I hate Cupid.

The flickering candlelight cast a warm glow over the crisp white tablecloth, illuminating the half-empty glass of my lemon drop as my plate of seafood alfredo grew cold on the table. It should have been a romantic evening, a celebration of love and commitment, but a sense of unease gnawed at me as I watched D’von across the table.

His smiles seemed forced; his laughter hollow as he amused me with a story about work. My gaze kept drifting to where his phone lay face down next to his plate. An unhealthy curiosity burned within me, taunting me with the possibility that the gut feeling I'd been harboring was justified.

As he excused himself to the restroom, I knew I shouldn't pry, but temptation overrode my better judgment. With shaking hands, I picked up his phone, my heart pounding as I keyed in his passcode – my birthday – and the device unlocked with a soft chirp.

As I opened the phone, a TikTok notification from my friend came through. That was strange, seeing that these two never said a word to each other, to my knowledge. 

Why is she blowing up his phone with TikTok videos? 

What could they possibly relate to that results in the exchange of videos? 

My heart sank and my hands started trembling as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I couldn't believe that on Valentine's Day of all days I was being confronted with the possibility that my relationship was not as perfect as I had thought.

Feeling a mix of anxiety and desperation I opened his WhatsApp to see if he had been in touch with this person I call my friend.

As I opened the app, I noticed my chat was pinned to the top. 

Cute. 

Wait. 

“Check his locked chats” a voice in my head say. 

I hated WhatsApp for this stupid new update. Why are you making it easier for cheaters to cheat and not get caught? 

I unlocked the hidden section, and my worst fears were confirmed. 

There was 1 chat in his locked chats: my friend. 

There were 5 unread messages from her. 

Three view once photos and two messages asking why he wasn’t responding. 

Can she not see his status of him posting we were at dinner? 

No , fuck that. 

Doesn’t she remember he is MY boyfriend? 

Obviously not because as I scroll up in the chat, I see my boyfriend calling my friend ‘baby’ , ‘my love’ and ‘ babe’.  

I scrolled up some more to see what else the chat consisted of, and instantly became sick to my stomach. I nearly vomited on the table. 

"Hey babe, can't wait to see you later..."

"Did you like your gift?”

The words blurred together in a sickening kaleidoscope of infidelity and deceit as the truth slammed into me like a freight train. 

D’von, really? 

2 days ago, marked the second year of our relationship, and I honestly cannot believe I wasted two years of my life with a piece of shit like you. 

Bile rose in my throat, and I fought the urge to vomit as repressed memories and half-truths suddenly took on new, sinister meanings. The late night at work, the way you would hide your phone when texting, the accusing me of cheating all the time - all the signs I had willfully ignored now bombarded me with their harsh reality.

When D’von returned to the table, his expression morphed from confusion to dread as he registered the look of utter devastation on my face and the condemning evidence clutched in my trembling hands.

“Myra, what are you doing with my phone?”, he asked.

“That’s really the question you wanna ask me Von?”, I responded. 

I flagged the waitress down, initiating we were done and was ready to pay. 

I was done with my food; my drink and I most importantly; I was done with him.

He just stood there staring at me, his eyes getting teary, his hands shaking as he handed over the credit card to the waitress. 

 In that moment, the life we had built together – the laughter, the intimacy, the dreams we had shared – it all crumbled to ashes around us.

I picked up my purse, trying to hold my composure and trying not to break down in this restaurant. 

For some reason, everyone seemed to be looking at me as I walked out.

Maybe I was being paranoid. 

My eyes were filled with tears as soon as I walked outside. 

I could barely see my way to the car.

His car. 

WHY DON’T I HAVE MY LICENSE??

I wish I did not have to depend on him to drive me home.

I wish I had my own car.

He finally comes out of the restaurant. The restaurant I so wanted to try after seeing all kinds of reviews on TikTok.

TikTok. 

The app that enlightens many on a daily basis. 

The app that brought my boyfriend’s cheating to light. 

On Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's Day, intended to celebrate love, had revealed the truth about the man I had mistakenly given my heart to, and nothing would ever be the same again.