His College Ex Came Back

From that day on, I noticed a change in Ryan.

He had always emphasized focus, believing that work and life should have clear boundaries.

Now, his phone never left his side, even when he showered.

Several times, I even heard his laughter through the frosted glass of the bathroom door.

I've never been one to snoop through someone's phone; it feels like a basic violation of respect.

But that day, he showered without his phone, leaving it charging on the nightstand.

The screen lit up, and a message preview flashed across it.

Just finished my workout. Good night.

My heart sank.

I picked up the phone, wanting to see what they had been talking about.

But I discovered he had changed the password.

When Ryan came out and saw me holding his phone, panic flashed across his face.

"What are you doing with my phone?"

I tossed the phone back onto the bed, my voice calm. "Nothing. Just wanted to see the time."

He didn't press the matter.

That night, we slept with our backs to each other, the silence a wall between us.

Before I knew it, his birthday had arrived.

Six months pregnant, I’d carefully booked a table at a Michelin-starred restaurant for him.

I waited for him to come home, full of anticipation.

The reservation time came and went, but he never showed.

When I called, the background noise was incredibly loud, like he was in a high-end bar.

"Hello? Honey?"

His voice was slurred.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Oh! The team threw a surprise party for me! I'm such an idiot, I got so busy I completely forgot to tell you."

Just as he finished speaking, I heard Camilla's flirtatious voice chime in.

"Come on, make a wish!"

Before the call ended, a familiar tune started playing in the background.

It was the music from their app's demo video.

A sharp pain lanced through my chest, as if a needle had pierced my heart.

I hung up without a word.

Looking at the reservation confirmation on my phone, a wave of fury erupted in my chest.

In a fit of fury, I canceled the reservation.

Only after I received the cancellation confirmation email did I feel a flicker of satisfaction.

He came back at one in the morning.

I was sitting in the living room, my face expressionless.

He was startled to see me.

"Honey, why are you still up?"

He leaned in to hug me, but the overpowering stench of alcohol mixed with a cloying women's perfume made my stomach turn.

That perfume was the exact same one I had smelled on Camilla at the send-off party.

Forcing down a wave of nausea, I subtly shifted away and reached up to pluck a long hair from the shoulder of his dark jacket.

A single, damning strand of rose gold.

I asked, already knowing the answer, "What's this?"