They’re talking about Tim.
“There—happy?” Karina bites. “I thought we were all friends. And now just because they broke up, we’re supposed to pick sides? He washeartbrokenwhen Lucian kicked him out, Liam.”
I freeze in place, hands shaking at my sides.
Fuck.
So Karina doesn’t know.
I’d only told Liam what happened. Trusted him to share it with the rest so I wouldn’t have to keep reliving it. I guess... he didn’t.
Loyal fucking bastard.
But that means Karina and others are just out here thinking I ghosted Tim. That I ended things cold. And if Tim shows up tonight—
Shit.
This is about to blow up in my face.
I storm into the room without knocking.
Liam and Karina both freeze like I’ve just dropped a grenade. Liam opens his mouth—probably to warn me to calm down—but I’m not looking at him.
I’m only looking at her.
“Tim cheated on me,” I say flatly. “We broke up. I kicked him out. He left the city. End of story.”
Karina’s face goes pale. “What the fuck?” she breathes. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Liam shifts beside her, visibly uncomfortable. He doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t have to.
I take a deep breath. No point in blowing up. Not when I’ve finally built something good—with Rohi. The last thing I need is to relivethatnight. But the images come anyway. The cold sweat. The disbelief. The sting of betrayal as Tim stood there naked, stammering excuses beside a nameless woman. A woman that I now know intimately.Fuck.
I blink hard and push it all back.
“Because it was humiliating, Karina. He picked up a random woman at a bar,” I say, voice tight. “I walked in. Found them both naked in my bed.”
Karina gasps and blurts out. “But... he’sgay!”
I don’t respond.
Liam lifts a brow and shrugs. “Apparently he was confused. Still is? We don’t know. But yeah. He did it. And now... Karina, maybe you can word your message alittle differently.”
She flushes, eyes wide. “Yeah. Shit. Yeah, of course.”
I rub the back of my neck, trying to steady my voice. “Just make sure he doesn’t show up, okay? I’m dating someone else now. I don’t want her blindsided by my ex walking into the middle of a fucking birthday party. No one wants that.”
Under-fucking-statement of the year!
Karina nods quickly and pulls out her phone, tapping furiously. “I’ll message him right now.”
She finishes typing and hesitates, holding up her phone at me. “Is this okay?”
I shake my head and raise a hand. “I don’t care what it says. Just make sure it works.”
She passes it to Liam instead. He squints at the screen, reads it, and nods once.
Before the tension can coil tighter around us, the sound of the main door opening cuts through.
