ThE LIE BETWEEN US

Chapter 3: A Broken Trust

Kayla's POV

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

I stared at the phone again.

The number at the top was still mine.

I checked it once more, hoping I had somehow made a mistake.

I hadn't.

The messages were still there.

I scrolled through the conversation slowly, reading each one carefully. The more I read, the more confused I became.

None of those messages sounded like me.

Not even one.

Whoever had written them had made them look so real that even I was beginning to question what I was seeing.

My breathing became uneven.

How was this possible?

I had never sent those messages.

I held the phone tighter.

"I don't know where they came from."

George reached out his hand.

"Give me my phone."

I handed it back to him.

He took a quick look at the screen before locking it.

Then his eyes met mine.

"You still want to deny it?"

"I have nothing to deny."

My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I didn't send those messages."

George looked down at his phone again.

After a few seconds, he opened the conversation and went straight to one particular message.

Then he read it aloud.

"I can't stop thinking about you. Meet me tonight. George doesn't have to know."

My stomach turned.

"I never sent that."

George looked at me.

"Your number is right here, Kayla."

"I know."

"Then explain it."

"I can't."

I shook my head.

"Because I don't know how it happened."

He slipped the phone into his pocket.

"You still expect me to believe you?"

"Yes."

The answer came out immediately.

"I want you to believe me because I'm telling you the truth."

He didn't respond.

The disappointment on his face was painful to look at.

This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go.

I had spent days preparing myself to finally tell him how I felt. I had imagined how happy I would be if he told me he felt the same way.

Instead, I was standing there trying to convince him that I hadn't betrayed him.

George looked away for a moment.

"If you didn't send them..."

He paused.

"Then who did?"

I had no answer.

That was what made everything worse.

I knew I hadn't done it, but I couldn't tell him who had.

"I'm telling you the truth, George."

Tessa suddenly laughed.

"The truth?"

I turned toward her.

She had her arms folded across her chest.

"The evidence is right there, Kayla."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"I've never met you before today."

I pointed toward her.

"So why are you accusing me like you know me?"

A small smile appeared on her face.

Something about her answer made me uncomfortable.

She wasn't acting like someone who had just witnessed something shocking.

She seemed too calm.

Too sure of herself.

I turned back to George.

"Please listen to me."

"You've known me for a long time."

My voice trembled.

"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

For a moment, he didn't say anything.

I noticed the slight hesitation in his expression.

For just that little moment, I thought maybe he was beginning to doubt what he had seen.

Then his face changed again.

"The evidence says otherwise."

"So you're choosing to believe a phone over me?"

George remained quiet.

I waited.

Nothing.

That silence told me everything.

I lowered my head.

This was no longer just a misunderstanding.

George really believed I had betrayed him.

A few seconds passed before he finally spoke.

"I wanted to believe you."

I looked up at him.

"I really did."

He paused.

"But after everything I've seen..."

His voice became quieter.

"I can't."

My eyes filled with tears.

"George..."

I stepped closer.

"Please don't do this to me."

He looked away.

I could tell he was angry, but there was something else in his expression too.

Hurt.

Maybe he really believed I had done this to him.

"Just listen to me," I pleaded.

"I'm listening."

He looked at me again.

"But the evidence isn't on your side."

Those words hurt more than I expected.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I didn't send any of those messages."

I wiped my face quickly.

"I swear on my life."

George closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, he looked tired.

Just a little while ago, I had walked into this hotel hoping to tell him that I loved him.

I had rehearsed those three words so many times.

Now he was asking me to leave.

"I think it's best if you go."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"I don't want to make a scene here."

"Please."

My voice cracked.

"Don't do this."

"I didn't do anything."

He sighed.

"I know what you're saying, Kayla."

"But I can't ignore what I've seen."

I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Leave?"

The word barely came out.

George nodded.

"Please leave."

I stood there, unable to move.

Part of me was still waiting for him to change his mind.

Maybe he would call me back.

Maybe he would ask me to stay.

Maybe he would look at me and realize that I was telling the truth.

But he didn't.

He just stood there.

I wiped my cheeks again and turned around.

The moment I started walking, I became aware of the people around us.

Some of them had been watching the whole thing.

A few looked at me with pity.

Others whispered to each other.

I wished the floor would open up and swallow me.

I didn't want anyone looking at me.

I didn't want their pity.

I just wanted to get out of there.

I walked past the tables, keeping my eyes down.

My chest felt heavy.

Every step reminded me of why I had come there in the first place.

I had come to tell George that I loved him.

Instead, I was leaving his hotel with tears on my face because he believed I had betrayed him.

I reached the entrance and stopped.

For some reason, I turned around.

Tessa was still standing beside George.

She was looking directly at me.

Then she smiled.

I couldn't explain it, but something about that smile bothered me.

It wasn't the smile of someone who felt sorry for what had happened.

She looked almost satisfied.

Almost like she had gotten exactly what she wanted.

My eyes moved to George.

He wasn't looking at me.

He didn't even seem interested in where I was anymore.

I felt another tear slip down my cheek.

I quickly wiped it away and turned back toward the door.

The cold night air hit my face as soon as I stepped outside.

I wrapped my arms around myself and started walking.

I didn't know where I was going.

I didn't even care.

All I wanted was to get away from that place.

My mind kept going back to the conversation.

George's face.

His voice.

The phone.

Those messages.

Tessa.

None of it made sense.

I had thought telling George how I felt would change my life.

I just didn't expect it to happen like this.

I had spent almost two years loving him quietly.

Tonight, I had finally gathered enough courage to tell him.

And in less than an hour, everything had fallen apart.

I stopped walking for a moment and looked up at the night sky.

My eyes were still wet.

"Why me?"

The question came out quietly.

I had no idea who had done this.

I didn't know why they wanted George to believe I had betrayed him.

But I knew one thing.

I wasn't going to let this end here.

Someone had sent those messages.

Someone had deliberately made it look like they came from me.

And somehow, I was going to find out who.

I wiped my face and continued walking.

I thought walking away from George would be the hardest part.

I had no idea the real pain was only beginning.

One question kept running through my mind.

If I didn't send those messages...

Then who did?