Chapter 3

My hands trembled as I opened Alec's post. In the photo, he had his arms around Cassidy, the two of them leaning against the art wall at school with their foreheads touching, lips almost meeting.

The platinum band Cassidy had hurled at the ground was now on Alec's ring finger, catching the light. And right behind them, hanging on the wall, was my oversized honor student portrait.

The caption read, "Some things are worth the wait. The best always comes to those who hold on."

Seeing my own photo reduced to a backdrop for their announcement made my stomach turn. I couldn't stop myself and left a comment.

"A cheater and a backstabber. What a perfect match."

The comment section exploded.

"Wait, what? Somebody spill."

"Your whole trio fell apart? Did they seriously cheat on you?"

I went through every disbelieving comment and liked them one by one.

The next second, I accidentally picked up an incoming call from Cassidy. Her voice barely contained her fury.

"Rhett, you need to stop. The school already reached out to Alec asking about the whole thing. Do you really have to humiliate everyone like this?"

Alec took the phone. "Rhett... I'm sorry. I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. We were just worried because you cut us off out of nowhere, and we panicked and made a stupid call.

"I'll delete the post right now. Just tell everyone it was a misunderstanding, please!"

I let out a cold laugh. "That's rich, Alec. You didn't mean it. You just accidentally slept with my girlfriend.

"You didn't mean it. You just happened to use my picture as the backdrop for your little affair announcement."

It was dead silence on the other end.

Cassidy, who'd been so righteous a moment ago, went quiet for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. "Rhett, since you already know, I'm not going to hide it anymore. So, this is what you've been throwing a fit about these past few days."

She paused, her tone going flat. "What happened between Alec and me was just a moment of weakness. We both still care about you. If it bothers you, we can end it right now. I'll explain everything when I see you."

Then she hung up.

I stood there, frozen, my mind blank. In a handful of sentences, she'd made the betrayal sound like nothing. My heartbreak was the overreaction.

But the Cassidy I knew had once stepped in front of me in an alley when I was 16 and cornered by a group of thugs. She'd gotten stabbed shielding me.

When college meant going long-distance at 18, she gave up her own dream school without a second thought just to be in the same city as me. How had the girl who'd loved that fiercely, that recklessly, turned so cold?

I could accept her falling out of love with me, even falling for someone else. What I couldn't stomach was how she treated cheating like it was nothing, as casual as deciding what to have for dinner.

For the next month, I turned off my phone and stayed home working on my thesis.

Then one evening, the doorbell rang. Cassidy was standing in the hallway with bags full of groceries. Alec hovered behind her, looking sheepish.

I moved to close the door, but Cassidy caught it with her hand. "Rhett, let me cook a few of your favorites tonight. The three of us should sit down and really talk."

I looked at them, and a tangle of emotions hit me all at once. I stepped aside and let them in.

Maybe it was fitting. The three of us had shared a lot of good times in this apartment. What started here could end here too.