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Elizabeth's POV

For what use was a brain when it wasn’t made use of in times like these?

I should’ve known. I should’ve followed my gut. The signs were glaring, the late replies, the locked phone, the way he flinched whenever I mentioned Jennifer. The way he stopped smiling when he looked at me.

But I ignored it. All of it.

Because I loved him. Or maybe because I just needed to believe someone did. I wasn’t supposed to be at his place today. But I had finished my seminar early and thought I'd surprise him with lunch. Silly me.

The door was cracked open, music playing faintly inside. I stepped in quietly, balancing the paper bag in my hands. And then I saw her.

Jennifer Futon.

Standing near his bed, buttoning up her blouse. Her lipstick was smudged, her eyes met mine and she didn’t flinch. Ethan stepped out of the bathroom behind her, a wet towel around his waist.

“Ethan....,” My tone was cautious, wondering if my eyes were betraying me.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Wow, you still come around uninvited. Embarrassing.”

"You told me you were studying and that is why you couldn't make it to my seminar” I said, looking at Ethan. “You lied to my face.”

He sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. “Liz, don’t make this a scene...”

“You cheated on me!” I snapped. “With her? With my bully? After everything? After me helping you with your assignments? Covering for you when you skipped classes?”

“Yeah, well, maybe I got bored,” he said. Without remorse. Without shame. Just that same tired smirk I used to find charming..

“You’re pathetic,” I hissed, shoving the lunch bag at his chest. “You don’t deserve any of the chances I gave you.”

“Please,” Jennifer muttered, already walking past me. “Save the monologue for someone who cares.”

My heart thundered in my ears, my eyes were already leaking tears.

“Lower your voice, Liz!” Ethan snapped, dropping the bag like it disgusted him.

That did it.

My tears burned hotter, but I stood my ground.  “Right. Because God forbid you get embarrassed in front of your little toy.”

Jennifer snorted, already slipping on her heels. “This is getting boring. Let me know when you’re done with your emotional support freshman.”

“I am a senior,” I spat.

“Still beneath me,” she said with a wink, then pushed past me with a flip of her hair and the thick stench of her expensive perfume.

Ethan picked up his phone from the bed, not even sparing me a glance. “You done now?”

Done?

I stepped closer. “No, you’re done.”

He looked up, unimpressed. “Liz, I’ve been carrying this relationship for months....”

“You’ve been carrying me?” I choked, gesturing wildly. “I sacrificed sleep to edit your essays. I skipped lectures to cover for you. I defended you when people said you were using me.”

“Maybe they were right.”

That hurt. That one landed deep. Like he knew exactly where to strike.

I didn’t realize that I slapped him until I heard it, the sharp smack echoing in the room. My hand trembled at my side, the sting still on my palm.

He stared at me, shocked for half a second. Then he scoffed. “There it is. The real you. Overdramatic. Just like your mother.”

I took a step back, my vision swimming. “Don’t. Bring her into this.”

But he only shrugged. “Guess we’re done here.”

I blinked, the weight of his words crashing down on me way harder than the slap I had just landed on his cheeks.

But Ethan wasn’t finished.

He shoved past me, yanking the towel tighter around his waist as if I was the one violating him. “You always do this, Liz,” he snapped, voice rising. “Always playing the victim. Always crying like the world owes you something just because your mommy didn’t give you enough hugs growing up.”

My breath caught. “You don’t get to talk about my mother. Not after what you just did.”

“Oh please,” he scoffed, dragging on a pair of sweatpants. “You act like this is some big betrayal. You and I were barely hanging on. I was just too nice to say it.”

“Too nice?” My voice trembled with rage. “You lied to me! Slept with someone who has made my life a living hell for years. And now you’re playing the victim?”

He laughed, actually laughed, like he deserved a trophy for what he had just done.

“You’re embarrassing,” he said, louder now, “You cling to people like a damn leech. No wonder Jennifer said you were pathetic.”

“What did you say?” I stepped toward him again, my fists clenched.

“I said you’re pathetic!” he shouted back, pointing a finger in my face. “You don’t listen. You overthink everything. You constantly need validation like some broken little girl!”

“You are unbelievable....”

The door burst open mid-sentence.

Two guys from his floor stood there, wide-eyed. Behind them, others were beginning to gather. People I didn’t even know. Some with their phones out, others already whispering.

“Yo, everything cool?” one of them asked, trying to play peacemaker.

But Ethan wasn’t interested in diffusing the situation.

He turned to the hallway, his voice loud and theatrical. “Hey everyone, meet Liz! The overachiever who thinks her GPA makes her wife material.”

The laughter that followed stung like lashes across my skin.

“Ethan, stop it!” I yelled, trying to push past him. “You’re humiliating me!”

“You’re doing that all by yourself,” he barked. Then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the doorway.

“You don’t get to make a scene in my place,” he said through gritted teeth, and then....

He shoved me. His shove was so rough that I stumbled into the hallway, nearly colliding with the guy from earlier. My bag fell from my shoulder, the contents spilling across the carpet.

Gasps echoed.

A few people froze while others pulled back. I could see a few of Jennifer's minions present, clearly enjoying the drama.

I stared at him, stunned, my heart pounding. My throat tightened around the scream I wouldn’t let out.

“Don’t come back,” Ethan said coldly. “We’re done. And don’t worry.....I’ll make sure everyone knows you lost your little whiny mind.”

And just like that, he slammed the door.

Right in my face.

People around me stood frozen, their whispers like needles pricking every inch of exposed skin. No one moved to help me. No one picked up my bag.

I gathered it myself, and walked away without a word.

I left the building, the campus, the shame. Every step I took was an effort to keep from crumbling. I didn’t stop until I got back to my dorm, and then I locked the door, and collapsed against it.

He threw me out like I was nothing.

And still, even through the tears, I reached for that black dress. The one that was too revealing for me to wear.

Because if I was going to fall apart tonight.....

I was going to do it on my own damn terms.