Chapter 3He Fell For My Soul And Married Her Lies

I was still the pinned contact at the top of his messages.

We’d set it that way the day we went official. But our last text thread was from a week ago.

Miles was always "busy." I’d learned not to clutter his day with my thoughts or the small details of my life because he never had the bandwidth to respond in real-time. Eventually, I just stopped sharing. If something was urgent, I called. If it wasn't, I kept it to myself.

Miles didn’t have many contacts. Most were work-related group chats.

I scrolled down just an inch and saw a name that wasn't a colleague.

Ivy.

I hesitated. Once you break the seal of trust, the monster inside you takes over.

There was a voice note. Twenty-four seconds long.

I didn’t want to hear her voice, so I hit the transcription button. The little loading icon spun for an eternity. Finally, the text appeared:

Are you sure you aren't just doing this to punish me?

I couldn't help myself. I put the phone to my ear and pressed play, the volume at a whisper.

I heard muffled sobbing. Then the question, sharp and trembling. I played it over and over, trying to find a name for the hollow feeling opening up in my chest.

I scrolled up, back through the months, until I found the beginning.

The first message was from her: It’s been twelve years. Are you okay?

Twelve years.

I had watched them fall in love, watched them fight, watched them break up, and watched her move across the ocean without a backward glance. I thought twelve years was enough time for the ink to dry on that chapter. I thought my devotion, my warmth, and my presence had filled every crack she left behind.

His first reply shattered that illusion: Everything is fine, except for the part where you aren't here.

He had sent that text the day after he proposed to me.