Sophie's Life

Chapter 45: Ugly Lies

### Sophie's POV  

The days blurred together, a heavy haze of exhaustion settling over me. Between the demanding schedule, unspoken feelings, and the weight of Daniel's rejection, it felt like I was running on fumes.  

I pushed myself harder in my classes, trying to stay ahead of assignments, hoping the grind would drown out the emotional noise. But it only made things worse.  

By the third day, I barely had the energy to get out of bed. My friends noticed something was off, but I waved them off with weak reassurances. Even Adam, usually sharp and observant, backed off when I snapped at him during a group project.  

The burnout hit its peak during a late-night study session. My laptop screen blurred in front of me, and the words on the page refused to make sense. Frustrated, I slammed it shut and buried my face in my hands, fighting back tears.  

It was in that moment that I heard my phone buzz. A message from Allie lit up the screen.  

> *Allie*: "Sophie, you okay? You've been on my mind. Call me if you need to talk."  

I didn't reply. Instead, I stared at the message, my chest tightening. I hated feeling like this—so lost, so out of control.  

The next morning, as I walked across campus, snippets of whispers reached my ears.  

"...heard Daniel was involved with..."  

"...and she found out, apparently..."  

"...wonder if Sophie knows."  

I froze mid-step. People weren't even trying to be subtle anymore. Daniel's name was all over campus, attached to some kind of gossip I couldn't quite piece together.  

The rumors made me feel sick. Daniel had always been private, guarded, and now he was at the center of a storm I didn't understand.  

Later that evening, while I was in the library trying to focus, James appeared out of nowhere, pulling out the chair beside me. His usually calm demeanor was gone, replaced with an uncharacteristic tension.  

"Ayla and I broke up," he said, just like that, his voice tight.  

I blinked, startled. "What? Why?"  

He ran a hand through his hair, looking anywhere but at me. "It's complicated. She—she lied about something. Something that involved you."  

"Me?" I echoed, my heart skipping a beat. "What does this have to do with me?"  

James shook his head, his frustration evident. "Not directly. But...she said things that weren't true, Sophie. About us. About how I feel."  

I stared at him, my thoughts racing. "James, what are you talking about?"  

"She made it seem like I didn't care about you," he admitted, his voice softening. "That I was with her because I didn't want to deal with...whatever this is between us."  

Whatever *this* is.  

The words hung in the air, heavy and unresolved.  

"James," I started, but he held up a hand.  

"Don't," he said. "I'm not asking for anything, Sophie. I just...I needed you to know the truth. Ayla and I are done because she crossed a line. And I'm not going to pretend like this doesn't change things."  

Before I could respond, he stood up and walked away, leaving me alone with more questions than answers.  

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### Daniel's POV  

The rumors were spreading faster than I could contain them. Everywhere I went, I could feel the stares, hear the murmurs.  

"Sophie's probably in on it..."  

"Can't believe he hid that for so long..."  

"Guess Mr. Perfect isn't so perfect after all."  

I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to confront every single person whispering behind my back. The truth wasn't even that scandalous—it was just embarrassing.  

A stupid misunderstanding with an old friend had spiraled into a mess of gossip that now threatened to ruin everything I'd worked so hard to build.  

And Sophie...  

I hated that she might hear about it from someone else. That she might think less of me.  

---

### Ayla's POV  

Losing James was a blow I hadn't expected. But I couldn't blame anyone but myself.  

I'd lied—about Sophie, about how I felt, about everything.  

The truth was, I'd always felt insecure about James's connection to her. There was something between them that I couldn't compete with, no matter how hard I tried. So, I'd done the one thing I shouldn't have—I tried to sabotage it.  

And now, I was paying the price.  

James's last words to me before walking away still echoed in my head.  

"I can forgive a lot, Ayla. But not this. Not when it involves Sophie."  

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.  

Even now, she was at the center of everything, without even trying.  

As I sat alone in my dorm, scrolling through my messages, I wondered if I'd ever be able to undo the damage I'd done—to James, to Sophie, and to myself.