His "Female Buddy" Was Fake, So I Dumped Him

Chapter 4

After that night at the bar, every last shred of doubt faded from my mind. I was certain Sloane was a total fabrication cooked up by Sean.

Still, I wasn't about to settle for guesswork alone. I needed solid, undeniable evidence—and to make him admit his lie straight to my face.

I played it cool, walked over and sat down next to him.

"My best friend is getting married next week, and she's invited us to her wedding." I locked eyes with him and kept my tone natural.

"I told her I'd bring you and Sloane along as our guests.

I've been wanting to finally meet this gal pal you're always rambling about. What do you think?"

Sean's thumb froze mid-phone scroll. His gaze drifted off to the side to avoid mine, his answer vague and evasive.

"Sloane's heading out of town on a business trip next week, so she probably can't come."

"What a shame." I put on a dejected look on purpose.

"I even double-checked with my friend to confirm we could bring an extra guest just so she could join the fun."

I paused, then asked casually as if the thought had only just crossed my mind.

"By the way, do you have Sloane's contact? Either her number or her Messages works. I'd text her to set up a meal sometime down the line."

His expression soured the instant I finished speaking; his jaw tensed stiffly, and he stammered through his reply.

"She... she got a new phone number a while ago, and I haven't messaged her in forever, so I can't recall it."

Seeing his shifty eyes and disjointed excuses, the final spark of goodwill I'd held for him burned out completely.

Before he could react, I snatched his phone out of his hand.

"Elora! What are you doing?!"

Sean's face went dark and he lunged for his phone.

I gripped the device tight and dodged his reaching hands.

"Sean, how about I make a call right now? I'll ask your so-called gal pal Sloane whether she's really out on business, or if she's never existed at all!"

"You're being ridiculous!" Furious, he lunged for his phone.

I slipped out of his reach and quickly pulled up his call log, which only listed a handful of recent contacts. I dialed every number one by one.

When the first call picked up, I asked immediately: "Hello, is this Sloane?"

The first person was his coworker, caught off guard and said no.

The second was one of his childhood friends; the man fell silent for several seconds after hearing Sloane's name and hung up without another word.

I kept going with the third, fourth calls... every person either claimed they didn't know her or ended the call outright.

Sean was losing it beside me, repeatedly trying to snatch the phone while shouting nonstop.

"Knock it off, Elora! Give my phone back right now!"

I paid no mind to his pulling and yelling, scrolling further down the list and dialing another number.

An unfamiliar woman's voice sounded from the receiver once the line connected.

"Hello?"

I drew in a steady breath and asked again.

"Hi, are you Sloane?"

There was a two-second pause on the line before a crisp answer came through.

"Hello, this is Sloane. How may I help you?"