{You’ve disrespected me in the worst way tonight and ruined the moment for everyone.}

{You need to make up for this. Tia is upset, and you made her feel terrible.}

{Apologize to her, or it’s over between us.}

Fury surged through me, white-hot and uncontrollable. I slammed the phone down onto the bed. Tia. It was always about her. He didn’t care that I was hurting, didn’t ask once how I felt, only concerned about her feelings. Screw him.

I sat on my bed, my mind swirling with thoughts of the life I had envisioned with him. How had we ended up here? I thought we were building something real—something permanent. But now, all I could see was the truth I had been too blind to admit. Tia had him wrapped around her finger, and I was nothing more than a placeholder until she returned.

I didn’t want to think about him anymore. I needed a distraction. I picked up my phone and scrolled through my X feed, trying to lose myself in mindless posts. But I froze when I saw her name pop up. Tia. She had just posted a photo of her and Skyler in a fancy, beachside restaurant in the Maldives.

The caption read: *I’ve won the heart of my first love again.*