Chapter 6

My heart lurched at the bride's question.

A brief silence followed before Willow finally spoke. "No, he doesn't know, and he never will."

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" another classmate asked with a sigh. "Jayden has stayed single all these years because of you. He loves you, and he feels guilty about what happened with Caius. I even heard he can't sleep without taking sleeping pills anymore."

"I know." Willow's voice was cold and steady. "I was drunk that night. I thought he was Caius... and he took advantage of me."

"Then are you planning to keep this from Caius forever?" someone asked.

"What choice do I have?" Willow snapped. "What am I supposed to tell him? That I slept with his best friend the night before our wedding? What good would that do besides destroy him?"

She fell silent for a moment before continuing, her voice quieter.

"I've only ever loved Caius. But Jayden was my first, and that means something too. I'm not going to divorce Caius. All I can do now is find a way to make things right with Jayden."

I stood frozen, listening to the painful truth unfold in voices I knew so well.

Among them was the college friend who had once shared a dorm room with me, along with people I had considered some of my closest confidants.

I had always believed we were important to one another… that we trusted each other… that after everything we'd been through together, they would never keep something this significant from me.

But they had.

They had all known the truth and deliberately kept it from me for three whole years.

I let out a bitter smile, my heart feeling as though it had been ripped apart. But I was leaving anyway. What was the point of holding on to any of this now?

I turned and walked away.

Suddenly, Jayden rushed out and dropped to his knees in front of me, punching himself hard in the face.

He grabbed my arm.

"Caius! I'm sorry! I was drunk that night. It had nothing to do with Willow. I'm sorry! Please, don't go to her office and cause a scene. If you're angry, take it out on me!"

The commotion brought everyone rushing out.

When Willow saw me, she froze, looking genuinely shaken for once.

Then she noticed the bruise on Jayden's face, and fury flashed across her eyes.

Without a word, she stormed over and slapped me across the face.

"Caius Morales! Was causing a scene at home not enough? You had to come here and cause trouble too?"

The force of the slap sent me stumbling, my cheek throbbing with pain.

Our mutual friends immediately rushed to Jayden's side, helping him to his feet and crowding around him.

"Jayden, don't worry. This isn't your fault."

One of them turned on me. "Caius, stop being so petty. So what if you found out? Jayden was drunk. He didn't even know what he was doing. It was an accident."

I dug my nails into my palm, forcing myself to stay on my feet.

"I didn't hit him. There are security cameras around this place. Check the footage if you don't believe me."

Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away.

"Stop!" Willow grabbed my wrist. "You owe Jayden an apology."

I turned to look at her. There was no warmth left in the eyes I had once loved. So this was really the end.

I pulled my wrist free and gave her a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry. Is that enough? Can I leave now?"

Something in my expression made her freeze. Her grip loosened.

I walked out of the hotel, hailed a cab, and headed straight to the airport.

In the back seat, I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror. My cheek was swollen and red, and the sting of the slap still lingered.

I let out a quiet laugh, but nothing was amusing about it. My eyes were heavy with sorrow.

Just before my flight took off, my phone buzzed.

It was a photo from Jayden. In the bottom corner of the divorce papers was Willow's signature, the ink still fresh.

I closed my eyes, and the tears I'd been holding back finally slipped down my cheeks.

Goodbye, Willow. Goodbye to my foolish, painful first love.