Chapter One

Chapter One: Shattered Vows

The key slipped into the lock with a soft click.

Nate Whitmore balanced a paper bag of takeout in one hand and a small bouquet of white lilies in the other. He smiled to himself as he pushed open the door to the apartment he shared with Eric, his fiance. He loved lilies. He always said roses were overdone.

"Babe?" he called.

No answer.

The apartment was unusually quiet, save for faint laughter drifting from somewhere deeper inside.

He frowned.

"Eric?"

A man's voice answered instead

That definitely wasn't Eric.

Nate froze.

His heart gave one hard, painful thud before instinct carried him toward the bedroom. Every step felt heavier than the last, as if something deep inside him already knew what he was about to find.

The bedroom door was half-open.

He pushed it wider.

Time stopped.

Eric was tangled in the sheets.

He wasn't alone.

A man Nate had never seen before lay beside him, shirtless, his expression shifting instantly from pleasure to horror.

Eric's face drained of color.

"Nate..."

The lilies slipped from his fingers.

The flowers hit the hardwood floor with a dull thump.

"So..." Nate whispered, his voice frighteningly calm. "This is what you've been doing."

Eric scrambled out of bed, clutching the blanket around herself, fumbling to get into his underwear.

"Nate, I can explain."

"Explain?"

His laugh came out sharp and humorless.

"You've got exactly one chance."

"It's not what it looks like."

Nate stared at him.

Then he looked back at the bed.

"I'd love to hear what else this could possibly look like."

The other man hurriedly grabbed his clothes.

"I should go."

"You should've never come here," Nate snapped.

The stranger didn't argue. Within seconds he was dressed and practically running out of the apartment.

Silence settled over the room.

Eric reached for Nate's arm.

He stepped back as though he'd tried to burn him.

"Don't."

Tears welled in Eric's eyes.

"It was a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"You don't accidentally sleep with someone."

"It only happened once."

Nate searched his face.

"You're lying."

He looked away.

That was answer enough.

His chest tightened.

"How long?"

Eric remained silent.

"How long?" he repeated, louder.

"...Six months."

The words shattered something inside him.

Six months.

Half their engagement.

Half the time he'd been planning a wedding.

Half the time he'd been dreaming about the future they'd build together.

He remembered tasting cakes.

Picking venues.

Meeting photographers.

Listening to Eric promise forever.

Every memory suddenly felt poisoned.

"You've been cheating on me for six months."

He nodded weakly.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" His voice cracked. "You let me stand in front of yourfamily, our friends and announce our wedding date while you were sleeping with someone else."

"I never meant for you to find out like this."

He stared at him

Then a bitter laugh escaped him.

"No."

"You just never meant for me to find out."

Eric burst into tears.

"I still love you."

"No."

His voice was quiet now.

"You love having someone who pays the bills."

"Nate..."

"You love having someone who trusted you."

He covered his mouth.

"I messed up."

"You destroyed us."

He walked past him into the living room.

Every picture frame on the wall suddenly felt like a lie.

Vacation photos.

Birthday selfies.

Christmas mornings.

Smiling faces.

Happy memories.

All fake.

Eric followed him.

"Please don't leave."

He pulled the engagement invitation samples from the coffee table.

Cream-colored cardstock.

Gold lettering.

Their names.

Nathan Whitmore. Eric Carter. Forever Begins Here.

His fingers tightened around the stack, hen he ripped them in half.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Paper rained onto the floor.

Eric sobbed.

"Stop!"

"You stopped this wedding six months ago."

He moved toward the bookshelf.

Framed photos.

Wedding magazines.

Guest lists.

Everything they'd built together.

He swept it all onto the floor.

Glass shattered.

Eric cried out.

"Nate!"

"What?" He spun around, tears finally spilling down his face. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"

He got no answer.

His breathing became uneven.

"I gave you everything."

"I know."

"I trusted you."

"I know."

"I loved you."

"I know."

His voice broke.

"Why wasn't I enough?"

Eric collapsed onto the couch, crying into his hands.

"I don't know."

Those three words hurt more than anything else he'd said.

Not I stopped loving you.

Not I fell for someone else.

Just...

"I don't know."

He nodded slowly.

For the first time since walking into the apartment, he felt completely empty.

Not angry.

Not heartbroken.

Just... hollow.

He walked into the bedroom and opened the closet.

He grabbed a duffel bag and stuffed clothes into it without looking.

Jeans.

Shirts.

A jacket.

His shaving kit.

Laptop.

Phone charger.

The framed photo of him and his parents.

Nothing else.

Eric stood in the doorway.

"Please... don't go."

Nate zipped the bag.

"This apartment's yours."

"Nate..."

"The wedding's off."

"We can fix this."

He looked at him with tired eyes.

"No."

"You don't fix betrayal."

He stepped closer.

"I'll do anything."

He shook his head.

"You had six months to choose me."

Silence.

He slung the bag over his shoulder.

As he reached the front door, Eric spoke one last time.

"I really did love you."

Nate paused with his hand on the doorknob.

Without turning around, he said quietly,

"Maybe you did."

The words hung in the air.

"But love without loyalty isn't love I'd ever want."

He opened the door.

The evening air hit him like ice.

The door clicked shut behind him.

For a long moment, he simply stood in the hallway, staring at nothing.

Then his phone buzzed.

Micah.

'Movie night? You still alive over there?'

Nate looked at the message until the screen dimmed.

He couldn't bring himself to answer.

Instead, he slipped the phone into his pocket, picked up his bag, and walked away from the apartment that had once been home.

By the time he reached the parking lot, the tears came without restraint.

He leaned against his car, shoulders shaking beneath the weight of a future that had vanished in a single evening.

Somewhere above him, thunder rolled across the darkening sky.

It sounded almost like the world breaking apart with him.