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Peter had never imagined that a single phone call could destroy the future he had spent years building.

He was sitting alone in his apartment when Sarah called.

There was something different in her voice.

Peter noticed it immediately.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

There was a long silence.

Then Sarah said the words he had been secretly afraid of hearing.

“I don’t think I want to be with you anymore.”

Peter didn’t answer.

He simply stared at the wall.

They had been together for years.

They had talked about marriage.

They had discussed where they would live.

They had even joked about what their children might look like.

And now, somehow, all of that had disappeared in less than a minute.

“Is there someone else?” Peter finally asked.

Sarah hesitated.

That hesitation was enough.

“There is,” she whispered.

Peter closed his eyes.

He wanted to be angry.

He wanted to demand an explanation.

Instead, he simply said:

“I hope you’re happy.”

Then he hung up.

The moment the call ended, Peter put his phone on the table and sat completely still.

For several minutes, he didn’t move.

Then his eyes filled with tears.

Across town, Emma was experiencing almost the exact same nightmare.

Her boyfriend Noah had also decided that their relationship was over.

Four years together.

Gone.

He told her he cared about her.

He told her she deserved someone better.

But Emma knew what those words really meant.

He had already found someone else.

That night, Emma sat on the floor of her bedroom surrounded by old photographs.

She picked up one picture.

She and Noah were smiling on a beach.

They looked happy.

She stared at it for a long time.

Then she whispered:

“How did we get here?”

Neither Peter nor Emma knew that their lives were about to collide.

The next morning, both decided they needed to leave their apartments.

Peter went to a small coffee shop near his office.

Emma happened to choose the same place.

They sat at separate tables.

Peter was staring at his coffee.

Emma was staring at her phone.

Both were trying desperately not to check their exes’ social media.

Neither succeeded.

Emma suddenly laughed.

Peter looked over.

It wasn’t a happy laugh.

It was the kind of laugh someone makes when they’re so hurt that the situation becomes ridiculous.

Peter smiled.

“You okay?”

Emma looked at him.

“No.”

Peter nodded.

“Me neither.”

That simple answer started a conversation that lasted nearly three hours.

They discovered that both had been dumped.

Both had been replaced.

And, most importantly, both were still hopelessly in love with their exes.

Emma looked at Peter.

“What if we help each other?”

Peter frowned.

“With what?”

“Getting them back.”

He laughed.

“You’re serious?”

“Completely.”

Emma leaned closer.

“We make them jealous.”

Peter stared at her.

The idea was ridiculous.

Immature.

Possibly disastrous.

But after everything they had been through…

It also sounded strangely exciting.

They shook hands.

They would pretend to date.

They would make their exes believe they had moved on.

And eventually, they would make them realize what they had lost.

Neither of them understood the danger.

Because their plan had one flaw they hadn’t considered.

What happens when two people pretend to fall in love…

and then accidentally stop pretending?

TO BE CONTINUED…