A soft sound followed—a kiss.
I froze in bed, unsure what to do. My mind raced. Should I get up and confront them? Should I pretend I hadn’t heard anything?
But as I lay there staring at the ceiling, something inside me cracked.
Laura had moved on.
Not just emotionally, but physically—bringing someone into the life we used to share.
And somehow I hadn’t seen it coming.
I didn’t confront her that night. I stayed in bed, replaying every sound in my head until exhaustion finally pulled me back to sleep.
The next morning I woke to the smell of coffee brewing.
Laura was sitting at the kitchen table when I walked in. She stared down at her mug but I could feel the tension between us.
“I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” she said quietly.
I gripped the edge of the counter.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?”
She sighed deeply. “It’s complicated, Ethan.”
“Complicated?” I repeated. “You stayed in my house while you’re seeing someone else. Do you realize how that feels?”
She stood and began pacing the kitchen.
“I didn’t know how to explain it,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t keep pretending either.”
I swallowed hard.