Chapter 39 – The Message
It started with a ping.
Andrea was finishing a charcoal sketch in the studio when her phone buzzed. She glanced down, expecting a message from Sheik — maybe a voice note, maybe one of those blurry selfies he liked to send after training.
But it wasn't from him.
It was from an unknown number.The message read:
"Your boyfriend was cozy with someone at the uni party last night. Thought you should know. :)"
There was a photo attached.
Andrea's heart stopped.
The image was grainy, clearly taken in motion. But it was unmistakably Sheik, standing outside a campus bar, leaning in to speak to a girl. Their faces were close. Too close.
Her stomach twisted. Logic tried to step in — It could be innocent, maybe they're just talking, maybe the angle is weird — but emotion was louder.
Sheik hadn't mentioned going to a party. And he never hid things. Not like this.
She didn't respond to the message. She stared at it for a long time, then slid her phone face down on the table.
Her hands trembled. Her eyes burned.
Later that night, Sheik called her, all excited energy.
"You won't believe what happened today," he said, breathless. "I scored the winning goal in a scrimmage. Coach actually smiled. Like really smiled."
Andrea was quiet.
"Sheik," she said finally. "Did you go to a party last night?"
The silence on his end was instant.
"Yeah. Just for an hour. One of the older players dragged me out. Why?"
She closed her eyes. "Someone sent me a picture."
A pause.
"Of me?"
"You. With some girl. You were… close."
Another pause.
"Drea, I swear — I talked to one of the coaches' assistants. She's new. We were outside because it was too loud inside. That's it."
Andrea didn't know what to believe. She wanted to trust him. God, she wanted to. But the photo was still burned into her mind.
"I just wish you told me," she whispered. "You always tell me everything."
"I didn't think it mattered," Sheik said, quieter now. "I didn't lie. But maybe I should've known it would matter to you."
Andrea sat in the dark, the weight of love and distance pressing down.
"This isn't easy," she finally said.
"I know," he replied. "But I'd never throw us away. Not over something that isn't real."
They didn't fight.
They just sat in the discomfort. Together.
And in that silence, a small, hard truth settled in:Even the strongest love can be shaken.But trust isn't about never being hurt.It's about choosing to stay — to ask, to listen, to believe — even when it's hard.