The party was already loud by the time you arrived, the thrum of bass-heavy music reverberating through the walls. The air was thick with the mingling scents of cheap beer and designer cologne, a strange cocktail that could only come from the chaotic mix of actors and actresses. Your friends had dragged you here, promising you a night of fun and distraction, a chance to shake off the weight that had been pressing down on your shoulders for months. But as you stood near the entrance, nursing a red solo cup, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this night was going to be anything but simple.

And then you saw him.

Your ex stood by the bar, his tall frame impossible to miss even in the dim lighting. His buzzed hair caught the occasional flash of a strobe, making him look like some kind of ethereal being dropped into a world too messy to match him. But you knew better. You knew the man behind that polished exterior, the one who had once made your heart race with every stolen glance and heated whisper. You also knew the man who had shattered you with nothing more than a video—a video you hadn’t wanted to see but couldn’t unsee.

He wasn’t alone, of course. A girl stood next to him, leaning in close as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. She touched his arm lightly, her manicured fingers brushing against the sleeve of his tailored shirt, and something in your chest ached.