The Silent Treatment

Lucas's POV The door to Brandon’s room had slammed shut behind Lia, but the sound was deafening only in my memory. In reality, it had been a soft click, swallowed by the sterile silence of the hallway. Yet, in that instant, my entire world had been cleaved in two. One half, the life I’d meticulously built with Lia, lay shattered on the tiled floor. The other was a gaping, terrifying void. "Lia!" I’d called out, my voice raw, stripped of its usual calm. She hadn't even looked back. She’d walked away, a ghost retreating into the shadows, leaving me to face the wreckage. Inside, Brandon lay in bed, triumphant in his misery, a smirk playing on his lips even through his fever. "Told you she loved me," his eyes seemed to say. But all I saw was the image of her face, inches from his, the undeniable longing in her eyes. It was a betrayal so profound, it stole the air from my lungs. I’d tried to confront Brandon, but the words had died in my throat. He was sick, yes, but he was also a snake. An