People think betrayal feels like a gunshot.
Quick. Loud. Final.
But that's not true.
Not always.
Sometimes it's a slow poison ,the kind that lingers beneath your skin, bleeding into your thoughts until you can't tell what's real anymore. That's what it felt like in our apartment. Every conversation was laced with something unspoken. Every glance held double meanings. The warmth that once wrapped around me like a soft blanket now felt like a suffocating trap.
And the worst part?
I didn't know who to blame.
Lila was slipping further away, yet suddenly… watching me. I could feel it the way she'd pause when I entered a room, how she'd open her mouth like she was about to say something but then stop. She was hiding something.
But Devon God, Devon he was ghosting in plain sight. His eyes had turned empty. He never asked how my day was anymore. Our kisses were mechanical. Sometimes, I'd lean into his chest and feel nothing at all.
One morning, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I skipped class, stayed home, and pretended to sleep in. I left my bedroom door cracked just enough to see the hallway.
At exactly 9:07 a.m., Devon showed up.
He wasn't supposed to.
He didn't knock. He just… walked in, like he'd done it a thousand times. Like this wasn't my space, or Lila's, or ours. Like it was his.
"Hey," Lila said, startled. She stood near the kitchen, arms crossed. Her voice was sharper than usual less playful, more guarded.
Devon leaned on the counter. "She's home?"
"She's in her room. Don't wake her."
That tone again. Cold. Fierce. Protective?
"Relax. I'm not here for drama."
I held my breath, eyes barely peeking through the sliver of the door.
"What are you here for, Devon?" Lila asked.
Silence.
Then, his voice dropped. "You need to stop digging. You don't know what you're doing."
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
He laughed humorless, bitter. "You think she'll believe you? Over me? You're the unstable one. The party girl. The wild roommate who never grew up."
A beat of silence.
Then Lila's voice, deadly calm:
"You're not going to gaslight me, Devon."
I nearly choked on my own breath.
What. The. Hell.
Gaslight?
What was going on?
My hands shook as I grabbed my phone and typed a message to Devon, just to see how he'd react.
Me: Hey. Are you around?
Devon: Just heading to class now. You okay?
Me: Just tired. We should talk later.
Devon: Of course. You're my girl. 😘
I stared at the screen like it had betrayed me.
He was lying. To me. While standing in my own apartment.
Minutes later, the front door shut quietly. Devon was gone.
Lila didn't say anything. She didn't check on me. Didn't knock. I stayed curled in my bed for hours, heart racing, brain spinning, trying to stitch together the broken pieces.
Around 4 p.m., I heard her phone ring in the other room. She answered quickly.
"Yeah. It's me… Yes. I have proof now. He's been here when she's not… I know he's still seeing the other girl, too. Probably more than one."
I sat up in bed, pulse pounding.
"He thinks he's clever," she said. "But I'm going to show her everything. It's not just about the cheating. There's more."
More? What more?!
"I'll send you the photos. If something happens to me, you know what to do."
That sentence snapped something in me.
If something happens to me?
This wasn't just a roommate spat. This wasn't about some stolen boyfriend. This was bigger and darker than anything I imagined.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I laid in bed, thoughts clawing at my chest. I felt like a stranger in my own life. I couldn't talk to Lila not without revealing I'd overheard everything. I couldn't trust Devon. I didn't even know if I could trust myself.
The next morning, I walked into the kitchen, pale and hollow-eyed. Lila was there, pouring coffee, her expression unreadable.
"Rough night?" she asked, gently.
I nodded. "You could say that."
She hesitated like she wanted to say something more but instead just slid a mug toward me. "Here. Extra sugar. Like you like it."
I stared at the steam curling from the cup. So warm. So inviting. So familiar.
And yet… I didn't drink it.
Something had shifted.
The walls had ears.
The air had weight.
And trust?
Trust had shattered.
And I wasn't sure who I'd find when I picked up the pieces.