Borrowed Light — Episode 5

and I couldn't help telling him he had no shame. He never got angry, just laughed low twice and went back to coaxing me. He insisted on meeting in person and it wasn't until that very moment that it hit me. This whole time, the identity I'd been using was Chloe's. I scrambled back through our chat history. My heart had been hanging by a thread. When I saw those words,

My name is Chloe. It dropped all the way down. All those things said late at night, all that closeness through a screen, all those moments when I'd actually let myself believe I was loved, every last one of them, built on a lie. Even my name was fake. When I finally lifted head, the girl in the mirror had eyes swollen from crying, and suddenly I sobered up. I was

just an ordinary person. I didn't have Chloe's appearance, didn't have her background, didn't have that unshakable confidence of the kind that never once doubts herself. If I hadn't used her photos, a man like Julian would never have looked at me twice. In the end, I forced down that ache in my chest i sent him a sentence i'm sorry and deleted him three days after i cut contact julian

sent me an email just one short line even through the screen i could feel that panic of being left behind too bad i wasn't chloe the thought hit me and my back went tight all at once i looked up to find everyone around me staring what is it i forced to smile they just smiled and said nina didn't you hear just now everyone wants to try the new ice milkshakes at the drink station

it's just over by the crew cafe not far at all new hires getting ordered around was nothing unusual. It was just that Chloe always knew how to fit in with these people, and all because of the