He never introduced me to his friends. Never made us official. But I didn't mind. Since the day I added him on social media, his feed had been empty. I convinced myself he just wasn't the type to post about his personal life. I told myself our connection didn't need a digital paper trail to be real.
But now, sitting in his idling car, my world crumbled.
My nose stung. A dull ache spread through my chest, making my limbs tremble. Tears escaped despite my best efforts.
"Matthew... you could have rejected me. You could have just not liked me. But why did you *lie* to me?"
He paused, his brow furrowing as if *I* were the one being unreasonable. "You were the one who said you'd never leave me."
"If you love me," he continued, his tone clinical, "then just pretend you don't know. We can keep things exactly as they are. Isn't that enough?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
I loved him, yes. But I wasn't a doormat. I wasn't a clown for him to juggle.
I had *dignity.*
A shaky breath. I forced my voice steady. "When did she come back?"