Chapter 7: Party for One

The next day, Caleb picked me up like he promised. We barely made it inside before his phone buzzed.

He stared at the caller ID a long time, then let go of my hand. “You go in first. I’ll take this call.”

Even he could hesitate sometimes.

I said okay and slipped inside. I found a spot to sit. Soon, people started coming in from the cold, shaking snow from their jackets.

“It’s freezing out, who’s Caleb talking to?”

“Who else? Lillian. I heard she’s coming back in a few days.”

“Really? Caleb must be on cloud nine.”

After all these years, everyone expected a happy ending. I was just the placeholder.

Someone sighed. “After all the drama, it’s still Lillian.”

Moments like this, when everyone’s getting nostalgic, you realize—you’re the outsider.

When Caleb came back, the talk stopped. He pressed his lips together, eyes stormy. But when he saw me, he masked it, came close, squeezed my hand, and smiled. “Having fun? Cut the cake with me later.”

I nodded.

But after the cake, I took the lead—I broke up with him. Clean, final, no more pretending.

In the end, I didn’t cut the cake with him.