"Hold up," Arya said with a hand up. "This doesn't make sense. Why would Gabriel cheat?"

        I ate some of my scrambled eggs. "Ask him."

        Arya and I were having brunch, and I needed it, especially since Gabriel blindsided me last night.

        How could he do this?

        A part of me was still in disbelief. After all we'd been through, and this happened. I forgave him for leaving me. I could forgive him for many things, but this wasn't one of them.

        It hurt even more knowing he cheated on me with some creep he met off the internet.

        "So, he befriended some guy online, and they met up."

        "He lied that he was meeting up with Kenji," I made sure to add. "That should have been the first red flag."

        But no. I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

        "I get lying," she said. "You didn't approve of this guy. I would have lied, too."

        "Really?" I said, deadpanned. "You're taking his side right now?"

        "I like Gabriel," she said. "He seems like a great guy. Plus, something just doesn't seem right. Gabriel is too loyal, and he loves you too much to do this. If there's anyone who'll cheat, it'll be you."

        "Wow." I put my fork down, watching her. "Thanks."

        "Gyan," she said, sending me a look. "Your dick controls you, not the other way around."

        "That's not true."

        "You're a slut," she said. "Gabriel is the opposite. He's all about monogamy and romance and shit. There has to be more to this story."

        "Like what?" I asked. "He met up with some guy and had sex with him. It's pretty simple."

        "Have more faith in him."

        "I did," I reminded her. "I had faith in him when he lied. Then he dropped a bomb on me."

        "Nah." Arya shook her head. "You need to look more into this shit, Gyan. Something's up."

        I resumed eating. "I don't want to think about it."

        "I can't believe you kicked him out."

        I sent her a look. "I'm not going to let him stay with me after what he did."

        She looked off to the side before returning her gaze to me. "What if this Steven guy forced himself on Gabriel?"

        I sighed. "Now, you're just making excuses for him."

        "Why would Gabriel be attracted to this guy?" she asked. "Especially when he has you. The love of his life. Especially when you're this fine."

        I chuckled. "He's some basic white guy, too. Gabriel showed me a picture."

        "See?!" she shouted. "This isn't adding up."

        "I don't care," I said, gulping. "I'm not worried about Gabriel right now."

        My words didn't ease the tightness in my chest.

        Arya rolled her eyes. "There you go again—saying shit you don't mean. You're really out of touch with your feelings, Gyan. Then again, you don't know what you want."

        "Maybe my dad's right," I told her. "Maybe what I want isn't always what's best for me. I knew for a fact I wanted Gabriel and look what happened."

        I pushed all of it to the back of my mind because I knew if I allowed myself to be consumed by it, I would do something I didn't want to. I would lose control. I refused to allow him to have that power over me. Even thinking about it at the moment made my eyelids heavier, but I refused to cry in front of Arya. I refused to cry in front of anyone.

        But I had. I'd cried in front of Gabriel before.

        I rubbed my forehead, taking in deep breaths to get it together.

        "Gyan, you're hurting," Arya said. "At least talk to him, now that you've cooled off."

        "What's the point?" I took the last bite of my toast. "It doesn't change what he did."

        "Talk to him. He deserves that much."

        "He doesn't deserve shit," I said in a louder voice than I intended. "I don't owe him anything."

        "Then do it for your sanity."

        My gaze dropped to my plate. "I'm good."

        "Gyan..."

        "I don't want to talk about it anymore," I said. "I have other shit to deal with. Like quitting Appeto. At least, now I don't have to call off the wedding with Anushka."

        "What?" she yelled. "You're joking, right?"

        "Gabriel and I aren't together anymore," I said. "What's the point in me calling it off?"

        "Umm..." She pretended to think about it. "For you?"

        "Now, I can stick to my original plan," I said. "Marry an Indian woman, have some kids with a gay lover or two on the side."

        "That's a terrible idea."

        I said this, but my plan didn't have the same appeal anymore. Before, I felt indifferent about it. It was something I had to do, and there wasn't much thought put into it. Now, the thought left an unsettling feeling in me. He did it.

        He gave me hope.

        Hope that made everything ten times harder.

        A part of me wanted to believe that I wished Gabriel never came back. Everything would have been easier.

        But I wasn't sure how true that was.

        "Don't do this," Arya said. "Don't give up on Gabriel. Don't give up on your happiness."

        "That's why I have to focus on leaving Appeto." I pushed my plate to the side. "Right now, that's my priority."

        "Allow yourself to feel this pain."

        "Why the fuck would I do that?"

        "That's the only way you'll heal," she said. "Actually, fuck that. Get to the bottom of this and realize that Gabriel didn't cheat."

        "Oh my God," I said in exasperation. "Arya..."

        "He didn't cheat," she said. "I refuse to believe it."

        "Then what happened?"

        "That's for you to find out," she said. "I'm not giving up on you two."

        "Why not?"

        "I refuse to give up on true love," she said. "Losing someone you love hurts. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Clay and Alissa have their happy ending. So do Kenji and Darian. You will have yours, too, and it's with Gabriel. I just know it."

        I wanted that to be true, but I couldn't forget what he did. Allowing someone else to touch him. Lying to me. Keeping it from me. He loved me, but he still did this.

