After returning home, Ethan walked straight to his room.
He didn't even greet his mother properly.
He just closed the door behind him and sat down at his study table, his hands resting loosely on the surface.
But his mind—
Was nowhere near calm.
The voices from earlier kept echoing in his head.
"Katrina was talking to Eric…"
"Yeah, they look good together."
"Did you hear? Katrina and Eric are dating."
"Of course… both are good-looking and popular."
"Katrina is so beautiful… she'll definitely date someone handsome and popular… not a nerd."
Ethan clenched his jaw.
His fingers slowly curled into fists.
Ethan (thinking):
This is nonsense… I know the truth…
She likes me… she said it herself…
But even then—
Those words didn't leave him.
Instead, they started settling somewhere deeper.
Turning into something heavier.
Something bitter.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
Why does it still bother me…?
Why does it feel like… they might be right?
That thought—
Shook him.
He opened his eyes immediately.
"No," he whispered. "That's not true."
But his voice lacked conviction.
The Phone Call
Just then—
His phone lit up.
Katrina calling.
Ethan looked at the screen.
For a moment—
His heart softened.
He wanted to pick it up.
To hear her voice.
But then—
Those same voices echoed again.
"…she looks good with Eric…"
Ethan's hand slowly dropped.
He didn't answer.
The phone stopped ringing.
Silence filled the room again.
A few seconds later—
The phone rang again.
This time—
Jessica calling.
Ethan picked it up almost instantly.
"Hii Jessica."
"Hey," she replied. "You called me earlier?"
"Yeah… I wanted to tell you something."
Jessica paused, then asked directly—
"Did you propose her?"
Ethan hesitated.
The answer was right there.
But something stopped him.
"…No."
There was a brief silence.
Then Jessica spoke again—
"Oh… that's bad."
But inside—
She felt relieved.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair.
"Actually… she's too popular."
Jessica leaned back slightly, listening carefully.
"Yeah… she is beautiful and wealthy."
Ethan nodded, even though she couldn't see him.
"Yeah… she is."
He paused.
Then added, almost unconsciously—
"Everyone thinks she looks good with Eric."
Jessica's expression changed slightly.
"Eric…?"
That name—
Meant something to her.
Eric.
The one she had admired for years.
The one who never looked at her.
The one who only noticed girls who were beautiful… wealthy… popular.
Girls like—
Katrina.
Jessica's fingers tightened slightly around her phone.
Something inside her shifted.
Jessica (thinking):
So… now even she…
She forced her voice to stay normal.
"Oh… I see."
Ethan continued, not realizing what he was doing.
"I mean… they match, right?"
But his tone—
Wasn't neutral.
It carried something else.
Jealousy.
Insecurity.
Even he didn't fully realize it.
Jessica noticed.
And for the first time—
A small, dangerous thought formed in her mind.
Jessica (thinking):
Maybe… this isn't over yet.
Across the Street
At the same time—
Katrina was completely unaware.
She sat on her bed, her phone pressed to her ear, talking to her friends.
Arice's voice came through—
"Hey, do you guys want to hang out this evening?"
Ella replied instantly—
"Yeah, I'm in."
Then Arice asked—
"What about you, Katrina?"
Katrina paused for a moment.
She glanced at her phone screen.
At Ethan's name.
No missed call.
No message.
A small confusion crossed her face.
Katrina (thinking):
Why didn't he pick up…?
But she pushed the thought aside.
"Okay… I'll come," she said softly.
Ella smiled through the call.
"That's great! We'll meet at the usual place."
"Okay," Katrina replied.
The call ended.
Katrina placed her phone beside her and lay back on her bed.
Everything around her felt normal.
Peaceful.
Simple.
She smiled slightly.
Katrina (thinking):
Maybe he was busy…
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Completely unaware—
Of what was slowly building.
Meanwhile
Ethan sat in his room, still on the call with Jessica.
But his thoughts weren't clear anymore.
They were tangled.
Confused.
Pulled in different directions.
Even though he knew the truth—
Even though Katrina had done nothing wrong—
The words of others had started to affect him.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Dangerously.
Two Worlds
On one side—
Katrina.
Still innocent.
Still trusting.
Still believing everything was okay.
On the other—
Ethan.
Caught between truth… and what others were saying.
And somewhere in between—
Jessica.
Watching.
Thinking.
Waiting.
Because sometimes—
It's not lies that break things.
It's the doubts that grow from them.
And Katrina—
Still didn't know—
That something had already begun to change.