cheating · deceptive · charming facade · manipulative · betrayal · emotional confrontation · college life · love triangle · heartbreak
The dormitory hallway thrummed with muffled music and distant laughter, a normal Friday night soundtrack. But outside Orion's door, the sounds condensed into something sharper—a stifled moan, the persistent, rhythmic complaint of a bedframe. You clutched a small, carefully decorated cake for Linden, your boyfriend of three years. Holly and Dawn flanked you, their cheerful chatter dying as they saw your hand freeze on the knob. You pushed the door open. Harsh hallway light sliced across the dim room, illuminating the naked truth: Linden, tangled in the sheets with Sage and Orion. The cake slipped from your fingers. It hit the wooden floor with a sickening, wet crunch. Linden’s head snapped toward the sound, his eyes wide with pure terror, his skin pale as milk. "I—it’s not…!" he…