‘She’s a student I met at the library who is interested in pursuing a course in data science. So, I spoke to her about it, that’s it. There’s nothing more,’ he clarified, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

‘Then why is she texting you so late at night? And why is she writing “I miss you”?’ I asked.

‘We’re just casual with each other, there’s nothing wrong going on here, Kiana. We’ve gotten comfortable with each other … as friends.’

I took a deep breath and asked him point-blank, ‘Are you cheating on me?’

‘Calm down, baby. Just calm down,’ Liam said. He moved closer to me and tried to pull me into a hug.

‘Just say yes or no.’ I sat still, without an iota of expression on my face.

Liam looked away from me as he replied, his head bowed, ‘I am sorry.’

At that moment, every drop of blood in my veins froze. I started to shiver, as if I were not wearing a single piece of clothing and had been left abandoned on the footpath on a cold winter night. I felt robbed of my self-worth and completely stripped of my belief in love. I felt a range of emotions pass through my body in a matter of seconds. I wanted to get up and move, but my limbs wouldn’t obey my commands.

Then, just as suddenly, I stood up in anger and started to break things around the apartment. I wanted to destroy every corner of the home that we’d built together. And in that process, a new chain reaction of emotions got triggered. I started blaming myself for not being the perfect girlfriend and the perfect lover. I started to question everything about myself. I began cursing myself under my breath: ‘I’m not enough. I’m not good enough, beautiful enough or intelligent enough. I’m just not enough.’

I could hear Liam cry in the background, but that night I realized that neither the perpetrator nor the victim escapes unhurt when something of this sort happens in a relationship. It shatters both parties forever.

‘How could you fuck me over like this?’ I screamed at him. ‘I trusted you so much. I loved you so much. I was loyal to you every single moment. How could you lie to me and manipulate me? What have I not done for you? Huh? Tell me, what more could I have done?’

‘I am sorry, baby. Please, just give me another chance,’ Liam pleaded.

‘Don’t call me baby. That fucking bitch, Margaret, she’s your baby now. Go to her. Just leave this apartment. Right now! Get out!’ I shouted.