Soon after hanging up, my phone rang. Sophia. I watched the flashing name like a venomous spider until it stopped. It rang again, persistent. I answered. "Lily?" Her voice was unnervingly calm, tinged with fatigue. "Ethan just called. He's... distraught. We need to talk." My coffee sat cold. Outside, the sky brooded. "Talk about what?" I asked. "That text. A misunderstanding.I was blackout drunk, didn't know what I was sending.
Ethan just saw me safely to my room. That's all." Her words flowed fast, rehearsed. "After all these years as friends, don't you trust me? Trust Ethan? He values family above all." She stressed "family." "Lily," her tone softened, intimate yet nauseating. "We're comrades-in-arms. Your home with Ethan is the rear I fight to protect. Don't act rashly, okay?" Comrades-in-arms? Protecting? Her flawless explanation chilled my stomach. The cold coffee mirrored my distorted face.
Trust Shattered
That night, Ethan rushed home early, travel-worn. He tried to hug me, reeking of smoke and strange hotel detergent. I sidestepped. Awkwardly, he withdrew his hand and flooded me with explanations—team gathering, Sophia's drunkenness, him fulfilling partner duty by escorting her back, leaving immediately, the text drunken rambling...
He recited Sophia's version like a joint statement. "I swear, Lily!" His eyes pleaded, forehead sweating. "I swear to God—Sophia and I, nothing inappropriate!" "Then why lie about sleeping at the hotel?" I asked. He faltered. "Why couldn't you name those 'key members'?" I pressed. His gaze darted. "Why would Sophia miss your scent?" My voice wavered. "She was drunk! Mindless babbling!" he growled, cornered. I studied his familiar-yet-alien face. Once reassuring angles now radiated exposed panic. "Ethan," I whispered, light as a feather. "You look more disgusting now than that text did." Color drained from his face. The light in his eyes flickered out.
NEXT >>
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