Episode 14: The Secret That Changes Everything
1372 Words
Some truths don’t break you immediately.
They wait.
They sit quietly in the background, unnoticed, harmless—until the exact moment you’re not ready.
And then, they hit all at once
It started with something small.
A message that wasn’t meant for me.
I was sitting in the hospital hallway again, flipping through my notes, pretending I could still function like a normal student.
Aidan had stepped out to talk to a doctor.
“Five minutes,” he said.
He’d been gone for twenty.
I checked my phone.
No new messages.
I sighed and leaned back.
That’s when I noticed it.
A phone.
Not mine.
His.
He must’ve left it on the chair beside me.
I stared at it for a second.
Then looked away.
Not my business.
I wasn’t that kind of person.
I don’t check other people’s phones.
I don’t invade privacy.
I don’t—
The screen lit up.
And just like that—
everything changed.
Unknown Number:
You need to tell her before she finds out the truth.
My heart stopped.
I froze.
Stared at the screen like it had just said something it shouldn’t have.
“Tell her… what?”
I whispered the words before I could stop myself.
The phone buzzed again.
Another message.
Unknown Number:
She deserves to know you’re leaving.
My breath caught.
Leaving?
My mind immediately rejected it.
No.
That doesn’t make sense.
Aidan wouldn’t—
He told me—
He said—
The door down the hallway opened.
I looked up quickly.
Aidan was walking back.
I grabbed his phone without thinking.
Then immediately froze.
What was I doing?
This wasn’t mine.
This wasn’t right.
But the words were still in my head.
You’re leaving.
He reached me.
“Sorry, that took longer than—”
He stopped.
Because I was holding his phone.
Because I was looking at him like something had already broken.
“Lia?”
My voice came out quieter than I expected.
“…Who’s texting you?”
His expression changed.
Subtle.
But enough.
“What?”
I held the phone up slightly.
“This.”
Silence.
Just for a second.
But that second was loud.
Too loud.
“Did you go through my phone?” he asked.
That wasn’t what I expected.
That wasn’t the question I wanted.
“I didn’t,” I said quickly. “It lit up. I saw it.”
He didn’t reach for the phone.
Didn’t deny it.
Didn’t explain.
And that—
that scared me more than anything.
“What are they talking about?” I asked.
No answer.
“Aidan.”
He looked away.
And that was it.
That was the moment everything shifted.
“Tell me,” I said.
“It’s nothing,” he replied.
I laughed.
A short, disbelieving sound.
“That doesn’t look like nothing.”
“It’s just—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You’re avoiding,” I said. “That’s worse.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
“Who is it?” I asked again.
He finally took the phone from my hand.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“Lia—”
“No,” I said, stepping back slightly. “You don’t get to say that after what I just read.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
Clearly frustrated.
Clearly cornered.
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“When, Aidan?” I repeated, my voice sharper now.
“Soon.”
“That’s not a time.”
“I didn’t want to tell you like this.”
“Then how?” I challenged. “After you’re already gone?”
That hit.
I saw it.
The way his jaw tightened.
The way his shoulders stiffened.
“You don’t understand,” he said.
“Then make me understand!”
My voice echoed slightly in the hallway.
I didn’t care.
Because suddenly—
this wasn’t about calm conversations anymore.
This was about truth.
And I needed it.
Now.
“I got accepted,” he said finally.
The words dropped between us.
Heavy.
Confusing.
“…Accepted where?” I asked.
He hesitated.
Then—
“Abroad.”
Everything inside me went quiet.
Too quiet.
“How long?” I asked.
“A year.”
A year.
Twelve months.
Too long.
Too far.
Too much.
“And you didn’t tell me?” I said slowly.
“I was going to.”
“When?”
“I didn’t know how.”
I stared at him.
Disbelief.
Hurt.
Something worse.
“So your plan was what? Just… disappear?”
“No,” he said immediately. “That’s not what I—”
“Then what?” I cut him off. “Wait until the last minute? Make it easier for you?”
“That’s not fair.”
“No?” I said. “Then explain it to me in a way that makes sense.”
He was quiet.
Because he couldn’t.
Because there was no good explanation.
“You said you didn’t want to lose this,” I continued, my voice shaking slightly now.
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you hiding things from me?”
“I wasn’t hiding—”
“You were,” I said firmly. “You were choosing when I get to know. That’s hiding.”
He didn’t argue.
Didn’t defend himself.
Just stood there.
Silent.
And somehow—
that made it worse.
“Do you still plan on going?” I asked.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
That answer hit harder than everything else.
Because it was immediate.
Certain.
Final.
I nodded slowly.
“Of course you do.”
“Lia—”
“No,” I said, stepping back again. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.”
“It is,” I insisted. “You have your life. Your plans. Your future.”
“And you’re part of that.”
I shook my head.
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
He didn’t answer.
Again.
And that silence?
That silence said everything.
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
At the person who became part of my routine.
At the person I chose to stay for.
At the person who said I mattered.
And suddenly—
everything felt fragile.
Like it could fall apart any second.
“You were going to leave,” I said quietly.
“I still am.”
That truth—
sharp.
Unfiltered.
Honest.
“I thought…” I stopped.
Because I didn’t even know what I thought anymore.
“That we had time?” he asked softly.
I laughed bitterly.
“Yeah.”
Silence.
Then—
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said.
I looked at him.
“You already did.”
That landed.
Hard.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us spoke.
Because what else was there to say?
The truth was out.
And it wasn’t something we could fix with words.
Finally, I turned away.
“I need to go.”
“Lia—”
“I can’t do this right now.”
“Please don’t walk away.”
I stopped.
Just for a second.
But I didn’t turn back.
Because if I did—
I might stay.
And I didn’t trust myself to stay.
Not after this.
“You should’ve told me,” I said quietly.
“I know.”
“That’s the worst part.”
I walked away.
Before he could say anything else.
Before I could change my mind.
Before everything I was trying to hold together completely fell apart.
And as I stepped out of the hospital—
into the cold air—
into the noise of the city—
into a world that suddenly felt different—
one thought stayed with me.
Loud.
Unavoidable.
Painfully clear.
He wasn’t just someone I was starting to care about anymore.
He was someone I was about to lose.
And this time—
it wasn’t because of timing.
Or confusion.
Or fear.
It was because of a choice.
His choice.
And I didn’t know if I was part of it.
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