Chapter TWO
1338 Words
My hand shook as I pushed open the door.
It felt like I had left a huge chunk of myself on the other side of it, but I had no choice except to move forward.
Each step away felt like lifting a heavy rock under my feet, I felt my body losing vitality, a kind of weakness that made me afraid.
I reached the road and signaled a taxi.
The hot, stuffy air in the car made my stomach twist.
“Can I wind down?” I asked quietly.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I rolled the window down and leaned my head slightly outside, staring blankly at the passing trees and scattered pedestrians.
For a moment, just admiring nature and watching people live their normal lives made it feel like I could escape reality even for a minute.
A tear slid down my face before I even realized it.
I wiped it quickly, but more followed, streaming relentlessly.
The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, then gently handed me a handkerchief.
“Sorry, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, sniffing my nose into the handkerchief.
This wasn’t the time to waste tears on someone who cared less, I consoled myself.
The taxi stopped in front of my house.
I dug through my bag, found some cash, and handed it to him.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Have a nice day, ma’am.”
The car zoomed off.
I pulled the doorknob and stepped inside, hanging my coat on the hook at the entrance.
“I’m home,” I shouted trying to steady my voice
Suddenly, I heard fast footsteps.
My sister.
She was home for the holidays Christmas, my favorite time of the year.
She screamed my name, and I screamed back, my mouth opened wide with a wide smile.
I threw my arms around her, tightening my grip around her
“How have you been? I’ve missed you so much,” I said, in a low tone caressing her hair gently
She seemed to have noticed my expression
What’s wrong, Tamara? Your face looks worried.”
Stacy held my hand gently and led me into the room. She sat across from me, her eyes locked onto mine, searching.
She reached for my hands, rubbing the back of my hand like she always did when something was wrong.
“You know you can trust me, right?” she asked softly.
Stacy and I had been close all our lives. She wasn’t just my sister she was my only sibling, my person, knitted to me forever. The moment I looked at her, my eyes became wet again. I tried to speak, my throat tight, and the words barely escaped.
“Cole was cheating on me the whole time.” I burst out
I exhaled a shaky breath that felt like it had been trapped in my chest for hours. The moment the words left my lips, my shoulders sagged under the weight of finally admitting it.
“Oh my God,” she gasped, pulling me into her arms. “I’m so sorry, my love.” She drew closer
I melted into her embrace. This was my safe space. I cried until my whole body trembled.
“I loved him so much, Stacy,” I whispered in hushed tones
We’ve been through everything from college till now. How could he still do this?” My voice cracked. “I feel like I’m going to die.”
“You won’t die,” she cut in firmly. “It happened for the best.”
She glanced at my hands. “What about the engagement?”
I lifted my fingers, bare, empty
“It’s well. You’ll get better,” she murmured, rubbing my tears away
“I thought we had a perfect love story,” I said, shaking my head. “Turns out I’m the only delusional one. He lied. He planned to elope with this girl Jane.”
I swallowed hard. “The messages… the flirting, the nudes, the dates…” My breath hitched. “It broke me, Stacy.”
“You’ll meet better,” she said, brushing a tear from my cheek. “For now, let’s shower. I’ll make something for you.”
“Thank you, sissy.”
She closed the door behind me as I walked to the bathroom, dragging each step
The water poured against my body, and somehow I felt like all my problems had disappeared for a minute.
I came out, dried my body, and wore warm clothes tugging myself into my blanket and burying my face in my soaked pillow. I randomly picked up my phone from the side table staring at our old texts, photos, our smiles, our plans, our promises. Everything felt like a lie.
Stacy returned soon with a plate of food.
“Eat,” she said.
I got up and collected the plate, reluctantly
“There’s a karaoke night in town tonight. Do you want to come with me?” she asked cheerfully
I nodded weakly. Anything to get away from the storm inside me.
We dressed up, did our makeup together just for a girls' night out. I pulled on my fur coat, feeling the cold kiss of December as we stepped out.
The town glowed with Christmas lights, twinkling decorations, wreaths, and warm golden bulbs strung across the streets. Mistletoe hung over storefronts, and “Jingle Bells” echoed from somewhere down the block. Two days until Christmas.
I froze for a moment. Cole loved Christmas. We used to bake cookies on Christmas Eve, shop for ornaments, and decorate the tree while laughing…
The memories hit me like a wave.
My phone buzzed.
Just on i********: Bella had posted a picture. My college friend… the one I lost because of Cole. She never liked him, always warned me, but I defended him like a fool. I even accused her of being jealous.
How stupid I was.
“Tam? What are you doing?” Stacy called. “Come on!” she shouted gesturing with her hands
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and walked to the karaoke machine.
We sang “Mistletoe” by Ariana Grande, screaming the lyrics, dancing, and laughing. Somehow, the weight on my chest loosened a little more.
We ate fries and drank juice before heading home, tiptoeing inside so we wouldn’t wake Mom and Dad. Exhausted, we stumbled into bed. I kept scrolling through our pictures, his voice notes, our memories waiting for a message from him that never came, and didn’t realize when I dozed off
Morning crawled in. I dragged myself out of bed, freshened up
It was past breakfast time.
“I’m so sorry I got up late,” I said as I walked into the kitchen and saw Stacy cooking.
“It’s fine,” she smiled warmly. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“Is Mum home?”
“Yes, but she’s with Dad.”
“I… I want to talk to her.”
“Okay.” , Go see them
I walked down the hallway to their room. I needed Mom’s warmth. I just wanted drawn in her arms
The door was slightly open.
And then I heard Dad’s voice low, breaking.
“Sweetheart… the money we owe… we have two months to pay it back or we lose the house. I signed it as collateral. Stacy needed to go to college, and I couldn’t keep her here after high school. I’ve been trying to save, but the business is stagnant. Things are tight. I don’t want us to lose our home.”
My breath stopped.
My eyes widened.
I stepped back quietly, staggering as the weight of his words sank in.
Money owed. The house is at risk. My family is in trouble????.
And here I was drowning over a man who didn’t even love me.
I wiped my face.
Maybe leaving this town was what I needed.
Maybe that was how I’d forget Cole.
Maybe that was how I’d help my parents too.
- Writer
