I Called Myself Ten Years Later—and Exposed My Cheating Boyfriend Chapter 04

I Called Myself Ten Years Later—and Exposed My Cheating Boyfriend Chapter 04

We’d been planning a graduation trip for months. Julian held up the itinerary for me to see.

“I’ve handled everything. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

My plan was to go on the trip, then have the talk when we got back. One last good memory before I ended it cleanly.

But when we got to the station, Audrey was standing there with a suitcase.

“I’m crashing your trip! Chloe, you don’t mind, right?”

I didn’t say anything. Julian glanced at me, then turned to Audrey with a grin.

“You always invite yourself. This was supposed to be just me and Chloe — no third wheels. Besides, I didn’t get you a ticket.”

That’s what he said.

But when we got to the ticket gates, my ticket was the one that wouldn’t scan. Audrey turned on Julian.

“What is wrong with you? You forgot to buy Chloe’s ticket?”

Julian looked stunned. “I thought she already had hers!”

“You thought? Since when do you think? The train’s here in fifteen minutes!”

She was yelling at him, but there was no real edge to it. It sounded more like flirting than fighting.

“I’ll grab another ticket. Chloe, don’t panic.”

Julian pulled out his phone. Sold out — every train for the next seven days.

I stared at the ticket gate separating me from them, and something inside me went quiet. Standing there on the wrong side, alone, I felt like I was the one who didn’t belong there.

“Julian, let’s break up.”

Julian’s head snapped up. “You want to break up with me over a ticket? Seriously?”

I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of the station alone.

I didn’t mention the pens. I wanted to wait until results day. I wanted to see their faces.

My calm seemed to infuriate him. He spun around and dragged Audrey through the gate without looking back.

I didn’t flinch. I bought a ticket to Bramford instead. Seeing that campus in person only made me more certain.

Julian didn’t text me once after that day. But every single day, there he was on social media, posting pictures with Audrey.

My mom saw them, too. She came to my room to ask what was going on.

I blocked Julian without blinking. “I broke up with him.”

She didn’t push. She just sat down next to me.

“Good. Don’t waste your tears on someone who doesn’t deserve them. You’ll meet much better guys at college.”

Final grades and class rankings were posted the same day Julian and Audrey got back from their trip.

That night, I went downstairs to take out the trash and ran into Julian hauling his suitcase up the stairs. He stopped when he saw me.

“I know you didn’t mean what you said at the station.” He patted my shoulder like he felt sorry for me.

“It’s okay if you didn’t do great. Worst case, you go to community college for a year and we make long-distance work for a while. You’re smart. You’ll transfer into Bramford on the second try, no question.”

I knocked his hand off my shoulder. “Julian, what the hell is wrong with you? Who said I didn’t do well? I’m this year’s valedictorian. The local news crew was at my house this morning.”