Boyfriend Cheated with Cheer Captain, I Left

The suitcase sat open in the living room. I packed slowly.

At the bottom, my fingers brushed a cream-colored envelope.

A job offer from Valley Creek Private Hospital, received two months ago. A position as a surgeon, with generous pay.

Back then, Evan had been stressed about the championship. I hadn't even looked at it before shoving it away.

At least now it would finally come in handy.

I wanted to prove that I wasn't just some no-name.

I finished packing the living room, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and looked around the apartment Evan and I had shared for eight years.

The wallpaper was peeling, the window frames had rusted over, and I'd just repainted the whole place.

Romance DVDs lay scattered across the floor, used condoms were piling up in the trash, and leftover pizza sat in the fridge. Every corner held some trace of us.

I took a deep breath, refusing to let myself drown in it, and pushed open the bedroom door.

My eyes went wide.

In the center of the bed, on sheets I'd changed not long ago, was a fresh bloodstain.

There were lipstick smudges on the pillowcase, and the fabric reeked of Sophia's perfume.

My nails dug into my palms.

A key turned in the lock.

Evan walked in wearing an expensive charcoal coat, every inch the star quarterback. He looked nothing like the boy who used to wait for me to bring him cheap hot dogs after my shift.

He seemed surprised to see me, but recovered quickly with a smile.

"Babe, still mad? Don't worry. Once the buzz dies down, I'll make Sophia delete that post right aw—"

His gaze caught the open suitcase. His expression shifted.

"Lillian, you're still at this?"

"I told you, it's a business arrangement. Can you grow up? Just try to understand my—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

He'd seen the blood on the sheets.

The room went dead silent.

"Evan." My fingertips were ice. I pointed at the stain. "What is this?"

His Adam's apple bobbed. He looked away.

"Don't get the wrong idea. Sophia was on her period last time she was here. I was taking care of her and the sheets got stained. It was an accident—"

He looked back at me, words tumbling out faster.

"Nothing happened between us! The blood was just ... she brushed against the sheets by mistake. It was a prank. That's all."

"A prank." I repeated the word slowly.

"She was in our bed. You were taking care of her. And she deliberately left this for me to find."

My eyes burned.

"And that's all just a prank?"

Evan's face went from white to red, and then he snapped.

"Lillian, not everyone's mind is in the gutter like yours!"

"And even if something had happened, would I still be letting you stand here and yell at me about it?"

"She's my friend. We need to build chemistry for the cameras. Of course we're going to be close."

"You're paranoid, obsessive, blowing every little thing out of proportion. You sound like some bitter housewife running surveillance."

Every accusation landed like a rusty blade, sawing back and forth across a heart that had already gone numb.

Then a lazy voice drifted in from the doorway.

"What's going on? The door was open."

Sophia strolled in, her gaze landing on me. One perfect eyebrow arched.

"Oh, sweetie, you've got it all wrong." She drifted to Evan's side, practically pressing against his arm. "I'm just like that, a total airhead. I got my period and Evan carried me to the bed. Didn't even think about the sheets."

She put on a guilty face.

"Send me your account number and I'll cover the dry cleaning."

She held out a manicured hand, waving it casually in front of me.

And that's when the overhead light caught what was on her wrist.

The bone bracelet Evan had given me.

Every nerve in my body froze.