Part 2Crisis of trust

Seeing that I wasn't angry seemed to make Ethan even angrier.

He was convinced I was just giving him the silent treatment, and in a misguided attempt to make things right, he pulled out his phone to buy movie tickets. I watched him frantically scroll through the app.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "That movie's not in theaters anymore," I said softly.

His fingers froze on the screen. For a second, I saw a flash of different emotions cross his face—shock, regret, frustration.

The silence in the room was heavy and suffocating. The food on the table was getting cold.

I bent down, placed the last item in my suitcase, and zipped it shut.

...

After that day, Ethan's attitude toward me did a complete 180. He was suddenly incredibly attentive. During my trip, he called me every morning and every night, asking when I'd be back.

I told him.

The day I flew home, I saw his car as I walked out of the airport. A sleek, black Bugatti, parked at the curb. He got out as soon as he saw me and walked over, taking my suitcase from me as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

But when we got to the car, I saw Hailey in the passenger seat.

She had her legs propped up on the dashboard, her arm hanging out the window. She saw me and gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. "Hey, Amelia! Just hitching a ride. I'll give you your seat back in a minute..."

She said it with a playful grin, but she didn't move an inch.

Ethan put my suitcase in the trunk and came back around. He saw me just standing there, and his voice was a little strained. "She was just in the area, so I'm giving her a lift. She gets carsick, so I let her have the front seat for this part of the ride."

During one of our previous fights, I had brought up the fact that Hailey always hogged the front seat whenever she was with us.

Before I could say anything, Hailey leaned her head out the window, her eyes crinkling in a smile. "Thank god Ethan was nearby. I was in the middle of nowhere, couldn't even get an Uber. You can check our group chat if you don't believe me..."

The group chat. Their little neighborhood clique. I wasn't in it.

"And of course," Hailey continued, "if he'd left me stranded, I would have just told on him to my godparents!" She playfully punched Ethan in the chest, then seemed to remember I was there and pulled her hand back, winking at me. "Sorry, Amelia, it's just a habit. I don't mean anything by it..."

Since my last blow-up with Ethan, Hailey had transitioned from being openly touchy-feely with him to being performatively touchy-feely, always with a little show of "holding back" for my benefit. As if it was my petty jealousy that was forcing her to keep her distance.

But if she was really trying to keep her distance, why was she still spending the night with him, going on solo "dates"?

And I could see the challenge glinting in her eyes.

This little performance would have infuriated the old me. But now…

I couldn't be bothered. When Ethan told Hailey to get out of the car, I just waved my hand dismissively and opened the back door. "It's fine. I've got a friend with me anyway. We can just sit in the back."

"A friend? Where?"

Before Ethan could react, someone called my name.

I turned and saw a tall, handsome guy with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, dressed in a flamboyant, colorful outfit, jogging toward us with a suitcase.

"Amelia!" he whined, catching his breath. "That's not cool. I just went to grab my bag, and when I turned around, you were gone." He latched onto my arm, pouting. "I don't know anyone here. You have to take care of me."