I had convinced myself I could live without his shadow. That I did not need him anymore.
But I was wrong.
Victor had calculated everything. And I had walked straight into his plan.
I sighed, the weight of my decision pressing down on my chest like an unbearable burden.
Without a word, I quietly packed my belongings—the clothes I had once folded neatly into Raphael’s drawers, the make up lined up beside his, the scent of his cologne lingering on the fabrics.
I did not belong there anymore. It never had been.
I did not need to stay in his space, where every wall whispered lies and every memory was tainted by betrayal. I would return to my own apartment, where at least the silence was not filled with deception.
As I reached for my makeup bag, my phone vibrated against the wooden nightstand. I hesitated before picking it up, expecting a call from Victor or perhaps another unwanted message from Raphael.
Instead, my screen lit up with an unexpected name.
Colette Birkin, my classmate, the girl who had lingered on the periphery of my relationship, always watching, always prying.
I tapped the message open, my fingers tightening around the phone.