Ch. The Group Chat Without Me, The Life They Had Without Me 2 The Group Chat Without Me, The Life They Had Without Me 2

Chapter 2 

On the fifth day, I checked out of the hotel and went back to the apartment. 

I hadn’t forgiven Caleb. I just needed to collect more of my things. 

When I opened the door, Caleb was on the couch playing a video game. He glanced up at me. 

“You’re back? Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve picked you up.” 

“There was no need. I took a cab.” 

“Oh.” 

His attention returned to the screen. 

Dylan’s voice came loudly through his headset. “Caleb, focus. We win this, we rank up.” 

I dragged my suitcase into the bedroom and started stuffing things into a bag: my passport, college diploma, contracts, and bank records. 

There wasn’t much in that apartment that truly belonged to me. 

Halfway through, my phone rang. It was Rachel. 

Her voice was warmer than usual, almost overly so. “Nora, are you coming to the family dinner this 

weekend? Mom says she hasn’t seen you in ages.” 

“When was this decided?” 

“We talked about it yesterday. I guess we forgot to tell you.” 

Forgot? Or had they coordinated in the group chat and only invited me after deciding I could come? 

“I’ll check my schedule.” 

“Okay. Let me know.” 

“Oh, and one more thing.” 

She lowered her voice. “Caleb’s been under a lot of pressure lately. Try to cut him some slack and stop picking fights with him.” 

I froze. “When have I picked a fight with him?” 

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“He said you’ve barely spoken to him these past few days, and you left on a business trip without keeping him posted.” 

“Nora, you’ve been together for four years. You need to make more of an effort. Men need a little coddling too.” 

So in Caleb’s version of events, I was the one ignoring him. I was the one who wasn’t making an 

effort. 

“Got it, Rachel.” 

After hanging up, I stood in the middle of the bedroom and suddenly no longer wanted to leave. 

It wasn’t because I couldn’t let go of him. Leaving quietly would let them off too easily. 

More than seven hundred messages had filled that group chat over two years and three months, all 

of them about how to keep me out. 

Didn’t I deserve even one explanation? 

That evening, Caleb finished his game. 

When he saw me sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, he came over and kissed my 

forehead. 

“What are you thinking about? Want to go out for dinner?” 

“Caleb.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Are you hiding something from me?” 

He paused, then laughed. “What does that mean? What’s gotten into you today?” 

“Nothing. I was just asking.” 

“You haven’t been watching those relationship videos, have you? Those influencers are always telling women to snoop through their boyfriends’ phones. Don’t let that stuff get in your head.” 

He ruffled my hair as though he were soothing a child. 

“Come on. Let’s go out for steak.” 

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During dinner, Caleb received a call and stepped away from the table. 

I caught a glimpse of his screen as it lit up. Dylan was calling. 

Caleb walked toward the entrance with his back to me and said something in a low voice. 

I couldn’t hear the words, but I saw him smile. 

It was an easy, unguarded smile, the kind I rarely saw when he was with me. 

When he returned, he said nothing and went back to eating his steak. 

“Who was that?” 

“Dylan. He asked if I wanted to play basketball tomorrow.” 

“Are you?” 

“We’ll see.” 

I picked up a strip of steak with my fork and bit it in half. 

We’ll see. 

What he really meant was that it depended on what the group decided. 

The next day was Saturday. 

At nine that morning, Caleb left the apartment and said he was going to play basketball. 

I said okay. 

After he left, I opened the tablet he had left at home. 

His Messenger account was still logged in. 

I found the group chat, “Life’s Better Without Nora Bennett.” 

The latest messages had been sent at seven thirty that morning. 

Dylan: [Just confirming-Nora isn’t coming to the picnic today, right?) 

Brooke replied: [No. I told her I’d be holed up all day finishing a report.] 

Owen: [I told Nora I was going to a friend’s place.] 

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Rachel: [Okay. Meet at the north entrance to the botanical garden at two.] 

Caleb sent an OK-hand emoji. 

Basketball-that was what he had told me he was doing. 

I set down the tablet and leaned back in the chair as a heavy pressure settled over my chest. 

It wasn’t anger. It was something deeper, an ache I couldn’t put into words. 

They had developed an entire system. 

First, they confirmed that I wouldn’t be there. Then they each told me a separate lie. Finally, they met up. 

It was like a carefully coordinated operation with one objective: keeping me out. 

I checked the time. It was nine forty, and there were still more than four hours until two. 

I scrolled through the group chat for a long time. 

Eventually, I reached the messages from the previous Thanksgiving. 

That night, I had waited at home for Caleb so we could have dinner together. 

At nine, he said he was stuck at a work event. 

According to the group chat, they had been at Rachel’s, cooking Thanksgiving dinner together, with 

Owen joining them over video. 

Owen had told me, “I’m out with friends. I already ate.” 

Every lie had an accomplice. Together, they made the story airtight. 

I closed Messenger and put the tablet back where I had found it. 

Then I picked up my phone and sent Caleb a message. 

Me: [Where are you playing basketball today? Want to get dinner afterward?] 

He replied almost immediately. 

Caleb: [At the gym. We might play late, so don’t wait for me.] 

I didn’t respond. 

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He was probably on his way to the botanical garden, ready to enjoy “Life’s Better Without Nora Bennett” with the other seven people in that chat. 

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