All Chapters of Hiding Me in the Name of Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Following the location Jared shared on his social media, I took a cab to a seaside hotel.After getting in the car, I received a notification from our shared bank account. Jared had spent a five-figure amount, and the merchant was a jewelry store.At the same time, he updated his feed again. The woman had her hand held out, a diamond bracelet shining around her wrist.The caption read, "A woman should be treated like a princess."I looked down at my wrist. There was a faint scar on it.Last winter, Jared had a stomachache. I got up in the middle of the night to make him chicken soup and accidentally burned myself on the edge of the pot.He felt terrible seeing me hurt. Holding my hand, he gently blew on it for a long time.He had said, "Tasha, I'll handle things like this from now on."Later, he really did learn how to make chicken soup.But it wasn't for me.On his social media, there was a photo of him sitting by that woman's bedside when she was sick. He fed her chicken

I was standing on the street when my phone suddenly buzzed. It was a message from my dad.He wrote, "Tasha, when is Jared coming back? Your mom was talking about your wedding again today."I stared at those words, and my eyes finally started to sting. For Jared, I had lied to my family for too long. I told them he was busy, that he loved me, and that he was just a private person. I kept lying until I almost believed it myself.After a while, I called my mom.Her gentle voice came through instantly. "How is everything? Have you and Jared set a wedding date? When is he coming over?""Mom, we broke up," I managed to choke out.There was a long silence on the other end. Long enough that I thought she would call me impulsive and tell me to give Jared another chance.But she merely sighed softly and asked, "Did he hurt you?"Those words almost shattered the composure I had been fighting so hard to maintain. "Yeah."My mom's voice grew thick with emotion. "Then come home," she said.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by the commotion downstairs.Mom was speaking quietly outside the front door, her voice colder than usual. "Tasha doesn't want to see you. Leave, now."I felt my chest tighten. I put on a coat and walked to the window.Jared was standing downstairs, still wearing the shirt from that night. It was horribly wrinkled. The moment he looked up and caught sight of me, his eyes lit up instantly. It was as if he had found his last lifeline."Babe, please come down and talk to me," he pleaded.I stayed right where I stood.He stared up at me, his voice painfully hoarse. "I took the earliest flight here. I didn't even bring my luggage. Tasha, I know I messed up. Please don't leave me."There was a time when I absolutely hated seeing him look like this. Whenever he called me "babe" with red-rimmed eyes, I would always give in. I would think about how hard those seven years had been and completely bury all the hurt I had endured. But now, looking down

The next morning, I made a post on my social media.For the first time in seven years, I typed out Jared's full name. I didn't complain or insult him. I simply laid out the timeline with cold, surgical precision. I shared about his confession in college, our seven-year relationship, and us living together. I also talked about our joint bank account, him meeting my parents, and his promise to marry me.I also told them that he had started dating Yvette three years ago and made their relationship public on social media. He had introduced her to his friends and mother, and flaunted her to everyone while telling me he was "away on business" or "waiting for the right time". Finally, I attached the video from that night at the hotel. In it, Jared said, "I'll marry you, but I'll have a wedding with her too."After hitting upload, I turned off my phone and went grocery shopping with Mom. She held my hand the whole way, just like she did when I was little, and she was terrified I would