Broken Engagement, Berlin Escape

I flew to London with a custom engagement ring, ready to surprise my boyfriend for our anniversary.

Instead, I found him wearing a matching "couple's bracelet" with his "anxious" female best friend, Britney.

He even ditched our anniversary dinner because she had a "panic attack" over a chipped nail.

Realizing I was the third wheel in my own relationship, I quietly transferred to a university in Berlin to escape.

But Graham wouldn't let go.

He followed me across the continent, dragging my mother along to guilt-trip me into coming back.

When that didn't work, he handed me a "farewell gift."

As I opened the box, a sickly sweet smell hit me-he was trying to drug me to kidnap me back to New York.

My legs gave out, but I didn't hit the floor.

I fell into the arms of Harrison McKee-Britney's terrifyingly powerful uncle and my new professor.

"Find another side chick, Graham," Harrison growled, pulling me close.

"This one is taken."

Chapter 1

My flight landed in London, and a wave of nervous excitement washed over me. It was our anniversary. Graham's anniversary, and mine. I clutched the small, velvet box in my pocket, the one holding the custom-made watch I' d spent months designing for him. This surprise trip, this gift-it was all for him.

I pulled out my phone, a small smile playing on my lips. I wanted to see if he'd posted anything about our anniversary. Nothing. That was fine. He probably wanted to be surprised. I scrolled through Instagram, checking his friends' stories. That's when I saw it.

A short video. Britney. Graham's "helpless" friend. She was laughing, her head thrown back, hair a cascade of blonde. And there, unmistakable, was Graham's hand, intertwined with hers. My breath hitched. It was just a fleeting moment, a quick pan of the camera across a celebratory dinner table, but it was enough. The intimacy of their linked fingers burned into my vision.

My heart hammered against my ribs. No, it couldn't be. Maybe it was just a friendly gesture? But the way their hands rested together, so natural, so comfortable… It screamed something more. I tried to tap back, to zoom in, to confirm the sickening detail. But the story vanished. Just like that. Poof. Gone.

My chest tightened. Had I imagined it? Was I just looking for something to confirm my deepest fears? The logical part of my brain, the engineering student who dealt in facts and figures, told me to calm down. But my gut screamed.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Graham.

"Katelyn? You're here?" His voice was laced with something I couldn't quite place. Not excitement, not warmth. Something colder. Something like… annoyance.

My stomach dropped. "Yeah, I just landed. It's our anniversary, remember?" I tried to keep my voice light, a fragile attempt to ignore the rapidly forming cracks in my surprise.

A sigh. A heavy, exasperated sigh that sliced right through me. "Katelyn, I told you I was really busy