Chapter 2: Lies Unravel

2

“Why?”

Natalie bent to grab the fallen needle, but her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She tried to force the yarn through, only to fumble and let it drop again. The scarf unraveled a little—blue yarn pooling in her lap, a question mark she couldn’t answer. She looked up, searching my face for something familiar.

Why? Why not just say it?

“You know why.”

I kept my voice flat. The room was dead quiet.

She hesitated, then frowned. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Derek, don’t make a scene.”

My phone buzzed again—another round of hot takes:

u/zenmom: Girl’s a saint. If it was me, I’d have flipped the table. She’s still so calm.

@armchairtherapist: So she’s distant—maybe she just doesn’t like you, bro. Get the hint.

@niceguyalert: He’s acting devoted, but really he’s just bitter she wouldn’t sleep with him.

@feministfire: Men claim to use their brains, but come on…

I shook my head. In their world, Natalie could hide her past, have a secret abortion, use me while flirting with another guy, cheat—emotionally and physically—and still be the hero.

But I’m the villain for wanting to break up?

I caught my reflection in the window—a guy in a faded Eagles tee, dark circles under his eyes, jaw clenched. Would anyone else just swallow this? Would they stick around, play happy, pretend nothing happened? I doubted it.

3

“When did it start?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

She froze.

“How did you find out?” she blurted, then instantly regretted it. “Who told you?”

It was almost funny. People who feel guilty always trip themselves up.

She went quiet, trying to find her footing.

“It’s not what you think, Derek. Just… calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“If you were really calm, you wouldn’t be dumping me right now.”

Her voice had that little edge, like I was the problem.

I stayed silent, so she tried again: “Fine. I admit it. Before I met you, I dated Logan. But that’s over.”

Logan.

So that was the guy. The one she’d cheated with.

Suddenly, a memory hit me: every fall, Natalie would start knitting a scarf and stitch a big letter ‘L’ at the end. This year was no different.

The first time I saw it, I thought the ‘L’ was for my last name. I played it cool, secretly hoping she’d give it to me.

But every year, as winter melted into spring, I never got the scarf. Not once.

Now, hearing Logan’s name, it all clicked. The ‘L’ wasn’t for me. It was always for him.

A pang shot through my chest as I glanced at the scarf in her lap. I remembered her on a snowy night years ago, teasing me about how blue wasn’t my color but she liked it anyway, her laughter soft and warm. I’d watched her knit, thinking I was part of that world. I was so, so wrong.

“It’s in the past? Then what about the abortion pills in your purse?” I shot back.

She stared at me, speechless.

Her lips trembled. “It’s not what you think about me and Logan… That night was a class reunion, everyone drank too much, people started teasing us, and Logan took me home…”

“So? You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Her face went white. She didn’t answer.

“You’re really something, Natalie. If I hadn’t found out, were you just going to keep hiding it from me?”

“It was an accident, Derek. Just a one-time thing. I didn’t think it was worth blowing up our whole relationship…”

Excuses. That’s all I got.

The clock ticked loudly in the kitchen. Somewhere outside, a dog barked and fell silent. My chest felt like it was caving in, air leaking out with every word.

4

@messytruth: Can someone explain why he’s so mad? Girl said it was an accident, move on.

u/itsherlife: She can do whatever she wants. Even if she cheated—so what? As long as nobody got hurt, let her live.

@babygate: Dude always wanted kids, but the second he finds abortion pills, he’s interrogating her instead of worrying about her health. Typical.

@shipwars: My focus is weird but she always loved Logan. Even when she was with Derek, she never forgot him. Sparks are flying now—shippers are winning!

The comments just kept coming, as clueless as ever.

I looked at Natalie, my face hard. She dropped her gaze, finally softening her tone: “This time I messed up. I’ll stay away from Logan from now on, okay? Don’t be mad.”

Like that would make it better.

“You’re unbelievable.”

My voice was hollow, like I was outside my own body. I stood up, running a hand through my hair, fingers tingling from the static. Our engagement photo stared at me from the mantel—two strangers dressed up for a party I didn’t remember. It all felt fake now.

“You don’t need to stay away from your lover. The one you should stay away from is me.”

“Move out in the next couple days. We’re done.”

Natalie’s face darkened.

“Derek, have you had enough?”

Her eyes sparked, anger flaring.

“I just don’t get it. Why do you always blow up over little things? Yeah, I messed up, but what about you? Are you perfect? When something happens, can’t we just talk it out? We’re engaged, for god’s sake—can’t you be a little more grown up?”

“I already told you it was an accident. I just… I panicked, okay? I didn’t want things to get more complicated. What more do you want from me? Just because I slept with Logan, does that make me unforgivable?”

“If you really loved me, you’d be more understanding. You shouldn’t doubt my feelings for you. Even if—worst case—I can’t forget him, what you should do is love me so much I forget all about the past. Not judge me. That kind of love is worthless.”

“You don’t even know how to love someone. Logan does.”

Her words bounced around the room, echoing off the framed prints of cities we’d planned to visit, bouncing between the peeling wallpaper and the worn couch. She crossed her arms, jaw set, daring me to argue. I saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away, stubborn as ever.