As the sun crept through the curtains, Ethan groggily reached for his phone, his head pounding from the previous night’s indulgence. He noticed the barrage of notifications and frowned in confusion. Each message was more frantic than the last, filled with questions, disbelief, and condemnation. His heart began to race as he opened the first video, and dread filled him as he realized what had happened.
The night before, when Ethan had retreated to bed, oblivious to the stirrings of rebellion in Lily’s heart, she had been busy. She had set up a hidden camera earlier, a precaution she had taken after enduring months of Ethan’s belittling behavior. She never intended to use it, hoping each day for change, for the man she once loved to return. But last night, it had captured everything—the slap, the dismissive jokes, the uncomfortable laughter of his friends, and the pain in her eyes.
