.

The others were the exact same. Completely wiped.

The only thing left was the date they added each other. The earliest one was a girl named Sophia Miller. They added each other two years ago.

Two years ago.

What did he tell me back then?

He said his work projects were getting crazy, and that he might not reply as fast.

And I believed him. I even ordered him vitamins and healthy snacks, telling him to stop staying up so late.

I opened his photo library.

His recent album was practically empty. Just a few work screenshots and a food delivery receipt.

I scrolled up, and up. It was all useless stuff.

No personal photos, no screenshots of chat logs, nothing.

He had wiped everything clean.