Nathan had always believed that love was safest when it stayed honest.
he told himself he wasn't searching — he was only clearing curiosity.
But curiosity turned into a bruise.
He scrolled from WhatsApp to Gallery, eyes darting like someone chasing ghosts.
At first, nothing. Just laughter frozen in pictures, their memories still smiling at him.
Then, he found it — the hidden folder.
His chest tightened. Why would she hide their videos?
That question alone carried a storm.
He opened it.
It wasn't what he expected — not betrayal yet, just a whisper of doubt.
But then he saw screenshots.
Elena's habit — saving proofs, keeping words like evidence for moments when trust fails.
He laughed at some, shook his head at others… until one screenshot stopped him cold.
"Is it Marcus again? Or you miss your Nathan?" Chioma had typed.
Elena replied, "No… Marcus took…"
The rest cut off — but that small sentence was enough to break the peace inside him.
Nathan's fingers trembled as he switched apps, opened her WhatsApp again, and searched for the truth.
Daniel's name popped up — the old friend, the one Marcus used to hate.
Nathan read the first line of Daniel's message:
"So you got into another relationship and didn't tell me? You know that guy's gonna hurt you…"
The words blurred as Nathan's heart sank deeper.
His face was blank, his chest wasn't.
He read further, and there it was — the conversation he wished he'd never seen.
Each line felt like thunder rolling through a quiet heart.
He read until the words burned, until disbelief turned into silence.
No anger yet, no shouting — just that kind of hurt that makes breathing too heavy to control.
He didn't sleep.
Didn't blink.
Didn't even cry.
When the morning came, he sat in the living room, headset on, pretending to watch something.
But inside, his mind was still in that gallery — still in those screenshots, still hearing her voice call another man's name.
Elena walked in, sleepy smile on her lips.
"Good morning, babe."
He turned, forced a faint smile. "Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," she said. "You?"
Nathan's jaw tightened. "Uhmm… just have a lot on my mind. Couldn't sleep."
"Oh, sorry, baby."
He nodded. But he didn't explain.
How could he? The truth was sitting in his throat, heavy and sour.
days passed like that — silence dressed as peace.
He still touched her, still smiled, still said "I love you,"
but his eyes had changed.
They weren't admiring anymore; they were asking why?
Every glance carried a story he didn't speak.
Every kiss felt like a question that begged for a lie.
And Elena — though she didn't know what exactly was wrong —
she could feel that something had broken quietly between them.
That night, he lay beside her but far away.
When she touched him, he pulled her close, too close — like someone trying to hold on to a memory that's slipping away.
And in that moment, even as she smiled against his neck,
he was already mourning what they used to be.