CHAPTER 6

The First Seed of Doubt

The café smelled like roasted coffee and vanilla, a comforting mix that usually settled me. Today, though, I couldn't shake the unease twisting inside me. The air outside was crisp, the city alive with the usual Saturday afternoon buzz—cars honking, people chatting, the occasional bark of a dog. Inside, the café was warm and inviting, but none of it could quiet the thoughts circling in my mind.

Lisa sat across from me, stirring her cappuccino absentmindedly, her sharp eyes never leaving my face. She knew something was wrong. She always did.

"So," she said, drawing out the word, "how's Alex?"

I hesitated. It was brief—probably no longer than a second—but it was enough. Lisa caught it instantly.

Her eyes narrowed. "That bad?"

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. "It's not bad. He's just… been busy."

Lisa didn't look convinced. "Busy? Or distant?"

I sighed, wrapping my hands around my cup. The warmth seeped into my skin, but it did nothing to stop the cold creeping into my thoughts. "He's had a lot on his plate at work. Late meetings, long calls. It's nothing unusual."

Lisa studied me like she was trying to decide how much to push. "And you believe that?"

Her words landed heavier than I wanted to admit.

I forced a smile. "Of course I do."

Lisa didn't return it. Instead, she set her cup down, her expression turning serious. "Soph, doesn't it bother you that he keeps so much from you?"

I stiffened.

Did it?

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came.

Because the truth was, I had been bothered. By the way Alex always seemed to be one step away from me lately, by the hushed phone calls, by the way he dodged my questions with effortless charm.

But if I admitted that… what would it mean?

I took a slow sip of my coffee, trying to buy myself a second to think. "He's just private," I finally said. "It's part of who he is."

Lisa's brows lifted. "Or it's a red flag you're ignoring."

I bristled.

Alex wasn't perfect, but he wasn't some liar keeping dark secrets.

…Right?

I swallowed hard, forcing a laugh. "Come on, Lisa. He's not cheating on me, if that's what you're thinking."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "That's not the only thing men lie about."

Something in my chest tightened.

Lisa leaned in, lowering her voice. "Look, I'm not saying he's a bad guy. I'm saying… I've seen this before. Someone who makes excuses, who keeps things just out of reach, who makes you doubt your own instincts." She hesitated. "My sister's ex was like that. He never outright lied, but he never told the whole truth either. And by the time she saw it, she was in way too deep."

I shook my head, rejecting the thought immediately. "Alex isn't like that."

Lisa held my gaze. "Are you sure?"

I wanted to be.

But last night's conversation echoed in my mind. Not yet.

Not yet what?

The words had been circling my thoughts all day, a splinter I couldn't dig out. And now, Lisa was driving it deeper.

I forced another smile, trying to push away the unease. "You're overthinking this. Alex has never given me a reason not to trust him."

Lisa didn't argue. She just sat back, watching me like she was waiting for me to catch up to something she already knew.

And maybe, deep down, I did know.

Because as much as I wanted to brush it off, as much as I wanted to believe in the perfect life Alex and I had built together…

A tiny voice in the back of my mind whispered:

What if she's right?

What if I was already in too deep to see the truth?

And worse…

What if I didn't want to see it?

---

I walked home slowly, Lisa's words playing in a loop in my head. The late-night calls, the vague answers, the way Alex's smile didn't quite reach his eyes anymore.

Had I really not noticed? Or had I just refused to?

By the time I reached our apartment, my stomach was twisted in knots. The elevator ride felt longer than usual, every passing floor a reminder of the conversation I wasn't ready to have.

When I opened the door, the apartment was quiet. Too quiet.

"Alex?" I called, dropping my bag onto the couch.

No answer.

I checked the bedroom. Empty. The bathroom door was open, the light off. The kitchen was the same—untouched. But on the counter, his phone buzzed.

My heart jumped into my throat.

Alex never left his phone out. Ever.

I swallowed hard, staring at it. The screen was face down, but the buzzing didn't stop. Someone really wanted to reach him.

My hands trembled as I reached out.

Just as my fingers brushed the phone, the buzzing stopped.

A second later, a message flashed across the screen.

Unknown Number: We need to talk. Call me.

I stared, my pulse roaring in my ears.

We need to talk.

The words sat heavy in my chest, suffocating.

Who the hell was messaging Alex like that? And why was he hiding it?

I heard the elevator ding in the hallway.

My breath hitched.

I barely had time to snatch my hand back before the door opened.

Alex walked in, his expression unreadable. But the second he saw me standing in the kitchen, his eyes flickered to the counter—to his phone.

Something passed over his face. Something too quick for me to catch.

But I saw it.

And for the first time, I didn't look away.

"Hey," he said, his voice smooth, easy. "You're home early."

I swallowed. "Yeah."

He walked over, leaned in to kiss my forehead. I let him, but my mind was already racing.

Lisa's words echoed in my head.

Or it's a red flag you're ignoring.

Maybe I had been.

But not anymore.

I watched as he picked up his phone, fingers wrapping around it just a little too tightly.

His gaze flicked to the screen.

And in that split second, I saw it.

A flicker of something—worry? Fear? Guilt?

It was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual calm. He slipped the phone into his pocket, smiling down at me like nothing was wrong.

But something was wrong.

And now, for the first time, I was ready to find out what.