Updated Mar 21, 2026 • ~10 min read
SUMMER – WEDNESDAY, 11 PM
I’m at Melody’s.
She opened the door. Took one look at me. Pulled me inside.
Now I’m on her couch. Wrapped in a blanket. Numb.
“Your mom really said ‘don’t come home’?”
I nod.
“Jesus.”
“Theo’s telling everyone. His family. His friends. It’s going to be everywhere by morning.”
“What about Jax?”
Fresh tears.
“I tried calling. He won’t answer. He knows something’s wrong. He’s probably terrified I’m breaking up with him.”
“You need to tell him. Tonight.”
“I can’t. Not like this. Not over the phone.”
“Then go there. Right now.”
“Melody, I can’t. I’m falling apart. I need… I need one night. To process. To breathe.”
She’s frustrated. But she nods.
“One night. But tomorrow, first thing, you tell him everything.”
“I will.”
“I mean it, Summer. If he finds out from someone else—”
“He won’t. Jax doesn’t know anyone in Theo’s circle. They’re completely separate worlds.”
“For now.”
She’s right.
But I can’t handle more destruction today.
I close my eyes.
Try to sleep.
Can’t.
THEO – MIDNIGHT
I’m drinking scotch in the dark.
Adrian’s here.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I confronted her. She admitted everything. Two years. She’s been with him since before our engagement.”
“Jesus.”
“She said it was arranged. That she was trapped. Like that excuses it.”
“Maybe she was trapped.”
I glare at him.
“Whose side are you on?”
“Yours. Always. But I’m just saying… arranged marriages are complicated. Your parents basically arranged yours too.”
“That’s different.”
“Is it?”
I drain my glass.
“She could have said no. At the proposal. At any point during the year. She chose to lie.”
“She did. And that’s on her. But are you sure you want to blow this up publicly?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, canceling the wedding makes you look like a victim. Again. Like Blake part two.”
The words sting.
“So I should what? Marry her anyway?”
“No. But maybe handle it quietly. Tell the families. Cancel the wedding. Let everyone save face.”
“She doesn’t deserve to save face.”
“Maybe not. But you do.”
I consider this.
Part of me wants to destroy her. Publicly humiliate her the way she humiliated me.
But Adrian’s right.
If this becomes a scandal, I’m the fool again.
The guy who can’t keep a woman.
“I’ll think about it,” I say.
SUMMER – THURSDAY, 7 AM
My phone won’t stop buzzing.
Text after text.
ASTRID: We need to talk. Immediately.
MY MOTHER: You’ve ruined everything.
MY FATHER: I’m ashamed to call you my daughter.
ROSE: What the hell did you do?
Only one person is silent.
Jax.
I text him: Please call me. I need to explain. I love you.
Nothing.
I try calling.
Straight to voicemail.
Panic sets in.
MELODY
“He’s not answering.”
“Then go to Brooklyn. To his shop. Talk to him face to face.”
“What if he hates me?”
“He’s going to hate you either way. But at least this way, you control the narrative.”
She’s right.
I shower. Change. Try to make myself presentable.
Fail.
I look like hell.
Feel worse.
But I go anyway.
SUMMER – 10 AM, BROOKLYN
The tattoo shop is open.
I see Jax through the window. Working on a client.
I push through the door.
The bell chimes.
He looks up.
His face shutters.
“I’m with a client.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But we need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Jax, please—”
“Summer.” His voice is ice. “I’m working. Whatever you need to say, it can wait.”
“It can’t.”
The client looks uncomfortable.
Felix appears from the back. “Summer. This isn’t a good time.”
“I know. But I need five minutes. Please.”
Jax sets down his tattoo gun. Stands.
“Felix, take over.”
He walks past me. Outside.
I follow.
JAX
She looks terrible.
Red eyes. Pale. Shaking.
Part of me wants to hold her.
The other part knows.
Whatever she’s about to say is going to destroy me.
“Talk,” I say.
“I’m engaged.”
The words hit like a bullet.
“What?”
“I’m engaged. To a man named Theo Lancaster. It was arranged by our families two years ago. Before I met you.”
I can’t breathe.
“You’re… engaged.”
“I was going to end it. I swear. I tried multiple times. But my family—”
“You’ve been engaged this entire time?”
Tears stream down her face.
“Yes.”
“So when you said your family wouldn’t accept me… when you said you were working up courage to tell them… you were lying.”
“I’m so sorry—”
“You were LYING!”
I’m shouting.
People are staring.
I don’t care.
“I wasn’t lying about loving you—”
“How can you say that? You were planning to MARRY someone else!”
“The engagement is over. Theo found out about you. He hired a private investigator. He has photos. He ended it. My parents disowned me. It’s done.”
“So you’re here because he dumped you? Not because you chose me?”
“No! I was going to tell you. I was coming to tell you when Theo called—”
“When was that? Yesterday? When you showed up and then left? You were going to tell me then?”
“Yes!”
“But you didn’t. You left. You ran back to Manhattan to him.”
“Because he confronted me! I had to—”
“You had to what? Save face? Do damage control?”
