a movie screen, playing back every red flag I had willingly ignored. It start

the office. I had come to pick her up, and I found them huddled ov

ck quickly. "Leo was just showing m

o Leo, but he was always aloof, giving me one-wo

ck in bed, feverish and aching. I called Soph

e phone. "Leo's having trouble with the investors' pre

ere at a fancy rooftop bar, laughing with a group of people. The caption said, "Celebrating a successful pre-pitch!" She wasn't helping him w

ay. "Sophia, it looked like you guys were

top. "Don't be so dramatic, Ethan. It was a team-building event.

e she was right. Maybe I was being cli

months. She canceled it at the last minute. "A huge project j

retreat," which looked suspiciously like a luxury spa resort. Her friends commente

She just let the narrative build: that she and Leo were

h. She had never posted about me like that. Our life together was private, s

the brand, Ethan! We need to project an image of success. Leo is a huge part of t

later and later. Sometimes, she wouldn't come home at all, c

in a small conference room, the lights dimmed. They weren't working. They were watching a movie on a

. It was so intimate, so comfort

here?" I asked,

ushed. "Ethan! You scared me.

ak. R

o get him a bandage. When he said he was hungry, she ordered his favorite fo

ts were off. Of course, she wasn't home yet. She w

memories, now felt cold and foreign. I looked at a picture on the wall from

fel bag and started packing. A few pairs of jeans, some shirts, my laptop. I worked me

e bag shut, I heard

as light, cheerful. Utterly clueless. The