Noah had always been careful with his heart. As an introvert, he wasn’t the type to trust easily, let alone fall in love. But with Sarah, everything had been different.

She was sunlight in his quiet world—pulling him out of his books, making him laugh in ways he never thought he could. She never mocked his silence, never made him feel like he had to be someone else. For eight months, she had been his safe place. His home.

Until today.

Noah stood frozen outside the café, his breath shallow. The words he had just overheard replayed in his head, each syllable cutting deeper than the last.

"Eight months of pretending? You really deserve a bonus, Sarah." A man's voice, smooth and amused.

Sarah’s laugh—her laugh, the one that used to make Noah’s heart swell—now felt like a blade twisting in his chest. "Come on, it wasn't that bad. He trusted me so much; getting information was easy."

Noah felt his stomach drop.

He wanted to step forward, demand an explanation. He wanted her to see him, to realize he had heard everything. But his feet refused to move. His mind screamed at him to stop listening, but he couldn’t.

"You actually made him fall for you?" the man continued.

Sarah scoffed. "Of course. It’s Noah. He’s… simple. Sweet, but naive."

Noah clenched his fists, his pulse roaring in his ears.

So it had all been a lie. Every late-night call, every whispered "I love you," every time she held his hand when the world felt too loud—just an act. A job.

He backed away slowly, his chest tight, his throat burning.

Sarah had always been the one to teach him how to open up.

Now, she was the reason he never would again.