* Chapter 7 Cooking was never my forte .

My culinary repertoire consisted of exactly one dish : carbonara .

Simple enough to be foolproof or so Id always thought .

Yet today , each attempt was an abject failure .

Overcooked pasta , curdled sauce as if the kitchen itself was rejecting my efforts .

I ate each failed attempt myself .

The clock ticked mercilessly as I mentally counted down .

I imagined Luke would arrive , wed have his birthday dinner , and then Id vanish from his life .

Like waiting for an execution .

But he never showed .

Instead , came a phone call dripping with transparent deceit .

Mandy cut her finger while cooking , he said with exaggerated concern , had to take her to the ER .

Dont wait up .

The casual cruelty of his lies was almost comical in its absurdity .

Though hed blocked me on his main social media , my alternate account revealed the truth : a fresh post showing them celebrating , wrapped around each other before an elaborate birthday cake , their staged laughter captured perfectly amid scattered streamers .

Hello ? Are you there ? Lukes impatient voice cut through my thoughts .

I forced evenness into my tone .

Its fine , dont worry about it .

Another lie to add to our collection .

I liked his post from my burner account , then dumped the carbonara into the trash a fitting metaphor for our relationship .

That was it .

I was just another completed chapter in Lukes story .

Fine .

Id release him from his obligation .

Hed probably celebrate his newfound freedom .

My suitcase wheels echoed through the hallway , marking the rhythm of my departure .

Before leaving , I compiled everything the late night messages , intimate photos , blatant lies all the evidence of their affair .

Then posted it where our mutual friends would see .

If I was leaving , they wouldnt get to rewrite this story .

18:37 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 63.3 % Chapter 7 Just before takeoff , I sent one final text : Happy birthday .

Goodbye forever .

I didnt formally end things .

Because in seven years , Id never truly been his girlfriend just a convenient stand in until he could have Mandy .

Those abortions ? Mere inconveniences hed brushed aside without a second thought .

As I moved to power down my phone , it exploded with notifications , his name flashing like an angry beacon .

Yvonne , what the hell did you post ? Take it down now ! Where are you ? Come back and apologize to Mandy ! How ironic .

I shut off my phone mid tirade .

The man whod never managed even an emoji in response to my messages was suddenly desperate to communicate .

With crushing clarity , I realized hed seen everything before he just never cared enough to respond .

My feelings , my needs , my existence all irrelevant to him .

And that was the darkest joke of all .

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