I stood in shock.
Ruri's words hit like a sudden downpour in the summer—cold, unexpected, and heavy. "He broke up with me… but told everyone I left him."
It all started to make sense.
The false image Yamada projected. The perfect victim in his stories. The charming friend, the heartbroken ex, the supportive classmate. But behind the curtain, he was something else entirely.
"So, he rewrote the truth for himself," I said quietly.
Ruri nodded. "He hated looking like the one left behind. So he made me the villain. Said I was 'too cold,' that I didn't care about him."
My fists clenched. Too cold? No—Yamada couldn't handle someone he couldn't control.
"Maybe he's always been like this…" I muttered. "And we were just too close to see it."
Ruri looked at me with something between sadness and gratitude. "He made me believe I was the only one. That I was wrong to feel hurt."
"You weren't wrong," I said. "He made me feel the same way. Like I imagined everything, like my pain was an inconvenience."
She gave a weak smile, then looked away. "I hate that we had to meet like this."
"But I'm glad we did," I said. "Because now I know I'm not alone."
A moment passed between us—quiet, steady, and real.
We kept walking. The evening light dripped gold across the pavement. Two broken people, stitched together by truth.
And for the first time… I wasn't walking in the shadow of betrayal anymore.
I was walking beside someone who understood it.