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He Lied, I Thrived Anyway

He Lied, I Thrived Anyway

Gavin

5.0
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18
Chapters

My relationship with Liam was a twenty-year slow burn, a homecoming everyone called perfect and meant to be. Then, scrolling through my phone one Tuesday night, an anonymous post on a local gossip forum shattered that illusion. It was a gushing narrative from a girl named Olivia, detailing secret meetings and gifts from a business school charmer-the same limited-edition sneakers I' d seen Liam coveting, the ones he told me were sold out. Beneath it, a comment read, "He even lied to his clingy childhood friend 'girlfriend' that they were sold out just so he could surprise me. He says he\'s only with her because his parents like her." Clingy childhood friend. The words felt like a punch, blurring my vision. My heart raced as I dialed Liam, his warm greeting a stark contrast to the betrayal I' d uncovered. He lied about the sneakers, easily, poorly, confirming my worst fears. His flimsy denial crumbled when I confronted him with Olivia' s account, his "nervous edge" a stark contrast to my unwavering fury. My best friend Maya' s warning echoed: "I don\'t trust him, Chloe. The way he was looking at her... it wasn\'t friendly." How stupid I felt for defending him. Then, the final blow: Olivia' s public profile, a cascade of photos-his hand in hers, his familiar smile reserved for her, captioned "My one and only. Soon the whole world will know." Posted just an hour ago. The heartbreak was physical, but beneath it, a cold, sharp anger stirred. This wasn't a misunderstanding; it was a cruel, deliberate deception. I hung up, no more lies needed, meeting my own clear gaze in the dark phone screen. I was no longer just a heartbroken girl; I was a girl who had been played for a fool, and I would not let him get away with it.

Introduction

My relationship with Liam was a twenty-year slow burn, a homecoming everyone called perfect and meant to be.

Then, scrolling through my phone one Tuesday night, an anonymous post on a local gossip forum shattered that illusion.

It was a gushing narrative from a girl named Olivia, detailing secret meetings and gifts from a business school charmer-the same limited-edition sneakers I' d seen Liam coveting, the ones he told me were sold out.

Beneath it, a comment read, "He even lied to his clingy childhood friend 'girlfriend' that they were sold out just so he could surprise me. He says he\'s only with her because his parents like her."

Clingy childhood friend. The words felt like a punch, blurring my vision. My heart raced as I dialed Liam, his warm greeting a stark contrast to the betrayal I' d uncovered.

He lied about the sneakers, easily, poorly, confirming my worst fears.

His flimsy denial crumbled when I confronted him with Olivia' s account, his "nervous edge" a stark contrast to my unwavering fury.

My best friend Maya' s warning echoed: "I don\'t trust him, Chloe. The way he was looking at her... it wasn\'t friendly." How stupid I felt for defending him.

Then, the final blow: Olivia' s public profile, a cascade of photos-his hand in hers, his familiar smile reserved for her, captioned "My one and only. Soon the whole world will know." Posted just an hour ago.

The heartbreak was physical, but beneath it, a cold, sharp anger stirred. This wasn't a misunderstanding; it was a cruel, deliberate deception.

I hung up, no more lies needed, meeting my own clear gaze in the dark phone screen. I was no longer just a heartbroken girl; I was a girl who had been played for a fool, and I would not let him get away with it.

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A dull ache throbbed at the back of my head. I woke up in a stark white hospital room, not knowing where I was, or even who I was. Then they came-my adoptive parents, my wife Olivia, and my brother Liam. Instead of concern, their faces were etched with annoyance. They called me Ethan, but the name felt foreign. They spoke about me as if I were furniture, criticizing my "stunts" and how I always sought attention. Olivia, stunning and cold, entered, her eyes reflecting deep dislike. Liam softened instantly for her. Then Olivia spoke, revealing a devastating truth: "The CEO of Reed Tech' s husband tried to kill himself again. It' s humiliating." Worse, whispers from the hallway confirmed it: "She' s in love with his brother." I was married to a woman who despised me, living a pathetic life in a favored brother' s shadow. It was a life of begging for love that was never given. Panic started to build, but then a strange calm washed over me. The amnesia wasn' t a curse; it was a mercy. It was a blank slate, a chance to escape a prison I didn' t remember entering. They thought I was the same weak, desperate Ethan. They were wrong. I wasn't him anymore. I was no one. And I could become anyone. I made a decision, right there in that sterile room, surrounded by people who wished I didn't exist. I would grant them their wish. I reached for the phone. I didn' t call a friend. I called a lawyer. "I need to file for divorce," I said, my voice steady. "And I want to discuss severing ties with my adoptive family." A new chapter was about to begin.

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