The moment she appeared, the air changed.
Her presence wasn't loud.
It was heavy.
Like a storm approaching quietly but surely.
I stood frozen, my hand still in Liam's, unsure of what to do.
She looked at me like I was an intruder.
Then she looked at Liam like he owed her an explanation.
"Liam," she said again, this time with a cold tone. "You've been avoiding my calls."
He didn't speak.
His silence was worse than any lie.
She stepped closer, her eyes locked on his. "I thought we had something."
I felt my stomach drop.
Something.
My mind raced back to the library—the way she held his arm like it was hers. The way she smiled.
It all made sense now.
I pulled my hand back slowly.
Liam looked at me with a strange mix of guilt and anger. "Ariella, this is..."
"Don't," I said, my voice shaking. "Don't explain."
The girl—her name was Sade—turned to me.
"Oh, so you're the one he's been spending time with," she said, smiling. "The new girl."
I didn't answer.
Liam finally spoke. "Sade, please. Not here."
Sade's eyes narrowed. "Why not? This is where he left me. Where he promised me he'd come back."
He flinched.
My heart broke a little.
"I didn't promise anything," Liam said.
Sade laughed, bitter and sharp. "You did. You promised you'd come back after your trip."
My mind went blank.
Trip?
"Trip?" I asked quietly.
Liam's jaw tightened. "It's not important."
Sade's voice softened just enough to make my skin crawl. "It's very important. You left me when I needed you the most."
He stared at her. "You're making this into something it's not."
"Oh, really?" she asked, turning her eyes to me. "So you're telling her that she's not the reason you left me?"
I couldn't breathe.
I wanted to step forward and tell her to stop.
But I didn't.
Because the truth was too painful.
Liam looked at me again. "Ariella, I didn't want you to see this."
"See what?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Sade smiled. "You really are naive. He's been dating me for months."
The world stopped.
My hands trembled.
I stared at Liam, waiting for him to deny it. Waiting for him to say it was a mistake.
But he didn't.
He just looked down.
"Liam," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Tell me you're not with her."
He didn't answer.
The silence was the answer.
My chest tightened.
My eyes burned.
I felt tears rise, but I refused to let them fall.
"I trusted you," I said, voice shaking. "And you—"
Sade interrupted, her voice loud enough for everyone around to hear. "You didn't trust him. You didn't know him. He's mine."
I felt anger flare up.
"Don't talk to me like that," I snapped. "You don't even know me."
Sade looked at me like I was a joke. "I know enough."
Liam stepped between us. "Sade, stop."
Sade turned to him. "Stop what? Telling her the truth?"
He stared at her, his eyes full of something I didn't understand.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, looking at Liam. "Why didn't you say you were already with someone?"
His lips pressed together. "I wanted to."
I took a step back. "Then why didn't you?"
His voice came out low. "Because I wanted you."
The words hit me like a slap.
Sade scoffed. "You wanted her? You wanted the new girl? You're such a liar."
Liam's face turned pale. "I'm not lying."
Sade looked at me again, her eyes full of satisfaction. "See? He can't even deny it. You're just a distraction."
I felt my heart shatter.
But then something in me changed.
I didn't want to cry.
I didn't want to beg.
I didn't want to be the girl who waited for a boy who already had someone else.
I took a deep breath and looked at Liam.
"Don't talk to me again," I said.
I turned and walked away, leaving my heart behind.
⸻
The Moment That Changed Everything
I reached my hostel and locked myself inside my room.
I pressed my forehead against the wall and finally let the tears fall.
I hated myself for loving him.
I hated myself for believing him.
But the pain wasn't just from betrayal.
It was from the fact that I still wanted him.
I opened my phone and typed a message to him:
Ariella:
If you ever loved me, you would have told me the truth.
Then I hit send.
No reply.
I waited.
Minutes turned into hours.
The silence grew louder.
Then my phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
I answered.
"Hello?"
A deep voice whispered, "Ariella."
I froze.
"Who is this?" I asked.
The voice didn't answer.
Instead, it said, "You shouldn't trust him."
Then the line went dead.
My heart stopped.
Who was that?
What did they know?
And why did it feel like I was just beginning to uncover the truth?