Part 2<\/p>\n
At 9:18, my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome safe. Miss you already.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 9:26, it buzzed again.<\/p>\n
A friend request.<\/p>\n
Her name was Avery. I nearly ignored it until I saw her message.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry to message you like this, but I saw your comment on Tyler\u2019s cousin\u2019s post. I think you deserve to know who you\u2019re really dating.\u201d<\/p>\n
My thumb froze.<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, another message appeared.<\/p>\n
It was a screenshot of the photo I had deleted earlier that day.<\/p>\n
Tyler beside the car. His jacket. His shoulder. His almost-hidden face.<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of my bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d I typed.<\/p>\n
Avery replied immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friend Rio saw it before it disappeared. Tyler told me he was at a work retreat this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you to Tyler?\u201d<\/p>\n
The typing dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Stopped.<\/p>\n
Then appeared again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis fianc\u00e9e. We\u2019ve been together six years. I\u2019ve been working abroad for a little over three years, but I come home in two weeks. Our wedding is in three months.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not cry.<\/p>\n
Not then.<\/p>\n
I stared at the clothes I had worn for him, beside him, hidden with him.<\/p>\n
Then I typed one word.<\/p>\n
\u201cProof.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avery did not act insulted. She did not argue.<\/p>\n
She sent proof.<\/p>\n
The first picture was from an engagement dinner. Tyler stood beside Avery, surrounded by both families raising glasses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was this?\u201d I typed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost three years ago,\u201d Avery replied. \u201cRight before I left for my overseas contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second image was a draft of a wedding invitation.<\/p>\n
Tyler and Avery.<\/p>\n
Three months away.<\/p>\n
I stared at the date until the numbers blurred.<\/p>\n
Then the third photo arrived. Tyler in a suit, smiling beside Avery\u2019s parents like he had not spent years making me believe I was his only future.<\/p>\n
\u201cKim?\u201d Avery messaged. \u201cAre you still there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t apologize yet,\u201d I typed. \u201cI\u2019m still hoping you\u2019re a very committed prankster with excellent graphic design.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avery sent another picture.<\/p>\n
That one ended the joke.<\/p>\n
Tyler was wearing the silver watch I had bought him for his birthday.<\/p>\n
I pressed my hand against my mouth.<\/p>\n
I had saved for six weeks to buy that watch, packing lunches and skipping small treats because I wanted him to have something nice.<\/p>\n
When I gave it to him, he kissed my forehead and said, \u201cYou always know how to make me feel seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avery\u2019s next message came through.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me the watch was from a client. Was it from you?\u201d<\/p>\n
A sound escaped me that almost became a laugh.<\/p>\n
Then I pressed the call button.<\/p>\n
She answered on the first ring. \u201cKim?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me you didn\u2019t know about me. I had no clue about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI swear I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you been away?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little over three years. We were together two years before that. I came home for short visits, but Tyler always had everything planned. Family dinners. Wedding errands. One-night stays. Then I\u2019d leave again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time you came back,\u201d I said, opening my laptop, \u201che told me he had a work emergency or family thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avery went silent. \u201cHe told me you were a coworker.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard. \u201cI was his girlfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Avery sent the screenshot.<\/p>\n
It was a message from Tyler.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly three more months until I\u2019m your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
I checked the date at the top.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Avery\u2019s voice softened through the phone. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my calendar.<\/p>\n
It had been my birthday trip. Tyler had booked a hotel, ordered pancakes, and turned off his phone for \u201cone weekend with no distractions.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the screenshot until the words blurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cKim?\u201d Avery asked.<\/p>\n
Avery went quiet.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cHe told me he was visiting his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me he wanted to be fully present with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke for a moment.<\/p>\n
It was not only cheating.<\/p>\n
It was strategy.<\/p>\n
Part 2 Tyler texted me when he got home. At 9:18, my phone buzzed. \u201cHome safe. Miss you already.\u201d At 9:26, it buzzed again. A friend request. Her name was Avery. I nearly ignored...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n