Her Kiss, My Ruin

t engaged. "He's my oldest friend," she'd said, "practically my brother." He was a musician, even back then, with big dreams and an empty wallet. I, a young programmer with a fledgling startup,

nd, a platonic part of her past. I cho

presentable for the few clients we had. We were a team, a partnership. We poured every ounce of our energy and every dollar we had into building Apex Innovations. Her support was my bedrock, or

go, to Austin, to Nashville, all cities where Alex had been trying to "make it" over the years. The dates coincided with times Sarah had told me she was going on "design conferences" or "girls' weekends." My heart had pounded in my chest. When I confronted her, she had an answer for everythin

her pain we supposedly shared. For the past five years, we'd been trying to get pregnant. We'd been to specialists, endured invasive tests, and suffered the quiet heartbreak of month after month of failure. The doctors had finally concluded that the problem was likely with me, a low sperm

the woman who was standing by my side through my deepest insecurity. I had decided to give her one last chance, to trust her completely, to be