Chapter 2We Both Loved My Best Friend

I slowly pulled my hand back from the door, my back finding the cold wall of the hallway.

Suddenly, a flood of details I had long ignored rushed into my mind.

The time Declan asked for Sophia’s contact information, claiming he wanted to get to know my friends and hobbies better.

Our first trip abroad, where the destination just so happened to be the city where Sophia was studying.

And especially the time Sophia went through a bad breakup. She was sobbing uncontrollably on the phone, and as I sat there, my own tears falling in sympathy, Declan seemed even more agitated than I was.

“Is Sophia okay? Should we go see her?” he kept asking. He even got her address and overnighted a huge care package of her favorite snacks across the ocean.

At the time, I’d laughed and called him the perfect husband, saying he loved my friends just because he loved me.

Now I understand. I wasn't the one he loved. I was just the convenient package deal.

My thoughts were shattered by a vibration from my pocket. A message from Sophia lit up the screen.

“Tori, I’m coming home next week! Don’t forget to pick me up at the airport! ;)”

I stared at the screen, my thumb hesitating for a moment before I typed back a simple reply.

“Okay.”

The moment the message sent, I deleted my entire chat history with Declan. Then I turned and walked away from the hotel without a backward glance. The sharp click of my heels on the polished floor was the only sound, each step shattering the illusion of a three-year fairy tale.