"Betrayal" doesn't even cover it. It was like she'd erased us with a single trip.
I put the phone back, composed myself, and waited. I wasn't going to explode. That wasn't me, but I needed answers.
The next day, I couldn't hold it in anymore. We were in the living room, her scrolling on her laptop, me pretending to work.
"Zoe," I said calmly. "We need to talk about Vegas."
She looked up, and for a split second, guilt flashed across her face. Then it hardened into defensiveness. She set her laptop aside, crossing her arms.
"What about it?" Her tone was sharp, like I'd accused her of something outrageous.
I took a deep breath, keeping my voice steady. "I saw the texts with Jake. The photos, the plans. You hooked up with him, didn't you? And it's still going on."
She didn't flinch. Didn't deny it. Instead, she leaned back, sighing like I was the one being dramatic.
"Okay, fine. Yeah, it happened. We met at a club on the Strip. My friends ditched early and he was there. Charming, fun. One thing led to another. It was just supposed to be a trip thing, a fling. But he made me feel something I haven't felt in years."
I stared at her, the words hitting like punches. "Something you haven't felt? What does that even mean? We've been together for years, Zoe. I thought we were solid."
She rolled her eyes. Actually rolled them, and stood up, pacing a little.
"Solid? Alex, come on. We're like roommates at this point. You go to work, come home, we watch TV, repeat. It's comfortable, sure, but where's the excitement? The passion? Jake, he's different. He's adventurous, spontaneous. We talked all night about dreams, travel, living big. He and I, we have a spark, a real one. I have to see where it goes."