Chapter 4

She introduced herself as my girlfriend of four years.

I stared at the chat, and the blood rushed straight to my head.

I knew. Nobody was going to take my side after this.

Nick was charming, well-liked. The whole group chat was rallying behind him.

I heard about this. I never believed Nick would do something like that.

Hernandez really went too far — even his own girlfriend came out against him.

That's actually his girlfriend. Her Instagram is pinned on his profile.

No wonder he quit. Probably felt guilty...

Ronnie had publicly sided with Nick. Against me.

This was the woman I had loved for four years. Made allowances for, for four years.

She had gone this far for him.

My hands were shaking when I called her.

"Why did you do that? Why did you record that video?"

"Because Nick hasn't been sleeping over it."

"Hernandez, when you do something wrong, you own it. Real men don't cry — but Nick has been so upset he actually broke down."

"I didn't know what else to do. I just wanted to comfort him a little."

Her voice went softer. "Are you still upset? Hernandez, let's meet in person and talk."

She sent me the address of a restaurant.

I went. I was running on emotion at that point, barely thinking straight.

All I wanted was for Ronnie to set the record straight in the group chat and apologize to me publicly.

When I got to the restaurant, she wasn't there yet.

Minutes passed. I finished my first glass of water.

It hit me suddenly — this was the restaurant where Ronnie and I had made it official.

She'd been the one to confess. She'd made me a promise that night.

"Hernandez, I mean it. I'm going to treat you right for the rest of my life. I'll always have your back."

I refilled my glass and drank it down. The anger in my chest started going cold.

I lost count of how many glasses of ice water I drank. Ronnie still hadn't come.

The restaurant was getting ready to close.

I called her. It rang for a long time before someone picked up.

"Hernandez. What do you need?"

It was Nick. His voice was smug, sharp around the edges.

"Ronnie's busy. She's been with me all night."

"She's exhausted — fell asleep. If there's something you need, you can tell me."

I gripped my phone. And just like that, my head was completely clear.

"Nothing for her. Good thing, actually — I've got something for you."

I let out a quiet laugh.

"Nick. You're pretty disgusting, you know that?"

"You like collecting other people's garbage? Fine. Consider it a gift."

I hung up.

I wasn't going to waste a single word on explanations. I left the company group chat.

The truth doesn't need defending.

This event was set to launch in ten days. Nick was now fully in charge.

I wanted to see how he'd handle it.

I opened Instagram and deleted everything connected to Ronnie.

I'd already sorted out the move with my landlord weeks ago.

I sent her a message letting her know I was leaving early.

Then I grabbed my suitcase and headed to the airport.

I changed my ticket to the earliest available flight home.

The rent I'd been paying for Ronnie, the car payments — I let all of it go.

Along with four years of my life.

Everything ended the moment I walked through that gate.

The plane took off. I powered off my phone and finally got some sleep.

Four hours later, I landed. A real weight lifted off my chest.

But the second I turned my phone back on, it started vibrating nonstop.