Lina had spent the entire day avoiding Ethan. She hadn't spoken to him, hadn't even looked his way. Every corridor, every glance, reminded her of what they once had—and what he had thrown away.
She thought she was starting to breathe again. Slowly. Carefully. Until that afternoon, when everything she believed in shattered.
It started with a photo.
Her best friend, Maya, slid her phone across the desk during study period. "Lina… you need to see this."
Lina frowned. "What is it?"
Maya hesitated. "Just… look."
Lina's hands trembled as she opened the image.
It was Ethan. In a café. Laughing. His hand brushing the shoulder of a girl she had never seen before. A girl who leaned in close, her head on his shoulder, smiling in a way only lovers do.
Her stomach dropped. She blinked. Then blinked again.
"No… this can't be real," she whispered.
Maya's hand covered hers. "It's real. I saw it on his social media—he posted it yesterday."
Lina's head spun. Her hands shook. The air around her felt heavy, suffocating.
He… he cheated on me?
Her heart thumped painfully. Memories of their laughter, the late-night talks, the scrapbook, the little bracelet she gave him—it all felt poisoned now.
---
That night, she couldn't eat. She couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan's smiling face, the other girl leaning on him, the way he didn't look guilty, didn't look sorry.
She wanted to hate him. She tried to hate him.
But the truth was worse: she still loved him.
And that love made the betrayal burn hotter.
---
The next day, Lina confronted him.
She found him near the old oak tree, laughing with friends as if the world had no consequences.
"Ethan." Her voice was quiet at first. Then sharper. Louder. "Ethan, we need to talk."
He turned slowly. His smile faltered when he saw her.
"I… Lina—"
"Don't. Just don't." She waved her hands, trying to hold back the tremor in her voice. "I saw it. The picture. The café. The girl."
Ethan froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his face—but only a flicker.
"I… I can explain," he started.
"Explain?" Lina's voice cracked. "You don't get to explain! You were supposed to love me! You were supposed to be my forever, Ethan! And you—"
Her voice broke. "You cheated on me!"
Silence.
He looked down, shame twisting his features. But he didn't reach for her, didn't apologize.
"I… I didn't think it would happen like this," he muttered.
"Didn't think it would happen like this?" Lina shouted, her tears streaming. "You kissed her, Ethan! You held her hand! You promised me forever and you lied!"
Some of the students passing by stopped, staring at the scene.
Ethan swallowed hard. "I… I just… I don't know. I didn't mean to hurt you—"
"You didn't mean to hurt me?!" Lina yelled, voice shaking so violently it sounded like it would shatter her. "Do you even know how much I trusted you? How much I loved you?!"
His mouth opened. Closed. Words failed him.
"You were my everything," she whispered, trembling. "I made bracelets for you. I made memories for you. I gave you pieces of my heart, Ethan… and you threw them away for a random girl."
Ethan's eyes were full of guilt now—but the damage was done.
"I'm… sorry," he whispered.
"Sorry?!" Lina screamed, and for a moment, it seemed the entire school could hear. "You don't get to be sorry! You don't get to smile like nothing happened, like I don't matter! You… you—you broke me!"
She turned and ran.
Her footsteps echoed in the hallways. Every step felt like the ground itself was trembling beneath her. Her chest burned. Her lungs ached. She didn't stop running until she reached the old oak tree alone.
She sank to the ground, hugging her knees, trembling.
The rain began to fall, just like the first time she had walked home after the breakup. But this time, it wasn't just rain—it was sharp, cold, stabbing.
She pressed her hands to her face and screamed.
A raw, bitter scream that carried every ounce of heartbreak, anger, and betrayal she felt.
And somewhere in the distance, she could still see him. Ethan. Walking away with her world shattered at his feet.
---
Inside Ethan's head:
He wanted to follow her. He wanted to hold her and beg for forgiveness.
But he didn't.
He had chosen the easy path. The path that gave him a thrill, a momentary escape from his feelings for Lina.
And now, as he watched her disappear into the rain, a small voice in his chest whispered:
I've made a mistake.
But it was too late.