The one in the dark

chapter: betrayal

On my way back from making one of the hardest decision I had ever made, I decided to stop by a coffee shop to cool myself a little, while drafting out the perfect way I would tell Brandon about my acceptance email, I wanted it to be a surprise because as much as I had put in effort into getting in, he equally did to, sometimes it felt like he wanted me in London more than I wanted myself, but hey! Maybe he just wanted to see me succeed.

But before anything I felt a bit sleepy, after all I didn't get enough sleep last night. I would go home sleep a little then go to Brandon's house to tell him the good news.

I finished off with my remaining coffee, tipped the server and made my way back home. Looking at the streets leading to my house, very soon I would be out of here, if felt so unreal, this place raised me, I learnt everything I knew here in this streets with the neighbors. I was still lost in thoughts when I got to the front of my house, I was so confused when I saw Brandon's car parked in the driveway, Kaitlyn had locked the door and I didn't remember giving him a spare key, although he did know where I usually kept the keys so Kaitlyn would have probably kept it there to, I should be happy, this would ease the stress of me going to his house to tell him, I could just let him know now. I took off my shoes at the front of the door and changed into my indoor slippers, opened the door to find his clothes on the floor, he had always been a messy person but my confusion began to grow when I heard moans from inside my room,

The sound wasn’t subtle anymore.

It wasn’t something I could mistake for the television or music playing too loud.

It was breathless. Desperate. Intimate.

My heart slammed so hard against my ribs it actually hurt. Every step toward my bedroom felt like walking toward a firing squad.

“No… no, no, no,” I whispered under my breath. “Please don’t let this be what I think it is.”

But it was.

The door swung open, and the world as I knew it cracked straight down the middle.

They were on my bed.

Sheets twisted. Skin tangled. His hands gripping her waist like he had every right to be there. Her nails digging into his back. Their mouths locked together, moving like they’d done this before, like this wasn’t new, like this wasn’t an accident.

Like this wasn’t the first time.

He was whispering into her neck, voice low and hungry. She laughed softly, breath hitching, pulling him closer.

In my bed.

On the sheets I had slept in last night.

For a few horrifying seconds, they didn’t even notice me. That’s how wrapped up they were in each other.

I forced out a cough.

They froze.

Brandon jerked back so fast he nearly tripped over himself, grabbing at the sheets to cover up. Kaitlyn scrambled, eyes wide, clutching fabric to her chest like modesty suddenly mattered.

The silence that followed was deafening.

“No, don’t stop,” I said, my voice shaking but loud. “Please. Continue. I clearly interrupted something important.”

“You’re not supposed to be back this early,” Brandon snapped, panic all over his face. “You said you had a busy day.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I shot back. “Did my schedule inconvenience your little f*****g hookup?”

Kaitlyn opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“You were in my kitchen this morning,” I said, my voice cracking. “You hugged me. You told me you were proud of me.”

She couldn’t even look at me.

“And you,” I turned to Brandon, rage bubbling up so hard it made my hands shake, “you took me on a date last night. You sat across from me and talked about our future.”

“Our future,” I repeated, laughing bitterly. “Was this part of the f*****g plan?”

“It’s not what it looks like” he started.

“Oh, shut the hell up,” I snapped. “I’m not stupid. I’m not blind. I just caught you screwing my best friend in my own bed. What exactly is that supposed to look like?”

The room smelled like sweat and betrayal.

“How long?” I demanded. “How long has this been going on?”

Neither of them answered.

That was answer enough.

Something inside me hardened then. The crying would come later. The breaking down would come later. But right now?

Right now I was furious.

“Get out,” I said.

“Listen, just calm down” Kaitlyn tried.

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” I shouted. “You’re not my best friend. You’re a f*****g snake.”

I grabbed their clothes from the floor and threw them toward the hallway.

“And you,” I pointed at Brandon, “you don’t get to stand in my house and tell me how to react. Get. Out.”

They scrambled to gather their things, shame and panic finally replacing whatever pleasure had been on their faces minutes ago.

I didn’t care if the neighbors saw them. I didn’t care if they had to run to the car half-dressed. I didn’t care about anything except getting them out of my space.

The door slammed shut behind them.

The house fell silent.

And then the anger drained out of me all at once.

