The Thousand-Day Streak of Lies

itect boyfriend, Griffith, was unbreakable. I was building a success

thousand-day Snapchat streak wasn't with me. It was

e proposal, followed by him taking the fal

obby, as he was sacrificing everything

triumphant smirk on her face. "And you're ju

to a humiliating public spectacle. He chose to protec

walked away. This time, I wasn't just going back t

pte

Cher

d as they clutched the phone, the screen a cruel spotlight on the proof I never wanted to find. The "Snapchat streak" wasn't

but the images were burned behind my eyelids: Griffith' s phone, unlocked on the kitchen counter, the contact named Kallie Su

o the floor, wrapping my arms around myself. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The pain was a physical weight, pressing down on my chest

e night, a quick glance at his phone when it buzzed. I' d dismissed them, rationalized

th. My heart leaped, then plunged. He was here. He w

s that familiar blend of concern and casual command, the one

s hand on my arm, trying to pull m

ting his hand away. The words were a

lways knew what was best for me, or so I thought. He scooped me up, carrying me as if I weighed noth

ou're too emotional, Cayla. Always have been. You need to calm down."

ines, was a delicate, handcrafted ceramic mug. It wasn't mine. It was too small, too dain

?" I asked, my voi

or annoyance, crossed his face. "Oh, that? Kallie

ject," I repeated, the

ad throbbed, and the room spun. My bo

igh-pitched bird song. It was the custom r

ed the phone into his pocket. "I need to take t

ng down the hall. I was alone again, l

w I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself. My fingers, still shaking, typed in his pas

t. Heart emojis, late-night confessions, inside jokes. Words he used to say to me. Pet names, whispered affections. He cal

to the truly damning messages. Dates and times that coincided with his "late night

was sent last week, on a day he told me he was "too swamped" to call. 'Sunshine.' Just like the contact nam

All the subtle shifts, the emotional withdrawals, the excuses for not visiting. They weren't just si

ing it to the toilet before I violently emptied my stomach. It felt like I was expelli

voice calling my name, laced with a n

for Kallie, I knew it instinctively. He' d probably forgotten it when he rushed out

he floor rushing up to meet me, and then his arm