Chapter 1
The moment I stepped through the door, I knew something was off. The apartment was dark, except for the flickering glow of the TV, casting long shadows across the living room. The air smelled different—vanilla, too strong and artificial. A candle was burning on the coffee table, the cheap kind Luke never cared for.
My pulse ticked up, unease settling in my stomach. Then I heard it. A breathy laugh. A hushed whisper. The unmistakable sound of skin against skin. My stomach twisted.
No.
Not him.
I took a slow, careful step forward, my heart hammering so loudly I could hear it in my ears. The couch came into view first, then the tangled mess of limbs.
Luke. My boyfriend. Half-naked and draped over some girl I didn’t recognize. His hand skimmed her thigh, his lips grazing her neck.
In our apartment.
On our couch.
The one where we’d curled up together after long days, where I’d fallen asleep on his chest too many times to count. The betrayal burned like acid in my chest.
I sucked in a sharp breath. That was the only sound I made—just a single inhale, just enough to make Luke’s head snap up.
“Shit,” he muttered, scrambling upright, shoving the girl off him as if that would somehow erase the fact that I had just caught him mid-act.
The girl gasped and yanked a throw blanket over herself, shrinking back against the couch.
I didn’t say a word. Didn’t scream. Didn’t demand an explanation.
Because what was there to explain?
Everything was right in front of me. Luke opened his mouth, but I turned before he could make an excuse I’d never believe. I walked straight into our bedroom, every movement sharp, purposeful, as I yanked open my closet door.
“Hailey, wait,” Luke said, his voice still thick with shock. “This isn’t—”
“If you say it’s not what it looks like, I swear to God—” My voice shook, but it wasn’t from sadness.
I wasn’t sad. I was pissed.
I grabbed my suitcase from the corner, threw it onto the bed, and started shoving in clothes. I didn’t bother folding. I didn’t care. He reached for me and I jerked away.
“Don’t touch me,” I seethe, stepping back, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.
Luke’s fingers tighten around my wrist. “Hailey—”
“Let. Go.” My pulse thrashes in my throat. “Unless you want me to break your goddamn nose.”
His jaw twitches, the usual cocky smirk nowhere in sight. “Come on, baby, don’t be like this.”
That word—baby—crawls over my skin like acid.
Hailey, baby.
Come on, baby.
I love you, baby.
I am not his baby anymore.
I jerk my arm free, my breath coming fast and sharp. My eyes flick to the girl sitting on our couch, her red-stained lips parted in shock, his hoodie hanging off her bare shoulders. The hoodie I bought him.
Luke scrubs a hand over his face, exhaling hard. “It was a mistake.”
A laugh bursts from my throat, sharp and humorless. “A mistake?” I gesture wildly to the scene in front of me. “So, what, she just tripped and fell onto your dick?”
“Jesus, Hailey—”
“No.” I cut him off, chest heaving. “You don’t get to act offended. Not when I just walked in on you screwing some random girl in our apartment.”
I don’t wait for an answer. I turn, march into our bedroom, and rip open my closet. I hear him behind me, his voice turning desperate. “You’re overreacting. We should talk about this.”
I tossed another suitcase and it hits the bed with a thud. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Come on,” he pleads. “We’ve been together three years.”
Yeah, and you just threw three years in the trash. The anger in my blood burns now, turning everything blurry and hot. I gave him everything. My time. My trust. My heart. And in return?
He gave me this.
I zip up my bag and turn to face him, my voice deathly calm. “Move.”
His throat bobs, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Don’t do this.”
I step closer, staring him down, the sting of betrayal coiling in my gut like a viper. “Get out of my way, or I swear to God, Luke, I will make sure you feel every ounce of regret the second I walk out that door.”
“Just—just stop for a second, okay?” Luke tried again. “Can we talk?”
I whirled around, gripping the zipper of my suitcase so hard my knuckles went white. “Talk? You want to talk?” I let out a humorless laugh. “I walked in on you cheating. I think that conversation just had itself.”
He had the audacity to run a hand through his hair like he was stressed. Like I was the problem.
“Hailey—”
“Save it.” I zipped my last bag with one sharp motion, grabbed all three of them, yanked my laptop and charger off the desk, and turned for the door.
He stepped in front of me, arms raised like I was some wild animal he needed to calm down. “Look, just—don’t do something dramatic, okay? You’re upset—”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I cut in, voice laced with venom. “Would you prefer if I just ignored the fact that my boyfriend of three years was screwing some random girl on our couch?”
Luke flinched, guilt flashing across his face. But it wasn’t real guilt. It was the kind that only showed up after getting caught. I refused to give him another second of my time. I shoved past him, suitcase banging against the doorframe as I stormed out.
Of course the dick followed. I tossed my bags into my truck and turned around. He was standing there and had the nerve to grab my waist.
“Don’t touch me,” I seethe, stepping back, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.
Luke released me. “Hailey—”
His jaw twitches, the usual cocky smirk nowhere in sight. “Come on, baby, don’t be like this.” His throat bobs, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Please. Don’t do this.”
I step closer, staring him down, the sting of betrayal coiling in my gut like a viper. “Get out of my way, or I swear to God, Luke, I will make sure you feel every ounce of regret the second I walk out that door.”
For the first time since I got home, his face shifts. A flicker of something real. Maybe he knows that this? This is the last time we’ll ever speak.
Good.
I shove past him. Climbed into my car. And don’t look back.
