Shattered trust

VIOLET

My hands trembled as I clutched the phone, the line dead and the weight of Ryan's words still pressing heavily on my chest. I felt hollow, like the wind had been knocked out of me. He didn’t believe me. Not entirely, at least.

I sank onto my bed, pulling my knees to my chest as the realization hit me like a tidal wave. The warmth and safety I’d always felt with Ryan now felt distant, replaced by doubt and anger.

How did things spiral so quickly?

My mind replayed the events of the party, the moment Amelia had bumped into me, the brief connection with Caleb that had gone so horribly wrong. It was an accident. But accidents didn’t erase the fact that it had happened, and someone had sent that picture to Ryan.

Who could it be?

Who exactly would have known about my connection with Ryan? Who would have been watching closely enough to take that picture at exactly the right moment—and then send it to him?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine, my heart racing as my mind ran in circles.

Someone wanted to destroy us. Someone wanted to rip Ryan and me apart.

But who? And why?

I stared at my phone, fighting the urge to call Ryan back, to plead with him, to explain it all again. But would it even matter? He was furious, and I wasn’t sure words would be enough to fix this.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I hugged my knees tighter, the ache in my chest spreading with every passing second.

What if I lost him? What if this was the moment everything fell apart?

No. I shook my head, swiping at the tears staining my cheeks. I wasn’t going to let this destroy us. I couldn’t.

A sudden shrill from my phone broke through my thoughts. My heart leapt, hope surging as I snatched it up, praying it was Ryan. But disappointment settled heavily in my chest when I saw the name on the screen—Ashley.

Still, a wave of relief followed. If there was anyone who could help me untangle this mess and make sense of everything, it was Ashley. She always knew what to say, always had a way of calming the storm in my head.

“Hey, Violet!” Ashley’s voice came through the line, light and cheerful, a stark contrast to the turmoil churning inside me.

“Hi,” I said softly, my voice barely audible.

She paused for a moment, probably sensing something wasn’t right. “Are you okay?” Her tone shifted, laced with concern.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking back fresh tears. “Not really,” I admitted, my voice cracking.

“What happened? Talk to me,” she urged gently, her excitement replaced by worry.

I took a shaky breath, gripping the phone tightly as if her voice alone could keep me from falling apart completely.

“It’s Ryan,” I began, my voice trembling. “We… we had a fight.”

“A fight?” Ashley’s voice rose slightly. “What happened? You two never fight.”

I let out a humorless laugh, the sound hollow and brittle. “Yeah, well, there’s a first time for everything.”

“Violet, talk to me,” she pressed. “What happened between you two?”

I hesitated, unsure of where to even begin.

I took a deep breath, gripping the phone tighter. 

“It was just a stupid misunderstanding, Ashley. I went to a party tonight and I met this guy– Caleb from one of my classes.  He’s just this guy from my class—nothing more, nothing less. I barely even talk to him.”

“A party?” Ashley’s voice was a mix of surprise and curiosity. “Since when do you go to parties, Violet?”

I sighed, already feeling the weight of judgment even though Ashley didn’t mean it that way. “It wasn’t planned. Amelia practically dragged me there. She thought it would help me relax or something.”

Ashley let out a long sigh. “Okay, so what happened with Caleb?”

I hesitated, the memory of the moment making my stomach churn. “Someone bumped into me while I was standing near Caleb, and I stumbled. He tried to steady me, but our faces ended up… too close. Someone must have snapped a picture at the exact wrong moment.” I trailed off before continuing. “It made it look like Caleb and I… like we were kissing.”

Ashley let out a low whistle. “And Ryan thinks…?”

“That I lied to him. That I kept the party from him on purpose and… and that I’m hiding something.” My voice broke at the end, the tears threatening to spill over again.

“Okay, okay, slow down,” Ashley said quickly. “First of all, this is obviously a misunderstanding. Ryan just needs to cool off and think clearly. You know how he gets when he’s mad—he doesn’t see straight.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “But what if he doesn’t believe me? What if this is it, Ashley?”

“Don’t even say that,” she said sharply. “Violet, you know Ryan’s protective. Not telling him probably made this whole thing worse but you and Ryan have been through way too much to let something like this tear you apart. He’s upset now, sure, but once he calms down, he’ll realize you’re telling the truth.”

“I hope so,” I whispered, doubt creeping into my voice.

“I know so,” she said firmly. “But in the meantime, we need to figure out who sent him that picture. Because whoever did this clearly wanted to cause trouble.”

My chest tightened at Ashley’s words. She was right—someone was trying to hurt Ryan and me, and they were succeeding.

“Amelia,” I said softly, her name slipping from my lips almost unconsciously.

“What about her?” Ashley’s voice sharpened with curiosity.

“She was there,” I explained slowly, piecing it together as I spoke. “She’s the one who bumped into us, the one who made me stumble into Caleb. And she’s the only person there who knows about Ryan and me.”

The realization hit me like a tidal wave, and I felt the words hang heavy in the air between us.

Ashley was silent for a moment, as though she, too, was connecting the dots. “You think she set this up?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “She’s been so supportive lately, acting like a good friend. But something feels... off. It’s the way she talks about Ryan, the way she changes the subject or avoids eye contact whenever I bring him up. I can’t explain it, but it’s like there’s something she’s hiding.”

“Do you really think she’d go that far?” Ashley asked carefully.

“I don’t want to believe it,” I said, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid, trying to pin this on someone because I don’t want to admit I messed up. What if it’s all in my head?”

“Violet, stop,” Ashley said firmly. “You’re not crazy. If your gut is telling you something’s off, trust it. Whether it’s Amelia or not, we’ll figure it out. But in the meantime, you need to keep your guard up around her.”

Her reassurance gave me a small sense of comfort, though the unease in my chest lingered.

“Thanks, Ashley,” I said softly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d spiral into a dramatic mess, and I’d have to come clean it up anyway,” she said teasingly, lightening the mood just enough to make me crack a small smile.

“Now, get some rest. We’ll deal with this in the morning, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, though I doubted I’d sleep at all.

But as I hung up the phone, her words echoed in my mind. 

Trust your gut.

If Amelia was behind this, then I’d figure it out. And if she wasn’t… I still needed answers. Because whoever was trying to tear Ryan and me apart must have their reasons.