A life unraveled

o go home after a long semester. Eighteen and trying to balance college life, emoti

nd. "Before you go home, na," he said. "It's been too long." And he wasn't wrong. It had

n he saw me, held me like I was all he needed. He even cooked for me-rice and stew, simple, but f

scrolling through my phone, half-dozing. His phone was lying next to me. I didn't plan to go

d his g

my own pul

pen. Play. And there it was: him, with another girl. No faces turned away. No myste

cotton. I froze, replayed the clip, hoping my e

him. I just sat there, hollow. The tears came on their

yed along. We watched videos together, his arms around

used.

did you s

ked a

w the

y it. "It's not

ast in the fac

she came in, she seduced me... I didn't p

alread

me, something broke. Som

ounded more like insults to her intelligence. He begged. She listened. Or ra

the morning. J

ghbor came to borrow something," he said, chuckling. "She caught me on the phon

ity. It sounded silly. Now it just felt sick. The sam

much to piece together. How do you go from saying you love some

quietly-the part she hadn't told him.

s her

ng she'd never given to anyone else, even with past boyfriends. She'd wa

wasn't

e who could smile at her and betray her in the same breath. Still, she couldn't ge

een, and alre

to slap him, to hold him-all a

st sat

he b

rld spun i

she still saw that boy she once loved. The same boy who used to walk her to class, send random me

as what hu

r pain, sh

er throat, blinked slowly,

froze.

. "Even though you've broken our trust..

him like a wave. "Babe! Babe! Thank you! I sw

didn't laugh with him. She lay there on his bed, quiet, watching him-li

trust? Was it sacrifice? Or was it the ability t

r-softly, unsure if she would let him. She didn'

t was to

for now," she whispered

d. For once, he didn'

oom, closing the doo

, her mind to everything else. Thoughts came and

y, sleep

peace would