        How could we get past this?

        "On a positive note," she started, "you could get a job at my dad's company."

        Varun-ji's company was focused on arts and entertainment instead of oil like my father's. I never thought about actually leaving my father's company for my uncle's, even though it seemed like a better job.

        "You think so?"

        "You're family," she said. "You'll get it."

        "Connections," I said. "Did I earn anything in my life? Or was it all connections?"

        She rolled her eyes. "Don't bitch about it. Be grateful."

        Maybe everyone was right, after all. I didn't work for much in my life. It was all handed to me. How could I learn how to fight if I never had to?

        "You don't have to work there forever," she said. "It's just to help you get on your feet. Once you do that, you can venture off and find a job that you'll get all by yourself."

        I wanted that—something that was mine. Something that I earned. It wouldn't be easy, but I needed to do this. Varun-ji's company was the first step.

        Arya and I continued talking, and once we finished brunch, we walked back to the parking garage. When we went our separate ways, that was when I felt it.

        Someone was walking behind me. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but it left me uneasy. When more steps started to follow me, I glanced back. Three Indian men trailed behind me, avoiding my gaze but following me nevertheless. I increased my pace, but it seemed like they did, too.

        Fuck it.

        I sprinted towards my car, and the footsteps got faster, hot on my tail. When I heard them disperse, I glanced back, only seeing one person behind me. Not long after I returned my gaze forward, I spotted the other two ahead of me.

        I stopped as they surrounded me. "What the fuck do you want?"

        A man with large ears stepped forward, and his fist met my jaw. I stumbled back, and one of them grabbed me before pushing me forward. Another punch landed on my face. When one of them went for another hit, I grabbed his fist and punched him back. I tried pushing them away from me, but they resisted, punching me in the gut. As I tried to catch my breath, the one with the big ears kicked my leg from under me, and I landed on the ground. That was when their assaults on my face and abdomen began. As kick after kick collided with my body, I curled into myself, but it didn't shield me from the hits. Their punches and kicks continued as I tried to stand up. When I finally got on my feet, that was when I began swinging. I got a couple hits in, but their blows outnumbered mine.

        A final punch made me fall back, landing on the ground. As I braced myself for another hit, a voice shouted, "Hey!" The three Indian guys scrambled. "What are you boys doing?" They were already gone, and an elderly Asian man approached me. "Are you okay?" He helped me up, and I winced at the pain that hit me. "Need me to call someone? What can I do?"

        I rested a hand on my abdomen. "Thank you. You've done enough."

        I walked past him, needing to get to my car. My face and body were throbbing, the burning sensation demanding to be felt. When I got into the Sequoia, I just sat there for a second, trying to will the pain and my bruised ego away.

        First Gabriel. Now this.

        "Fuck," I muttered as my eyes watered. I took in a sharp breath as the first cry came out. "Fuck you." I hit my steering wheel. "Fuck you, Gabriel!"

        I couldn't hold it back anymore as the tears fell. I wanted to hate him. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.

        But what I wanted most was to see him. I wanted him here. I wanted his comfort and support. I hated myself for that.

        When my phone rang, I contemplated not answering it, but I picked up the call. "Hello?"

        "Gyan, what's wrong?" Nila said from across the line.

        "Shitty day," I said. I couldn't even tell her that Gabriel cheated on me. She didn't know I was gay, and she didn't know that Gabriel used to be my partner. "I got beaten up."

        "What?" she yelled. "Why?"

        "Ishaan."

        It had to be. I punched him, and a bunch of Indian guys jumped me. It was the only explanation. I didn't have any enemies. The only person who had a motive to hurt me was Ishaan.

        "Gyan..."

        "Who else could it be?" I said. "I've been on his ass about you. I attacked him."

        "He wouldn't do that."

        "Why not?" I asked. "He cheated on you. Why not have his goons follow me and jump me?" She was silent. "Think about it, Nila."

        "I'm coming to get you," she said. "Where are you?"

        "Nila..."

        "I'm coming," she said. "I'll take an Uber and drive your car so we can go to the ER. You can't drive right now."

        "I'm not going to the ER."

        "You could be seriously hurt," she pointed out. "You could have internal bleeding or something."

         "I'm not spending my whole day in the ER."

        "I'm coming to get you," she persisted. "And you're going."

        With hesitance, I told her where I was. I just sat in the car, resisting the urge to call Gabriel. My body hurt, but it was bearable. The pain from Gabriel's betrayal wasn't. The tears silently fell as I waited for my sister.

        After some time, I got it together, wiping away the wetness from my face and allowing my eyes to return to their natural look. When Nila arrived, she didn't say anything. She got in the driver's seat, and she drove us to the ER.

        "I don't know if I can do this anymore." Her eyes stayed forward, and I turned my head to look at her. "This is too much."

        I looked ahead. "I couldn't agree more."

        Gabriel hurt me, but that didn't change one very important fact.

        He was the love of my life, and he was the only thing I was certain of that I wanted. Even with the ache in my body, all I wanted was to be in his arms.

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* Song is "Break My Heart Again" by Finneas O'Connell