Episode 6
935 Words
Saturday morning dawned gray and brittle, the kind of sky that felt like it might splinter into rain at any moment. Ethan had been up since five, checking his messages, going over the plan one last time. Daniel would shadow Liam, while Ethan kept Sophia occupied — close enough to respond if anything happened, but far enough to keep her from suspecting.
Sophia emerged from her bedroom dressed in casual weekend clothes — dark jeans, a cream sweater, hair swept up in a loose knot. She looked softer like this, less corporate armor, more woman who belonged in a quiet bookshop than a boardroom.
“You’re unusually early for a Saturday,” she noted when she saw Ethan waiting in her kitchen.
“Security doesn’t take weekends off,” he replied, pouring her coffee.
She smiled faintly. “Is that your way of saying you’re babysitting me?”
“Just making sure the city behaves while you’re in it,” he said.
---
By mid-morning, Daniel’s updates started coming in.
10:12 a.m. – Liam leaving apartment. Alone.
10:25 a.m. – Meeting Isabella. Wearing baseball cap. Trying to stay low-key.
Ethan’s pulse ticked up. He and Sophia were browsing a small gallery in the arts district, her attention caught by a modern sculpture. She had no idea that a few streets away, her fiancé was walking hand-in-hand with her best friend.
10:46 a.m. – They’re heading into the botanical gardens. Paid cash at the gate.
Ethan’s jaw tightened. The gardens were a perfect choice — secluded pathways, plenty of corners where two people could linger unseen. He pictured Sophia there, not knowing what she was walking into, and had to steady himself.
---
“Are you even looking at this?” Sophia asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
He forced a smile. “It’s… abstract. I’m still figuring out if it’s upside down.”
She laughed, the sound warm but fleeting. “You’re impossible.”
Daniel’s next message came just after noon.
12:07 p.m. – They’re in the rose garden. He just kissed her.
Ethan’s grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles whitened. He wanted to storm across the city, drag Liam away by his collar, and show Sophia the truth right now. But timing was everything. He needed the moment to be undeniable — witnessed.
---
By early afternoon, Daniel confirmed Liam and Isabella had left the gardens together, stopped briefly for coffee, then headed toward Isabella’s apartment.
2:18 p.m. – He’s inside.
Ethan swallowed the urge to tell Sophia they needed to leave the gallery immediately. Instead, he guided her toward lunch at a small riverside café, keeping her distracted, giving Liam time to sink deeper into his own trap.
---
The hours stretched. Daniel sent updates — still inside, curtains drawn, no movement for long stretches. By six, the sun was dipping low, painting the city in shades of copper and violet.
Sophia was leaning on the café railing, wine glass in hand, when Ethan’s phone buzzed again.
6:42 p.m. – He’s leaving now. Alone. Looks smug.
Ethan didn’t reply. The image alone — Liam stepping out of Isabella’s building after spending the day inside — would be enough to start the fracture. But tomorrow, the proof would come with more force.
---
Sunday afternoon, Ethan suggested they visit a new rooftop lounge for “security scouting” — a casual excuse that Sophia accepted without question. What she didn’t know was that Daniel had positioned himself nearby with a camera trained on a very specific table.
At 3:17 p.m., Liam arrived at the lounge. Alone. Fifteen minutes later, Isabella joined him, both dressed like they hadn’t planned to be seen.
From their angle, Sophia couldn’t see the table. Ethan timed it perfectly — a “wrong turn” through the lounge that led them right past it.
It took exactly three seconds. Sophia’s laughter died mid-breath. Liam froze, wine glass halfway to his lips. Isabella’s eyes widened.
The silence that followed was deafening.
---
“Sophia,” Liam started, standing quickly. “This isn’t—”
“Don’t,” she said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. She looked at Isabella next. “And you.”
Isabella’s lips parted, but no words came.
Ethan didn’t say a thing. He just stood at Sophia’s side, her quiet anchor while the two people she trusted most scrambled for excuses.
Sophia turned without another word and walked toward the elevator. Ethan followed, matching her pace, his presence steady.
---
In the car, she stared straight ahead, knuckles white against her clutch.
“Do you want me to—” he began.
“No,” she cut in. “Not yet.”
Her voice was low, controlled, but he could see the storm behind her eyes. She wasn’t ready to break. Not yet. But when she did, it would be final.
---
Back at her apartment, Sophia poured herself a drink without taking off her coat. “You knew,” she said suddenly, not looking at him.
Ethan didn’t deny it. “I suspected.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I wanted you to see it for yourself,” he said quietly. “If I’d told you, you might have defended them.”
She was silent for a long moment, staring into her glass. Finally, she said, “Thank you.”
---
That night, Ethan sat alone in his apartment, the city lights flickering through the window. The fracture line had split wide open. But the pieces hadn’t fallen yet — not completely.
And he knew this was only the beginning.
- Writer
