Just when Lilian was about to spiral back into that familiar mess of overthinking, her phone buzzed, cutting through the haze in her mind.
She reached for it, glancing at the screen—Karl.
A soft snort came from the man holding her from behind.
Still, she picked up. Whatever the situation was now, Karl was at least once her ally... maybe even a friend.
His voice came through the line, hesitant and apologetic.
"Lilian... I guess by now you've heard about our breakup, right?"
There was a pause. Then he added, almost guiltily,
"It was me who told my mom. I'm sorry... I couldn't take the pressure from my brother anymore…"
Karl had wrestled with it for hours before deciding to call. Breaking up overnight, then waking up to a flood of messages from friends and family—he figured she must've felt overwhelmed too. The least he could do was give her a proper explanation.