“It wasn’t like that—”
“Then what was it like, Summer? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve been lying to me for two years. You let me fall in love with you. You told me you loved me. You slept with me. All while planning to marry someone else.”
“I wasn’t going to marry him—”
“Yes, you were! If he hadn’t found out, you’d still be lying!”
She sobs.
I want to feel sympathy.
I feel nothing but rage.
“I loved you,” I say quietly. “I would have done anything for you. Waited however long. Given you whatever you needed. And this whole time, you were using me.”
“I wasn’t using you—”
“What do you call it? You had your perfect fiancé for your family. Your respectable life. And me? I was what? Your rebellion? Your dirty secret?”
“No!”
“Marco was right. You were ashamed of me. That’s why you never introduced me. Why you kept me hidden. Because I’m not good enough for your world.”
“That’s not true—”
“Get out.”
“Jax, please—”
“Get out of my shop. Out of my life. I never want to see you again.”
“Please don’t do this—”
“You did this. Not me. You lied. You cheated. You destroyed everything.”
“I love you—”
“No, you don’t. You love yourself. That’s it.”
I walk back inside.
Lock the door.
She’s still standing there.
Crying.
I turn away.
Felix is watching.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“She was engaged. The whole time. To someone else.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah.”
I go to the back room.
Sit down.
Put my head in my hands.
And try not to fall apart.
SUMMER – NOON
He’s done.
We’re done.
I lost him.
I lost everything.
I’m standing on the street corner.
Nowhere to go.
No family. No fiancé. No boyfriend.
No home.
Melody texts: How did it go?
He hates me. It’s over.
I’m so sorry. Come back here.
I can’t. I need to be alone.
Don’t do anything stupid.
I won’t.
I’m just… empty.
I walk.
For hours.
Through Brooklyn. Through Manhattan. Through the park.
Until I end up back at my apartment.
The one I barely use.
Small. Empty. Cold.
Like me.
I sit on the floor.
Stare at nothing.
My phone buzzes.
Rose.
Mom and Dad are serious. They’ve cut you off. Financially. Completely.
I know.
What are you going to do?
I don’t know.
Summer… what happened?
I call her.
She answers.
“Tell me,” she says.
So I do.
Everything.
The arrangement. Meeting Jax. The double life. The lies. The explosion.
When I finish, there’s silence.
Then: “You’re an idiot.”
“I know.”
“But you’re my idiot. And I’m not cutting you off.”
I start crying again.
“Rose—”
“Mom and Dad are wrong. They forced you into that engagement. They used you as a business pawn. You handled it terribly, yes. But they created the situation.”
“That doesn’t excuse what I did.”
“No. But it explains it. Look, I have room. You can crash with me while you figure things out.”
“I can’t ask—”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. Pack a bag. I’ll text you my address.”
“Rose, I’m so sorry—”
“Save it. Apologize by getting your life together. Starting today.”
She hangs up.
I stare at my phone.
One person.
One person who hasn’t abandoned me.
It’s something.
Small.
But something.
I pack a bag.
Text Rose: Thank you.
ROSE: Don’t make me regret this.
I won’t.
Starting now, I’m going to fix this.
Fix myself.
Even if it’s too late.
Even if I’ve already lost everyone who mattered.
I’m going to try.
JAX – THURSDAY NIGHT
Marco brings me food.
I haven’t eaten all day.
“Felix told me.”
I nod.
“I’m sorry, man.”
“You were right. She was hiding me.”
“Doesn’t make it hurt less.”
No.
It doesn’t.
“Two years,” I say. “Two years I wasted on someone who was lying the whole time.”
“Not wasted. You loved her. That meant something.”
“Did it? She was engaged, Marco. Planning a wedding. I was just… her side piece.”
“That’s not how she saw it.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she came here. Crying. Begging you to forgive her. If you were just a side piece, she’d have disappeared.”
“She only came because her fiancé dumped her.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she finally had the courage to tell you the truth.”
I don’t want to hear this.
Don’t want to consider that Summer might have actually loved me.
Because that makes it worse.
If she loved me and still chose him…
What does that say about me?
“I need to forget her,” I say.
“You will. Eventually.”
“How long?”
“However long it takes.”
Great.
Real helpful.
I eat the food. Go to bed.
Lie awake.
Thinking about her.
Hating her.
Missing her.
All at once.
SUMMER – FRIDAY MORNING, ROSE’S APARTMENT
I wake up on Rose’s couch.
Check my phone.
Nothing from Jax.
Nothing from my parents.
Nothing from Theo.
Just… silence.
Rose appears. Coffee in hand.
“You look terrible.”
“Thanks.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Get one. Because you can’t stay here forever feeling sorry for yourself.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Summer, you just blew up your entire life. Your family. Your relationships. Your reputation. You need to figure out what comes next.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
She sits across from me.
“Start with truth. No more lies. No more hiding. You want to rebuild? Do it honestly.”
I nod.
She’s right.
No more lies.
Starting now.
Even if it’s too late.
Even if everyone already hates me.
I’m going to live authentically.
For the first time in my life.
And hope that eventually…
Maybe…
Someone will forgive me.
Maybe even myself.
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