Summer in July

FRACTURED TRUST

“Who is this guy?” Liam asked.

Evelyn, confused at first, replied, “Oh, that’s just my friend from school. Why?”

Liam responded with a short, cold message: “Didn’t you tell me this was your ex?”

Evelyn paused, the realization hitting her hard. She had indeed mentioned it to Liam in the past but had completely forgotten. Now, it all made sense why Liam was upset.

She quickly tried to explain. “Liam, it’s not what you think. We dated for like a week when we were still in school. It wasn’t serious at all. We’re just friends now, I promise.”

But Liam wasn't going to believe it. “Why would you post his video, though? Do you even care about how I’d feel? This is so disrespectful.”

Evelyn tried to calm him down, saying, “I didn’t mean to upset you. This was something I used to do before we met, and I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

Liam replied, “Well, it is a big deal to me. I can’t believe you did this, knowing how I would feel."

Evelyn sighed. “Liam I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry. I’ll delete it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

But Liam wasn’t done. “It’s not just about deleting the post, Evelyn. It’s about the fact that you didn’t consider how I’d feel in the first place. This makes me question everything.”

Liam still kept questioning Evelyn with suspicion. “Tell me the truth! What’s the relationship between you and your ex? Are you guys still dating? He’s your ex, for crying out loud—you shouldn’t even be in touch with him! He might still want you back.”

Evelyn, getting frustrated and wanted to cry, tried to stay calm. But Liam’s text grew sharper. “Oh, I knew it. You’re just like my ex. You’re about to do the same thing she did, aren’t you?”

Evelyn felt her chest tighten. She was growing frustrated, her emotions changed, trying to hold back tears. “No, Liam I’m not like her! I can never be like her. She’s not me, and I’m not her. Besides, I’ve told you before—he’s not really my ex! I only called him that because our ‘relationship’ didn’t work, but it wasn’t even serious.”

Liam was still not convinced enough. So he read the message and left it on read. Evelyn became anxious!

Evelyn sent another message, pleading. “Liam, please. You have to believe me. I’m not like her, I swear!”

But Liam didn’t reply. Instead, he went offline.

That night, they both went to bed angry and heartbroken. Evelyn lay awake, staring at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t understand why Liam refused to trust her. She loved him and felt like she was constantly trying to prove herself, yet it was never enough.

Liam didn’t speak to Evelyn for a week. During that time, Evelyn tried everything she could think of to reach him—calls, messages, and apologies—but everything she tried was left on with silence and all her calls forwarded to voicemail. The distance between them felt heavy and Evelyn began to lose hope.

Frustrated and desperate, Evelyn turned to her friend Sonia for help. “Can you please text Liam for me? I’ve tried everything, and he’s not responding to me anymore,” Evelyn pleaded.

Sonia was curious and asked what happened? Evelyn explained everything and Sonia felt sad about it and tried to talk Evelyn out of thinking too much about it, So Sonia agreed, willing to help her friend out.

Sonia entered Liam’s DMs, introducing herself once again. She tried to explain Evelyn’s side of the story, explaining that she never meant to hurt him and was genuinely sorry for any misunderstandings. Sonia said everything she could to ease Liam’s pain and clear up the confusion, hoping that he would listen.

But despite Sonia’s effort, Liam remained firm in his words. “I don’t want to hear from her. I’m hurt by everything I saw. It’s not just about the ex—it’s about trust, and she broke that,” Liam replied.

Sonia continued to explain, reassuring him that Evelyn didn't mean what she did, but Liam remained stubborn that he needed space. “I’ll talk to Evelyn when I’m calm,” he said.

After Sonia’s attempt, Evelyn waited anxiously, hoping that Liam would eventually be ready to talk, but for now, the silence between them felt heavier than ever.

Days passed, But Evelyn starting feeling uneasy as Liam remained silent for an entire week,leading her to believe Liam was losing interest. She felt sad, questioning whether things would ever be the same between them again.

In her frustration, Evelyn turned to Sonia again, asking if Liam had replied to her message. Sonia told her Liam was still upset and needed more time to cool off.

Hearing this made Evelyn even more disheartened, and it deepened her frustration. And she realized she couldn’t keep chasing after him, especially when it seemed like he wasn’t ready to talk.

Sighing deeply, Evelyn made a decision: “I’ll just let him be. He’ll respond when he’s ready. If he wants to talk to me, he will. I can’t keep forcing it.”

With a heavy heart, she decided to step back, hoping that space and time would allow Liam to process his feelings. She convinced herself that it was the right thing to do.

While Evelyn and Liam were not in touch for a week, Liam started talking to Evelyn’s best friend, Sonia. They became close, following each other on all social media platforms.

Liam frequently liked and complimented Sonia’s posts, and the two of them even began a streak on Snapchat, chatting regularly.

Evelyn, noticed these interactions, she felt heartbroken. She couldn’t ignore the signs, but she held herself from confronting either Liam or Sonia.

She didn’t want them to think she was being jealous or causing unnecessary drama. Still, the evidence kept piling up, confirming the uneasy feelings she had about the situation.

Despite trying to hold her emotions, Evelyn couldn’t shake the growing concern in her mind about the connection between Liam and Sonia.