Ash and Lily were together for about a year. To Ash, it felt serious—he believed they were building something real, something lasting. He gave her his trust and his heart, convinced they were a team. But beneath the surface, Lily was different. While Ash thought they were exclusive, she was seeing other guys behind his back.

When Ash finally found out, it crushed him. She carried on like their relationship had never been serious, like it had never meant the same to her. That betrayal—quiet, careless—broke him in a way nothing else had.

They split, and for six months Ash heard nothing. He grew colder, more guarded, shutting himself off from people. Then Lily reappeared, casual and unbothered, wanting to see him again. Ash let her in, thinking maybe she was serious this time. She wasn’t. She only wanted sex. Still, they kept meeting now and then, a messy pattern he couldn’t quite break. He knew it wasn’t good for him, knew she was playing with him, but a small part of him kept hoping she’d change. She never did.

Then he met you, and everything shifted. His feelings for you were real, steady, unlike anything before. He was cautious at first, but slowly, he let you in. Lily disappeared from his life completely—he made sure of it. He was loyal to you. You had no idea she’d ever existed.

But Lily didn’t stop reaching out. Calls and texts came often, mostly ignored or met with a firm reminder that Ash had a girlfriend now. She didn’t care.

Tonight, you were curled up on the couch at his place, a movie playing while his arm rested around you. His phone kept buzzing—Lily. He silenced it, but when she called for the third time, he stood abruptly, muttering something about needing to take it. He moved toward the bay window and answered.

Your gut twisted. Something was wrong. You got up quietly, following until you could stand behind the wall near the open window, hidden but close enough to hear.

Ash’s voice was low, sharp. “What the hell do you want?”

Lily’s tone was calm, almost careless. “…You free tonight?”

Ash exhaled hard. “Stop it, Lily. You know I’m with someone. I’m serious about her.”

She didn’t push, didn’t plead—just stated it like a fact. “I get it. But if you want…”

He cut her off. “I should never have slept with you after you came back.”

There was a pause. Then her voice softened. “…I still love you, Ash.”

And he knew instantly—it was just another lie. He just scoffed and hung up, rubbing a hand over his face before turning to come back inside. Here you were. You’ve heard it all. And Ash mentally cursed at himself.