Elena stepped out of the bathroom, her hair still wet, her face calm — or at least pretending to be.
Nathan was in the kitchen, humming softly, frying plantain, the smell of oil filling the air.
Her phone buzzed on the couch.
She almost ignored it — until she saw the name.
Marcus.
Her heart dropped.
For a second, she thought she was seeing things.
She froze, staring at the glowing screen like it was a trap.
Then she slowly picked it up and walked into the guest room, closing the door behind her.
The message read:
"Hey Elena, how are you? Wanna meet up? Do you still need the money?"
Elena stared at it for a long time — her chest tightening, her breath uneven.
She could feel old wounds opening again, the ones she tried to bury under quiet smiles and tired laughter.
Her fingers trembled as she typed:
"Lol. Now? After all my texts, my begging, my crying in your DMs every single day?
You didn't respond.
After I missed my exams, after everything fell apart… it's now you're asking if I still need it?
You're a fool, Marcus.
A wicked person in human form.
Are you happy now?
Now that you've finally got what you wanted?"
She sent it before she could stop herself.
Her heart was pounding.
Every word carried the weight of pain she'd been pretending not to feel.
Marcus replied almost immediately.
"It wasn't like that, Elena. I wanted to send it. I swear I did.
But I just… couldn't stand seeing you happy with someone else.
I'm here, stuck, and you're smiling with him.
I can't move on. I can't forget you.
I wanted you to feel what I felt — the emptiness, the pain.
I'm sorry I used your weakness against you.
I didn't mean to hurt you like that."
Elena felt her throat tighten.
She closed her eyes, wishing she could unread every word.
Her fingers hovered over the screen — she didn't reply.
But Marcus didn't stop.
His messages came one after another, like bullets.
"Please come back to me. We can fix everything. I'll sort the fees out.
Let me make it up to you, Elena.
Let's go out again — just talk, that's all.
I know you. You're pretending to be strong, but you're not okay.
Nathan doesn't understand you the way I do.
Even if he finds out, he'll never forgive you.
Don't stress it. Just come to me instead."
The words made her dizzy.
Her head pounded, her chest hurt, and her tears came before she could stop them.
She bit her lips hard, trying not to make a sound.
Her mind screamed, Why is he doing this again? Why now?
Every part of her wanted to throw the phone, to delete everything, to scream until her lungs hurt.
But she couldn't.
Because in the next room, Nathan was there — still humming softly, still believing everything was okay.
She wiped her tears quickly, walked back to the living room, and smiled like nothing had happened.
"Nathan, it smells good," she said, forcing a cheerful tone.
He turned, smiling. "Almost done. You'll love it."
But Nathan wasn't fooled.
He saw the redness in her eyes, the slight tremble in her hands, the fake ease in her voice.
He didn't say a word.
He just looked at her a little longer — long enough to see that something inside her was breaking again.
And Elena didn't know that he'd already seen the name on her screen before she picked it up.
He knew.
He just didn't know how much.
So while Elena tried to smile through her storm,
Nathan stood there, quietly swallowing his own —
trying to decide if love meant trusting her,
or finding out what she was hiding.