Lana stared at the photo long after the screen went dark.
Her hands trembled.
Rain soaked through her clothes, her hair sticking to her face as people rushed past her on the crowded sidewalk. Nobody noticed the girl standing frozen beneath the storm.
Nobody noticed her heart breaking quietly in the middle of the city.
Leo's arm around another girl.
The way he smiled at her.
That smile was supposed to belong to Lana.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"No…" she whispered weakly. "No, this can't be real."
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number.
Still think he loves you?
Lana immediately typed back.
Who are you?
Seen.
No reply.
A cold shiver ran through her body that had nothing to do with the rain.
Suddenly, footsteps approached behind her.
"Lana!"
Leo.
She turned around too quickly.
He looked worried, slightly out of breath from chasing after her.
"You left so suddenly." His eyes scanned her face. "What happened?"
Lana gripped her phone tighter.
Say something.
Ask him.
Scream at him.
But when she looked at him standing there under the rain, looking exactly like the person she trusted most, the words became trapped inside her throat.
Leo stepped closer carefully.
"Hey…" His voice softened. "Talk to me."
Lana laughed quietly.
A broken, unbelieving sound.
"You're funny."
Confusion crossed his face. "What?"
She lifted her phone slowly and showed him the picture.
The moment Leo saw it, his expression changed.
And that was all the answer she needed.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Fear.
Lana felt her stomach drop.
"It's true?" Her voice cracked. "Seriously?"
"Lana, listen to me—"
"So it is true."
"No, it's not what you think."
"Then explain it!"
For the first time since they met, Lana raised her voice at him.
People nearby turned to look.
Rain poured harder between them.
Leo ran a hand through his wet hair, frustration flashing across his face.
"You don't understand the situation."
Lana shook her head slowly, tears mixing with the rain on her cheeks.
"That's the problem, Leo." She looked directly into his eyes. "I don't think I understand you at all anymore."
He reached for her wrist instinctively.
Lana stepped back immediately.
That tiny movement hurt more than she expected.
Leo noticed too.
"Lana…"
"Who sent me the picture?"
Silence.
Her heart sank even deeper.
"You know, don't you?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me!"
The thunder above them sounded almost violent now.
Leo's jaw tightened.
"She means nothing."
Lana stared at him in disbelief.
"That's your explanation?"
"It's complicated."
She laughed again, tears falling freely now.
Every cheating person in the world probably used those exact words.
It's complicated
.
Mick suddenly appeared beside them holding a black umbrella casually above his head.
His sharp gaze moved between both of them once before settling on Lana's tear-stained face.
"…I knew it," he muttered quietly.
Leo looked irritated instantly. "This doesn't involve you."
Mick ignored him completely.
Instead, he took off his jacket and placed it around Lana's shoulders carefully.
The warmth nearly made her cry harder.
"Come on," Mick said softly. "Let's get you out of here."
For once, Lana didn't argue.
But before she could walk away, Leo grabbed her hand again.
This time harder.
"Don't leave with him."
The tension in the air became suffocating.
Mick's eyes darkened instantly.
Lana slowly looked down at Leo's hand gripping hers.
Then back at his face.
And something inside her finally cracked.
"You already lost the right to stop me."