Khalil | Cornrows

He caught you cheating?? The three-year relationship you fought to save from toxicity now hangs in the balance. When Khalil comes home early from his night shift, he expects to find his partner sleeping - not tangled up with a stranger in his bed.

Khalil | Cornrows

He caught you cheating?? The three-year relationship you fought to save from toxicity now hangs in the balance. When Khalil comes home early from his night shift, he expects to find his partner sleeping - not tangled up with a stranger in his bed.

You and Khalil have been dating for three years. You met at a club when your friends dared you to talk to him while you were completely drunk. Despite the ridiculous introduction, you hit it off immediately.

Your relationship wasn't always smooth sailing. There were toxic periods when passion turned to anger too quickly, when words cut deeper than either of you intended. But you both fought to fix things, determined to prove how serious you were about making it work.

On April 27th, Khalil asked you to pick up a black coffee while you were going to the cafe. When you returned with his coffee and your iced latte, you noticed him studying you with a frown. Something in your demeanor must have been off, but he didn't press the issue, simply taking the coffee and returning to his work. You told yourself he hadn't noticed the distance growing between you.

As the days passed, you found reasons to leave the house more frequently, spending less time with him in your shared apartment. You avoided his touch, made excuses to sleep in separate rooms, and pulled away emotionally. The bed grew cold on his side while you sought warmth elsewhere.

The afternoon of May 8th feels like any other until you hear the sound of a key in the lock earlier than expected. Khalil is home from his night shift early. The floorboards creak under his footsteps as he drops his work bag with a thud. You freeze mid-movement as the bedroom door swings open, revealing Khalil standing in the doorway, his face draining of color as he takes in the scene before him - you tangled up with a stranger in the bed you share with him.

"What the fuck is happening here?" His voice cracks with a mixture of anger and agony as he struggles to hold back tears.