He Favored Her, I Left for Good

Chapter 5

I didn't go see him. Ridgewood U was literally right next door, but it might as well have been a thousand miles away.

I went back to my school and put in for a leave of absence. My advisor was super chill about it, kept telling me to take all the time I needed and not to worry about my thesis. I could pick it back up when I got back.

The last place I went was our little apartment. I pulled out the ring I'd bought and tucked it into our "secret stash".

That box held everything Caleb had ever given me. Paper cranes from high school. A scarf I'd knitted myself. Love letters, one after another. Our first matching rings, bought with money we scraped together from part-time gigs.

Over time, the gifts got pricier. Designer lipstick sets. Designer purses. Fancy jewelry.

Then came a car, worth 50 grand. His parents covered it.

The stuff got more expensive. The thought behind it? Not so much.

I called a moving company. My best friend came over to help me pack.

She was grumbling the whole time. "Girl, seriously? You should've just stormed over there and confronted him."

I wanted to. I really did. But I was scared of what I'd find.

I opened w******p out of habit and saw a post from Sienna:

Met a couple of total bitches today. Thank God my Caleb had my back.

Comment underneath:

Caleb: [That's what lab mates are for. Glad you're okay, Si.]

Caleb's profile pic stared back at me, our matching couple photo, and it stung.

For the record, my best friend had Sienna pinned—wouldn't let her leave till she coughed up her digits. w******p, ID number, the whole deal.

And all that "I'm swamped with experiments" bullshit? He'd been busy keeping Sienna company.