Chapter 4

A few days later, a wave of nausea hit me at work, so intense I had to leave early.

I called Liam, "I think I have that stomach bug again, can you pick me up and maybe take me to urgent care?"

"Sure, babe, on my way," he said, his voice full of concern.

Or so I thought.

He met me at my office, helped me into the car, all solicitous.

At the urgent care waiting room, as I was filling out forms, my head spinning, Chloe walked in.

She had a small bandage on her wrist, wincing dramatically.

"Liam?" she called out, her voice a little too loud.

Liam' s head snapped up, his eyes widened.

"Chloe! What happened?" He was by her side in an instant, his worry for me completely forgotten.

"Oh, just a silly sprain," she said, leaning heavily on him. "I was trying to move a box, so clumsy."

He fussed over her, his voice soft, concerned, guiding her to a chair.

He glanced back at me, "Sarah, you mind waiting? Chloe really needs help."

Before I could answer, he was already talking to the receptionist about Chloe.

I sat there, clutching my stomach, invisible.

He eventually came back, briefly. "Look, I' ll take Chloe to get her wrist checked, it looks bad. You seem okay to wait, right? I' ll text you."

He didn' t even wait for my answer, just hurried back to Chloe.

He later texted, "Work crisis, had to run. Chloe' s fine. Get a cab home, okay?"

A work crisis named Chloe.

The following Saturday was supposed to be an early wedding celebration, a party our friends threw for us.

I felt numb, going through the motions.

During a lull, I stepped onto the balcony for some air.

I heard Liam talking to his best friend, Mark, his voice low, confidential.

"...yeah, Chloe' s back in the picture. It' s complicated."

Mark' s voice, "So, what about Sarah? The wedding?"

Liam laughed, a short, harsh sound. "Still stringing her along for a bit. Makes Chloe jealous, you know? Besides, Sarah' s easy to please, she won' t suspect a thing. She trusts me completely."

Easy to please.

Trusts him completely.

The words hit me, not with pain anymore, but with a cold, hard clarity.

He was right about one thing, I had trusted him.

But I wasn't easy to please, not anymore.