My knees gave out. I slid down the door until I hit the floor, my chest heaving like I couldn’t get enough air.

This was real.

This wasn’t a nightmare.

I had breakfast with her.

I kissed him goodbye last night.

And the whole time they were laughing behind my back.

“f**k,” I whispered, the word breaking in my throat. “How did I not see this?”

The humiliation burned worse than the heartbreak. I felt stupid. Used. Played.

But through the tears and the shaking and the overwhelming pain, one thought cut through the chaos:

They betrayed me.

But they will not destroy me.

Not on the same day I found out I’m going to Oxford.

The silence after they left was louder than the shouting.

I stayed on the floor for I don’t know how long, my back pressed against the door, my hands still trembling. The house felt contaminated. Like the walls had witnessed something they shouldn’t have. Like the air itself had turned against me.

My chest hurt.

Not the poetic kind of hurt. The real kind. The kind that makes breathing feel like work.

I let out a sound I didn’t recognize at first—half laugh, half sob. It clawed its way out of me without permission.

“This can’t be real,” I whispered.

But it was.

I pushed myself up slowly and walked toward my bedroom. Each step felt heavy, like I was dragging something invisible behind me.

The door was still open.

The sheets were still twisted.

My pillows were on the floor.

The imprint of what I had seen felt burned into the room.

I swallowed hard and stepped inside.

The bed, my bed, looked different now. Not comforting. Not safe. Just stained with memory. I could still see them there if I closed my eyes. His hands on her. Her mouth on his. The way they moved like they’d done it before.

That was the worst part.

It didn’t look new.

It looked practiced.

“How long?” I whispered again, my voice hollow. “How long have you both been f*****g me over?”

The tears came again, harder this time. I grabbed the sheets and ripped them off the mattress, throwing them across the room like they had personally betrayed me. I stripped the bed down to nothing, as if that could erase what had happened.

My phone buzzed.

I froze.

Brandon.

I stared at the screen as it lit up with his name.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

I let it ring.

Then another notification.

Kaitlyn.

I actually laughed, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. The audacity.

I turned my phone face down on the dresser.

They didn’t get access to me anymore. Not tonight.

I walked to the bathroom and turned on the tap, splashing cold water onto my face. My reflection looked like a stranger. Red eyes. Smudged mascara. Lips trembling.

This morning I had looked at myself and seen someone with a plan.

Now I looked like someone who had just been ripped open.

“I f*****g hate them,” I said to the mirror.

But even as I said it, the hatred tangled with something worse...grief.

I had loved him.

I had trusted her.

That kind of betrayal doesn’t just hurt your heart. It makes you question your instincts. Your judgment. Yourself.

Was I blind?

Was I naïve?

Were there signs?

I replayed everything. The late replies. The “busy” evenings. The times Kaitlyn had asked too many questions about my relationship. The times Brandon had mentioned her name too casually.

How the hell did I miss it?

My legs gave out again, but this time it was in the bathroom. I sat on the cold tile floor, hugging my knees to my chest, letting the sobs come without trying to silence them.

Today was supposed to be the best day of my life.

Oxford.

New beginnings.

Instead, I caught my boyfriend and my best friend screwing each other in my bed.

The irony was cruel.

After what felt like hours, the crying slowed. Not because I felt better, but because I was exhausted. Completely drained. My head pounded. My throat burned. My body felt like it had run a marathon.

I stood up slowly and went back to my room.

The mattress was bare now. I didn’t bother putting on new sheets.

I grabbed a blanket from the closet, the spare one I barely used and laid it over the mattress. I changed into an old oversized T-shirt, one I’d had since high school. Something soft. Something familiar.

My phone buzzed again.

I ignored it.

I lay down carefully, staring at the ceiling.

The house felt too quiet without Kaitlyn’s humming. Without the illusion of normalcy.

“I’m going to Oxford,” I whispered into the darkness.

The words felt fragile now.

Tears slipped silently into my hair.

“I’m still going,” I added, even though no one was there to hear it.

My body finally gave in to the exhaustion I’d been fighting all day. The adrenaline was gone. The anger had burned out. All that was left was a deep, aching emptiness.

As sleep slowly pulled me under, one last thought drifted through my mind:

They broke my heart.

But they don’t get my future.

And with that, I let the darkness take me