Shattered Truths

Chapter 18: Luke's Betrayal

The night after his conversation with Aaron, Matt sat in the dim glow of his apartment, the silence broken only by the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the floorboards. The words of Claire's ex still lingered in his mind: She has a pattern. She finds people she can control.

Hearing Aaron confirm what Matt had lived through was both validating and devastating. It meant the betrayal wasn't unique—it wasn't about Matt being too needy or insecure. Claire had walked the same road before, leaving scars behind. But while that truth offered clarity, it also deepened the ache in his chest.

Yet, even as Aaron's voice replayed in his head, another thought tugged at him—Luke.

From the very beginning, Luke had been at his side. Loyal, supportive, quick with advice or a pint when Matt needed it. But the more Matt pieced things together, the less innocent Luke's behavior seemed. Luke had noticed Claire's strange patterns before Matt did. He had "warned" him vaguely, kept some things hidden, and then confessed—half-confessed, really—about keeping tabs on her.

And then there was the hesitation, the strange flickers in Luke's eyes whenever Claire's name came up. Matt realized he had dismissed those moments because he couldn't fathom betrayal from his best friend. But after Claire and Aaron, he could no longer ignore the gnawing suspicion.

Matt stared down at his phone, thumb hovering over Luke's name. He didn't want another confrontation. His heart still felt like it had been pulled apart, thread by thread. But he knew he wouldn't find peace until he faced Luke.

With a deep breath, he typed out a short message: Come over. We need to talk.

Luke arrived half an hour later, wearing his usual hoodie, though his face looked drawn and tense. He hesitated at the doorway before stepping inside, as if he already knew this wasn't going to be a casual visit.

Matt gestured toward the living room. "Sit." His voice was calm, but there was a firmness beneath it that even surprised him.

Luke sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, rubbing his palms together nervously. The silence stretched until Matt finally broke it.

"There's something I need to ask you," Matt said. "And I want the truth. No half-answers, no dodging."

Luke nodded quickly, but his eyes didn't meet Matt's. "Alright."

Matt leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "From the start, you always seemed to know more than you told me. About Claire. About where she was, what she was doing. Even before I saw it with my own eyes, you knew something was off. Why, Luke? Why did you keep things from me?"

Luke swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. He shifted on the couch as though the cushions burned beneath him. "I was trying to protect you, Matt. I told you that before."

Matt shook his head. "No. That was the surface answer. You told me you didn't want to say anything without proof, that you didn't want to make it worse. But there's more, isn't there? Because I can't shake the feeling that you were protecting yourself—not me."

Luke's silence confirmed it. His shoulders sagged, and he let out a long, shaky breath. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "You're right. I haven't told you everything."

Matt braced himself, every muscle taut.

Luke's eyes lifted, glimmering with regret. "I had feelings for Claire. Long before you ever dated her. From the first time I met her, I... I thought she was amazing. Funny, magnetic, the kind of woman you couldn't ignore. But she never saw me that way. She only had eyes for you."

The words hit Matt like a physical blow. He felt the floor tilt beneath him, his trust splitting along fresh fault lines. "You—what?" His voice cracked with disbelief.

"I tried to bury it," Luke rushed on, his words tumbling out as if ripping off a bandage. "When you two got together, I told myself it was fine, that I could be happy for you. And for a while, I thought I was. But every time I saw you with her, every time you told me how in love you were, it tore me apart. I wanted to tell you, but how could I? You were my best friend. I thought I could swallow it, but I couldn't."

Matt's chest tightened, rage and sorrow twisting together. "So all this time—when you were holding back information, when you saw her sneaking around and didn't tell me—you were just... what? Hoping it would all collapse so you'd get your chance?"

Luke's face crumpled with shame. "No! It wasn't like that. I swear, I didn't want to hurt you. I knew what she was, at least part of it. I saw the lies, the way she worked people. But I couldn't bring myself to destroy what you had. A part of me—God, I hate admitting this—a part of me thought that if you saw it yourself, if it all came crashing down, maybe you'd realize she wasn't right for you. Maybe..." He trailed off, his voice breaking. "Maybe then I'd have a chance."

The air between them was heavy, suffocating. Matt rose from his chair and began pacing, unable to sit still. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"You knew I was falling apart," Matt said, his voice trembling with fury. "You knew I doubted myself, blamed myself for her behavior. And you let me. You sat there, watching me twist in knots, thinking I was losing my mind—while you knew the truth."

Luke flinched as if struck. "I know. I know I should've told you. I told myself it was because I didn't want to interfere, but the truth is I was selfish. I thought I was protecting you, but I was really protecting myself. I couldn't stand the idea of losing both of you—her to someone else, and you because I came between you. So I stayed quiet. And I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

Matt stopped pacing, turning to face him. His eyes burned with anger, but beneath it was something colder—clarity. "Do you know how much I needed you, Luke? You were the one person I thought I could trust completely. And you betrayed that. You betrayed me as much as she did."

The words hung in the air like a sentence. Luke bowed his head, his shoulders slumping. A tear slipped down his cheek. "I know. And I don't expect forgiveness. I just... I needed to tell you. I couldn't keep it in anymore."

Matt stared at him, his heart pounding. He wanted to scream, to throw something, to demand why his best friend hadn't been stronger, braver. But instead, a weary calm settled over him. He'd spent too much time drowning in other people's lies. Now, he wanted something else—something clean.

"I don't know if I can forgive this, Luke," he said quietly. "I don't even know if I want to. You were supposed to be my brother. And instead, you stood by while I got destroyed."

Luke lifted his gaze, his eyes red. "I'm sorry. I'll give you space. If I've lost your friendship, I'll accept that. But I hope, someday, you'll see that I never stopped caring about you. Even if I went about it the wrong way."

Matt exhaled, the weight of betrayal heavy on his chest. "I don't doubt that you cared. But care without honesty isn't friendship. It's manipulation. And I've had enough of that to last a lifetime."

For a long moment, silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint tick of the clock on the wall. Finally, Luke rose from the couch. He looked smaller somehow, diminished. He walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the handle.

"Goodbye, Matt," he said softly.

Matt didn't answer. He couldn't. He stood rooted to the spot, watching as Luke stepped out and closed the door behind him. The click of the latch echoed like the final note of a requiem.

The apartment was silent again, but it no longer felt like sanctuary. Matt pressed his palms against his eyes, fighting back a wave of exhaustion. It wasn't just Claire he had lost. It was Luke too—the person who had stood beside him through so many milestones, so many nights of laughter and shared secrets.

Now both of them were gone, stripped away to reveal truths Matt never wanted to see. And yet, beneath the pain, he felt something stirring. It was faint, fragile, but real. A resolve.

They had lied. They had betrayed. But he was still here.

Matt sat down heavily, his breathing steadying as he whispered aloud, as though anchoring himself to the words: "No more lies. No more half-truths. I deserve better."

And for the first time in a long time, he believed it.