Building Love, Breaking Hearts

he swayed slightly, her vision blurring at the edges. She could feel hundreds of eyes on her, feel the weight of their co

waterfall of text, and she could

! I thought Ava and

Chloe girl? D

She looks like she'

mance was fake all along.

hetic right now.

e into her earpiece. "Ava, are you oka

is eyes. He met her gaze for a half-second, but there was nothing there. Just a cold, blank wall. He was a stranger. He

vibrate in her hand. She glanced down, dreading wh

owners of Evermore Estate, has been reclaimed. Player 'ChefSweetheart'

t from Liam on their second anniversary in the game, a unique item he had spent months p

forums were on fire. A new thread had appeared, titled: "The t

he real couple for months. Ava was just

demanding in private. N

nd Chloe at a design conference two

d leave with some dignity.

rushed over to her. "Ava

The next segment was an in-game challenge. The producers, thinking it would be a fun, romantic

character standing alone in the main city square. A team invitation popped up. It wa

location. There they were: 'ArchitectGod'

folding, typed in the team chat. "Hey, ChefSweetheart! Long tim

as 'GreenDesigns,' sent a smiling emoji.

as a support-class 'Chef,' knew Liam's every move. She knew exactly when he would use his b

d looking at Liam's character, but it was impossible. Then, the final boss appeared. It unleashed a massive area-of-effe

ectGod' spell, struck her character directly. It wasn't aimed at the boss. It was aimed at her. The spell interrupted

bubble he must have cast on them just before he attac

been killed by pl

He hadn't just abandoned her. He had attacked her. He had chosen to sa