His Secret Shame

My ten-year relationship with Liam, born in a UT Austin dorm, was slowly dying in our Zilker apartment.

He' d been distant, but the real alarm rang when he slapped a privacy screen on his phone.

Then I saw the text, shining briefly on his kitchen counter: "Thinking of you" from a woman named Chloe.

My heart hammered, a bitter sense of betrayal rising until I discovered a chilling Venmo payment to her: "$200 for your acting skills 😉".

It wasn't paranoia; it was a setup, orchestrated to make me look insane while he planned his exit.