When the Signal Died, so Did Our Love

Tyler's head was turned to the side by the force of the slap. Staring at him, I spat, "Tyler Goff, you're a piece of trash! If I had known it would turn out like this, I never would've helped you and your mom!"

Tyler's face stiffened briefly, then a short, incredulous laugh escaped his lips. He gave a slight nod and, without warning, swept everything off the table.

He screamed right in my face, "That's right. I am a piece of trash. I guess I freaking deserved everything back then! But what about you, Rosemary? Aren't you also a homewrecker now? As if you can act all high and mighty!"

With that, he stormed out. I was left standing there, shaking like a leaf as I felt everyone's eyes on me and heard their whispers.

That night, a video of our fight was posted online, and it blew up instantly.

Full of resentment, I posted everything—our chat logs, screenshots of him cheating, all the evidence.

At the time, I thought that since he had screwed me over, I was going to make him pay for it. There was no way I was going to be the one slinking away from their lives in disgrace.

My update made the video go even more viral. The internet was flooded with hate. Even his university got involved and called him in for a talk.

However, not long after, a video was posted from Tyler's account. And in it was the girlfriend he'd told me about.

She looked frail, as if she had just recovered from some serious illness. She actually seemed pitiful.

In the video, she framed both herself and Tyler as victims. She claimed that I was the one who had come between them, that I was crazy enough to stalk him across continents and wouldn't leave them in peace.

At the end of the video, she tearfully begged people not to cyberbully her boyfriend anymore. "I'm sorry for taking up everyone's time, but I just have to stand up for my boyfriend. The person who's actually in the wrong needs to pay!"

The internet turned against me overnight. All the hate and attacks shifted onto me. I was bombarded with insults. People called me a whore, a slut, and a homewrecker.

My DMs on every platform were filled with vile words.

All that hate made me so depressed that I almost ended things while I was still abroad. In the end, my parents found out about everything and arranged for someone to bring me back home from overseas.

The day I was set to return home, Tyler messaged me after being silent for such a long time. "I owe you an apology, Rose. About that video… I just didn't want the rumors to affect my life with Amelia. I've deleted it now. Where are you? Are you okay?"

Even though I was seeing his name on my screen again, I no longer felt any sadness. Only nausea and disgust remained.

Before I deleted his number and blocked him everywhere, I sent one last text. "Tyler, I hope you and that other piece of trash stay together forever. May you both be infamous for the rest of your lives."

Then I turned off my phone and left that wretched place for good.

…

When I opened my eyes again, the landing announcement was already playing.

A message from our potential business partner popped up. "Ms. Fritz, welcome to Molovia. We've booked a hotel for you. The address will be sent to your phone shortly.

"The meeting is tomorrow at 10:00 am. Until then, we can show you around a bit."

I texted back a simple "Thank you" before reaching for the door of the car they had sent. All of a sudden, a hand grabbed my wrist.

Tyler was standing behind me, out of breath as if he had been running for a long time. "Rose, give me a few minutes of your time. I need to talk to you!"