Beside it was Claire’s phone.
My hands trembled as I opened the note.
“Alice,
If you’re reading this, it’s time for the truth.
Don’t trust Ryan.
Watch the last video on this phone.”
I stopped breathing.
With shaking fingers, I opened the gallery and pressed play.
The video began.
And there was Ryan.
Younger, but unmistakably him.
Claire stood beside him while he slid a ring onto her finger.
Then he kissed her.
I felt the ground disappear beneath me.
Another video started automatically.
Ryan sitting closely with another woman at a restaurant.
Then another clip.
Another woman.
Another lie.
Claire had recorded everything.
The Truth Ryan Hid From Me
That evening, Ryan came home carrying yellow roses and cupcakes from my favorite bakery.
He stopped the moment he walked into the living room.
Both our families were there waiting.
I stood in the center of the room holding Claire’s phone.
“Sit down,” I told him.
Then I pressed play.
Nobody spoke while the videos played.
By the second clip, Ryan’s face had turned pale.
By the third, his mother had started crying.
Finally, he whispered:
“I can explain.”
And then the truth came out.
