The next day, Adler texted me: [We’re having a gathering and you're the only one missing. Come join us.]

Following the address he sent, I arrived at the private room.

Just as I was about to open the door, I overheard the conversation inside.

"If there was really something between us, we'd already be a couple. I've always thought of Kya like one of the guys," said Zamir. Through the crack in the door, I saw him with his arm around a girl in a Victorian-style dress, his usual taste.

"Look, she stripped in front of me last night, and I still kept my cool."

My ears started ringing, as if I had been struck by lightning. I stood frozen outside the door, my mind going blank.

He played a recording, and my voice came through. It was a clip from our time in the rented room last night.

The spring sunshine was warming the world outside, yet a chill crept from my feet to my head, leaving me icy cold.

Everyone burst into laughter and commented:

"Kya always seems so shy, but in bed, she's something else."

"Didn't see that coming!"

"No way, Zamir, you had Kya in bed last night and didn’t do anything? That’s some serious self-control!"

"Aren’t you worried you’d lose it?"

Zamir leaned back on the sofa, looking intently at the girl beside him:

"Not a chance; it’s Keilani’s challenge for me, and I can't mess it up."

"Everyone says once you commit, you see it through. Walking away halfway? That's not how it usually goes."

"She has quite a figure, aren't you curious about how she looks naked, Zamir? Any thoughts?"

He shook his head with a smirk:

"Nothing worth mentioning."

The people at this gathering were our classmates.

I felt like I had been publicly exposed, my dignity trampled.

I wanted nothing more than to burst in and defend myself, but realized my words would be powerless.

Going in to explain would only degrade me further, making me seem foolish.

In the end, I stood outside, fists clenched, nails digging into my palms.

"Keilani, you've done it, Zamir’s finally met his match," someone noted.

"But don't you think you're playing with fire?"

Keilani raised an eyebrow, a self-satisfied look on her face:

"I just mentioned it; Zamir did all the rest to prove himself."

"Baby, I’m really not interested in her at all. Does this pass your test now?" Zamir leaned in and whispered to Keilani, "After everything last night, do you still have doubts?"

Keilani blushed, teasing him:

"I believe you, but not her."

"I said she's just pretending to be one of the guys to play it coy."

"If she were truly innocent, she wouldn’t have been so easy."

"Exactly, my wife is so perceptive," Zamir said in front of everyone, allowing her to continue to malign me.

My entire body shook, barely able to hold myself up as I leaned against the wall, biting down hard to keep from crying out. Though we never explicitly talked about it, we had shared countless ambiguous moments over the years. I was captivated by him, never rejecting him, and he was always aware of that.

Last night, Zamir, smelling of booze, held me close and murmured sweet nothings as he kissed me. I thought I was wrapped in a wonderful dream, willingly following him to the hotel. Now I understand that everything he did was just to reassure her, to show he had no interest in me.

I was filled with anger and resentment. Just because I love him, does that justify his careless hurt? If he didn't love me, he could have turned me down, kept his distance. I can't understand why he would say such sweet things to me while trying to please someone else—doesn’t he find it repulsive?

"Aren’t you guys being a bit too harsh? Imagine how heartbroken Kya would be if she knew what you were saying about her in private!"

“Just delete the recording,” Adler chimed in, the only one standing up for me. He, Zamir, and I were all neighbors in the same complex; being younger, he always called me his sister.

Zamir gave a sarcastic smile. "Kya’s always been easygoing. What's there to worry about? She's not really going to get mad."

But under Adler's insistent urging, Zamir reluctantly picked up his phone. "Fine, fine, I'll delete it. It was just for Keilani to see. Since everyone has watched it, it's useless now."

"Honestly, what does it matter if she’s upset? In the grand scheme of things, my girlfriend comes first."

With that, he leaned over and kissed Keilani on the cheek. She playfully hit his chest, "Fine, since I’m the priority, I don’t want you staying in touch with her."

"Alright, I promise."

“Is there some group chat you all share?” Keilani asked.

Zamir nodded. "Rodrigo, let's go ahead and remove Kya from the group. For now, we won't invite her to gatherings. I need to give Keilani some peace of mind."

Adler stood up, frustrated. "You're going to kick her out just because she’s a girl?!"

But Rodrigo scolded him. "Zamir’s finally found someone, and we all need to support him. Don’t create conflict!"

As the leader of our group, Rodrigo spoke firmly to Adler. "Regarding Kya, she’ll understand. Once Zamir’s relationship stabilizes, she can come back. As a good friend, she should bear some inconvenience. She’s been trailing Zamir all this time, causing misunderstandings."

He gestured to Zamir. "Carry on, guys."

Everyone started cheering, shouting, "Go for another kiss!" Zamir didn’t hesitate, pinning Keilani to the couch and kissing her deeply.

Adler’s expression darkened as he pulled out his phone and headed for the door. I quickly slipped into the nearby bathroom, my phone on silent, not daring to answer his persistent calls.

A message popped up on my phone:

[Kya, have you arrived? We’ve already split up. Don’t come.]

I knew he didn’t want me to face embarrassment, so I replied,

[Not yet. Got it.]

Tears streaming down my face, I zoned out in the bathroom for a long time, trying to calm my emotions. Eventually, I splashed some water on my face from the faucet, then stumbled out the door.

Stepping out of the hotel, my mind was in turmoil. Zamir and I had been together for years. After high school, fate took us on different paths; I stayed in Austin while he went to New York City. Still, he returned to visit me every month.

When we started job hunting, I heard he turned down an offer from a major corporation just to join the local branch of Cambridge Industries after I signed with them. I thought our efforts were reciprocal, that I was the only girl in his life.

I used to jokingly ask him what kind of girl he liked. He’d laugh and point to a picture online, saying, "Someone like this—fair, petite, a bit quirky." I always assumed he was just humoring me—until Keilani appeared. That's when I realized I had lost.

It seemed that when he truly loved someone, he'd quickly introduce her to his friends, openly claiming her as his girlfriend. His reluctance to make our relationship official was a clear sign of his lack of interest. My heart ached with a dull pain, like a knife slowly cutting through it.

I wandered aimlessly through the streets all day, terrified of running into someone I knew, dreading the whispers and gossip. When I finally returned to the apartment, it was already eleven at night.

Turning on my phone, I saw that Rodrigo had booted me from the group chat. He briefly explained why and then warned me: [Don't contact Zamir for a while. It took him a long time to win over the girl of his dreams—don’t ruin it for him.]

Once again, I felt an indescribable powerlessness and rage. Everyone used to admire him, and I respected him for his fairness and leadership. Now, I wanted to ask, why?! My chest was tight with frustration, words bottled up inside me that I wished to scream at them.

I picked up my phone, typed and deleted long messages repeatedly. In the end, I erased them all. Forget it.