Chapter 2

Before I saw that Instagram post, I had come up with every excuse I could think of to defend Vanessa.

She must have been busy. Maybe she was caught up at work, or stuck in a meeting, or out for drinks with clients...

It had to be work. That was why she didn't reply.

But that post shattered everything I'd believed.

No wonder she hadn't picked up. No wonder my texts went unanswered.

Her first love was back in town.

And I? I was the fool, lying there in a sterile hospital room, thinking she cared.

My hand tightened around my phone, veins rising against my skin. I opened the dialer and stared at her number for what felt like hours, my eyes dry and aching.

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to press call.

I lay there, numb, scrolling through Ethan's posts—punishing myself with every word.

Unlike Vanessa's spotless and empty page, Ethan's feed was alive. He posted everything: random thoughts, moments from his day, reflections on life. The one thing they all had in common? A heart emoji at the end of every caption.

He never mentioned her directly, but she was there in every post.

Suddenly, I remembered how Vanessa always checked Instagram and how her mood would shift afterward. I used to ask what she was looking at, only for her to shut her phone and glare at me.

"Don't invade my privacy," she'd said coldly.

And I never asked again.

I scrolled further and froze when I saw another post.

Ethan announcing his engagement. He was leaving the country for good.

That was the same day Vanessa turned to me and said, "Let's start over."