Things had been going well between Skyler and me—at least, that’s what I believed. Some people around the city saw us as the destined couple, the perfect pair. That was before Tia returned to the city a few weeks ago. I hadn’t realized how close they had gotten until the rumors started. People in his pack whispered about him frequenting her apartment, taking her on dates—dates he rarely took me on anymore. I was a fool, ignoring the signs, convincing myself nothing was going on between them despite his coldness toward me, which worsened after she came back.
When I got home, I felt like I was suffocating. I took a cold shower, hoping it would wash away the ache in my chest. But it didn’t. The water ran over me, but the pain remained, clinging to me like a second skin. As I stepped out of the bathroom, my phone beeped. I grabbed it, still dripping, only to see a message from Skyler.
{Why did you leave like that, Raya?}
I scoffed, tossing the phone onto the bed without replying. The nerve. He didn’t care how I felt. Before I could walk away, the phone buzzed again. More messages. I reluctantly glanced at the screen.
{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.*