Chapter 3

In that single second, the tightly wound string in my head snapped.

Countless details I had ignored came rushing back like a tidal wave.

He would disappear randomly, claiming it was a last-minute business trip or a team-building weekend.

His phone never left his side. He even took it into the shower, claiming he couldn't miss an urgent work email.

In three years of dating, he had never introduced me to his friends. His excuse was always that he was new to the city, and that colleagues couldn't be trusted as real friends.

Even his Snapchat was barren—just a few coworkers, local businesses, and delivery services.

I had checked his phone once and genuinely believed he was just a rare, drama-free, decent guy.

Tears fell without warning, splashing onto the cold screen.

I curled up on the sofa and let out a choked sob.

I remembered a rainy night three years ago. I was cornered by a drunk guy in an alley when Ethan appeared like a hero. He threw his jacket over my shoulders and dragged the guy to the police station.

We started dating shortly after. He was incredibly attentive. He remembered my cycle, waited for me downstairs when I worked late, and kept track of every little thing I mentioned in passing.

I thought I had found my soulmate.

I never imagined that this tenderness was being shared with someone else at the same time.

Suddenly, a sharp, horrific question pierced my mind.

In Ethan's double life...

Who was the actual mistress? Chloe, or me?

I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

The next morning, Ethan FaceTime called me out of the blue.

I stared at his familiar face on the screen and pressed accept.

"Luna, what's wrong? Why are your eyes so swollen?" The moment he saw me, he frowned, his voice full of worry. "Have you been crying? Did someone hurt you?"

He immediately started typing on his laptop. "I'm ordering some soothing eye cream and ice packs to your place right now. Remember to use them..."

I watched his act of concern, my heart turning completely to ice.

"Ethan," I interrupted him, my voice eerily calm. "Can you come back and see me right now?"

The concern on his face stiffened, replaced by a flash of hesitation.

"Baby, I... I just got home. My parents won't let me leave so soon. I'm so sorry, it's my fault," he coaxed softly. "When I get back, I'll make it up to you, okay?"

While he was making his sweet promises, another notification popped up at the top of my screen.

It was from Chloe.

[Luna! Urgent! Have you checked the camera? It looks like Pudding is stuck in the gap of the balcony AC unit and can't get out. Can you please go check on him? Please!]

I stared at the text, then looked back at Ethan on the screen.

His eyes darted to the side, as if listening to someone else in the room. Then he spoke quickly, "Baby, my mom is calling me. I gotta go!"

He was rushing to hang up.

But in the fraction of a second before the call cut off, I heard a sweet, feminine voice clearly in the background.

"Honey, I just messaged the cat sitter. Do you think..."

The screen went black.

But my mind had never been clearer.

Whether he had cheated on me from the very start or fell in love with someone else halfway through didn't matter anymore.

What mattered was that I was done with him.