Chapter Three
1230 Words
Morning arrived far too quickly.
Sunlight slipped through the curtains, filling the apartment with a soft golden glow.
It should have felt peaceful.
Instead, everything felt wrong.
The living room was a mess.
A broken picture frame lay on the floor.
A wedding magazine sat open on the coffee table.
And curled up on the couch, Amelia stared blankly ahead.
She hadn't slept.
Not even for a minute.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same thing.
Daniel.
Vanessa.
Together.
The memory hit just as hard as it had the night before.
Her chest tightened.
Her throat burned.
And for a moment, she wished she could go back in time.
Back to before she opened that bedroom door.
But wishes couldn't change reality.
And reality hurt.
A lot.
Amelia stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
She poured herself a glass of water, but her hands shook so badly she almost dropped it.
She hadn’t eaten since yesterday.
The thought of food made her sick.
The silence felt suffocating.
Without thinking, she reached for her phone.
The device remained switched off.
Part of her wanted to leave it that way forever.
But life didn’t stop because her heart was broken.
Taking a deep breath, she turned it on.
Immediately, the screen lit up with notifications.
Dozens of them.
Missed calls.
Messages.
Voicemails.
Her heart sank.
Most of them were from Daniel.
Eight missed calls.
Fifteen messages.
Five voicemails.
Amelia stared at the numbers in disbelief.
Then she opened the messages.
Please talk to me.
I know you’re hurting.
Please let me explain.
I never wanted this.
Answer me, Amelia.
I love you.
The last message had been sent less than an hour ago.
I’m outside your building.
Please.
Amelia locked the screen immediately.
Her chest tightened.
Love.
How dare he use that word?
People who loved you didn’t betray you with your best friend.
Another notification appeared.
Vanessa.
Amelia’s jaw tightened.
Against her better judgment, she opened the message.
Amelia, please answer me.
I know you hate me.
I deserve it.
But please let me explain.
Nothing happened the way it looks.
Amelia laughed bitterly.
Nothing happened the way it looked?
She had literally seen them together.
What exactly was she supposed to misunderstand?
Without reading the rest, Amelia deleted the message.
Then another one appeared.
This time from her mother.
Sweetheart, call me when you wake up.
The wedding planner needs confirmation for tomorrow’s meeting.
Wedding.
The word hit her like a punch.
Her eyes slowly moved toward the white wedding dress hanging by the window.
For months she had imagined walking down the aisle in that dress.
Daniel waiting for her at the end.
Smiling.
Looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.
The memory made her stomach churn.
Amelia walked over to the dress.
For several seconds she simply stared at it.
Then she reached up and zipped the garment bag closed.
The sound felt final.
Like she was burying a dream.
A dream she would never get back.
Her phone rang suddenly.
Mom.
Amelia hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank God.” Her mother’s voice filled the line. “I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.”
Amelia swallowed hard.
“Sorry.”
“Are you okay? You sound tired.”
The question almost made her cry.
No.
She wasn’t okay.
Nothing about her was okay.
But explaining everything over the phone felt impossible.
“I’m fine.”
Her mother immediately sighed.
“Don’t lie to me. Mothers know these things.”
Amelia closed her eyes.
For a moment she considered telling her.
Everything.
Daniel.
Vanessa.
The wedding.
But the words refused to come out.
Instead she asked quietly,
“Mom… what would you do if someone broke your trust?”
Silence.
A long silence.
“Amelia?”
“What would you do?”
Her mother’s voice softened.
“I suppose it depends on how badly they hurt me.”
A tear slipped down Amelia’s cheek.
“Badly.”
Another silence.
Then:
“Did something happen?”
Amelia looked at the wedding dress.
At the broken picture frame.
At the life she had spent six years building.
And finally whispered,
“The wedding is off.”
The silence on the other end became deafening.
“What?”
“The wedding is off.”
Her voice cracked.
But she forced herself to continue.
“I’m not marrying Daniel.”
Her mother sounded completely stunned.
“What happened?”
Amelia sat down slowly.
The tears she had been holding back finally escaped.
“I caught him with someone else.”
The words tasted bitter.
Painful.
Humiliating.
“Oh my God…”
For several seconds neither of them spoke.
Then her mother quietly asked,
“Who?”
Amelia closed her eyes.
“Vanessa.”
The sharp intake of breath on the other end told her everything.
Her mother knew exactly who Vanessa was.
Everyone did.
Vanessa had practically become family.
“I’m coming over.”
“Mom, you don’t have to”
“I’m already getting my keys.”
The call ended.
Amelia lowered the phone.
For the first time since everything happened, she didn’t feel completely alone.
But it didn’t make the pain disappear.
Nothing could.
An hour later, another knock sounded at her door.
Her stomach immediately tightened.
Daniel.
It had to be.
She wasn’t ready for another confrontation.
Not today.
Not when she could barely breathe without falling apart.
The knocking continued.
Slowly, Amelia approached the door and looked through the peephole.
Her breath caught.
It wasn’t Daniel.
It was Vanessa.
Amelia froze.
Vanessa stood outside looking terrible.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
Her hair was messy.
For once, she didn’t look like the confident woman Amelia had known for years.
She looked broken.
Good.
Let her be broken.
Amelia stepped away from the door.
She had no intention of opening it.
Not now.
Maybe not ever.
“Amelia.”
Vanessa’s voice came through the door.
Soft.
Shaky.
“I know you’re in there.”
Amelia remained silent.
“Please talk to me.”
Nothing.
“Please.”
Still nothing.
A few moments later, Vanessa spoke again.
This time her voice was quieter.
“There are things you don’t know.”
Amelia frowned.
Her hand tightened around the edge of the table.
“What things?” she whispered to herself.
Outside, Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“I know you hate me.”
Silence.
“You have every right to.”
Amelia’s jaw tightened.
At least Vanessa wasn’t pretending otherwise.
“But one day,” Vanessa continued, “you’re going to learn the truth.”
A long pause followed.
“And when you do, you’ll realize none of us were being honest.”
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat.
What did that even mean?
Before she could think about it further, she heard footsteps moving away from the door.
Vanessa was leaving.
Amelia remained frozen in place.
Confused.
Angry.
Suspicious.
She still hated Vanessa.
Still couldn’t forgive what she had done.
But one question now refused to leave her mind.
What truth was Vanessa talking about?
And why did it sound like it had nothing to do with the affair?
For the first time since her world fell apart, Amelia felt something besides heartbreak.
She felt curious.
And that scared her more than anything.
- Writer
