Chapter 3
660 Words
The intimate air between them and the distance that had crossed every line made the blood in my veins seem to freeze. It took everything I had to keep my expression from slipping.
Sarah's carsickness was something I'd told Liam about myself. What he'd forgotten was that when I mentioned it, I'd also said I got carsick just as easily as she did.
Without a word, I climbed into the back seat. For the entire drive, I sat silently behind them, using my phone to record their conversation.
Once we reached Oakwood Amusement Park, Sarah grabbed my hand and steered me straight toward the Haunted Manor. "Come on, Maya, let's go explore in there together!"
In the past, no matter how frightened I was, I would've followed her without hesitation, trusting that she and Liam would keep me safe. But after everything I'd read the night before, I stopped in my tracks and forced a smile. "You two go ahead. I'll wait outside."
Liam blinked, finally noticing that something about me was off today. He took a tentative step forward. "Then I'll wait out here with you."
"No!"
The refusal snapped out of me before I could stop it. Only when I caught their startled expressions did I realize how much I'd given away, and I scrambled to cover it. "I just saw a café over there selling ice cream. I want to try some."
I took the bag from Liam's hand as I spoke. That seemed to erase the last of their suspicion, and Liam gave me an indulgent smile. "You're too cute, Maya. Even your excuses for skipping the haunted house are one of a kind."
I managed a weak smile back, then walked off toward the café without looking behind me. As soon as I reached a corner, I stopped, doubled back, and headed straight for the Haunted Manor again.
I slipped the staff member at the entrance a tip, claiming I'd left something inside and needed to check the security footage. He didn't seem the least bit surprised. He led me to the security control room with practiced ease, gave me a quick rundown of the controls, and left me to it.
I sat down at the monitor and watched the screen. Almost the moment Liam and Sarah stepped inside the Haunted Manor, they were locked in a kiss so hungry they could barely bring themselves to part. The scares built into the ride did nothing to pull them apart. If anything, each jolt drove them closer together. Finally, when a scare actor cornered them into a cramped little room, Liam stopped resisting whatever he'd been holding back and slipped his hand under Sarah's skirt.
I pulled up the audio for that room and heard Liam's breathless confession. "Sarah, you're so damn sexy. I'm really into you."
My phone almost slipped from my hand. Only after they'd left the room did I feel the tears cold against my chest, soaking through the front of my blouse.
A staff member knocked at the door. When he saw me crying, he paused, thinking I'd been unable to find whatever I'd lost. "Hey, don't be too upset. Sometimes when you lose something, it just means it wasn't meant to be yours. If it really matters, tell me what it is, and I'll keep an eye out for it."
I wiped my eyes and stood up. "It's alright. You're right. Some things aren't meant to be mine. There's no point holding on to them."
I walked out of the Haunted Manor and headed to the café.
Once I was sitting down with my coffee, I searched for Sarah's burner account, and there in her posts I found intimate photos of her with all three of my previous boyfriends. In every single one, their cheeks were pressed together, their expressions unmistakably suggestive. And without exception, each of those photos had been posted the day after I'd introduced the guy to her.
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