STAY WITH ME.

CHAPTER ONE.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Winston.” I waved to the receptionist as I left the hospital, my heart racing with anticipation. I couldn’t wait to get home to Jake. Today marked our fifth anniversary, and even though I was scheduled for an extra shift tonight, someone had stepped in at the last minute. I decided to keep my early return a surprise.

The drive home was quick, the familiar streets blurring past as I hummed to myself, excitement bubbling up inside me. Pulling into the driveway, I took a moment to appreciate the cozy glow of our home. It felt like the perfect ending to a long day.

As I stepped inside, however, an unsettling quiet enveloped me. “Jake?” I called out, but no response came. The house felt strangely empty. On the dining table, a half-eaten container of Chinese takeout lay abandoned, its once inviting aroma now mingling with the stale scent of loneliness. Clothes were strewn across the floor, a mess that stood in stark contrast to the romantic dinner I had imagined. I was walking towards the kitchen when i saw it- a leopard-print bra draped over the back of the sofa.

What the hell? That’s definitely not mine.

The faint sound of giggles floated from upstairs. I froze, my blood turning to ice.

No. He definitely doesn’t have someone up there.

Without thinking, I marched up the stairs, my heart pounding with every step. I swung the bedroom door open-and there they were.

Jake. In bed. With Lily. My sister??.

“Oh my God” My voice barely came out as I stared at them, my mind spinning in disbelief.

They jumped apart, their faces plastered with fear.

“Oh my God,” I repeated, louder this time, rage bubbling up inside me. “You bastards!!!”

“Emma, I swear, it’s not what you think!” Jake scrambled out of bed, his face pale.

I let out a dry, bitter laugh, wiping my tears away as they started falling. “Oh, Jake, by all means, explain to me what I’m thinking right now”

“Emma. it was a mistake.”

I snapped. “A mistake? You’re in our bed. OUR BED -with my sister, on our anniversary, and you call this a mistake?” My voice cracked, the disbelief turning into sharp, raw pain. “You couldn’t stop for even a second to think about me? How you were hurting me? Both of you?”

The tears I hadn’t realized were pouring down my cheeks were now flowing freely. My head swam as I tried to process the image of the two of them, together, in the place I called home.

Jake reached out, his voice breaking. “Emma, please. I love you-”

I slapped him hard across the face, silencing him mid-sentence. He staggered back, holding his cheek, shock in his eyes.

“Don’t you dare say that to me,” I hissed. “You don’t love me. Not after this.”

Lily finally spoke, her voice trembling. “Emma, I-”

“Shut up, Lily,” I cut her off, the venom in my words even shocking me. “You don’t get to say a damn thing.”

Jake tried again. “We.. We didn’t mean for this to happen”

I shook my head, feeling like I could collapse under the weight of it all. “I don’t want to hear another word from either of you. You’re both dead to me.”

And with that, I turned and walked into our shared closet, I could feel Jake following closely behind me, I ignored his pleas as i began to shove clothes into a suitcase. I didn’t even know where I’d go but I knew I couldn’t stay here - not with them.

“Emma would you listen?” Jake’s voice trembled with urgency

I ignored him, grabbing a handful of shirts and tossing them into a suitcase, my movements frantic and sharp. “What do you want me to say Jake? That it’s all fine? That i will forget about this? You’ve broken everything we had!”

He stepped closer, reaching out as if he could physically pull me back. “You don’t mean that. Just let me explain-“

“Explain what? How you betrayed me with my sister? There is nothing to explain!” I shot back, my hands trembling as I threw in a pair of jeans. “You have made your choice”

Jake’s face crumpled. “I love you, I made a mistake and I’m sorry! Please don’t do this”

I paused, momentarily caught by the pain in his voice but the image of him in bed with Lily surged back to the forefront of my mind. “You slept with my sister on our anniversary Jake, that is barely a mistake. You don’t get to take that back”

“Just give me a chance to fix this!” He reached for my arm, his grip firm but pleading.

I wrenched my arm away, feeling like i was unraveling. “Fix this? You think you can just fix it? You can’t erase what happened. You can’t erase her” I gestured towards the bedroom, the pain still fresh and raw”

He stepped back, his expression shifting from pleading to anguish. “Emma please don’t go. We can work this out, I swear I’ll do anything”

But I couldn’t stand there another moment, watching him crumble. I zipped up my suitcase and moved to the door, every step feeling heavier than the last. Lily was gone when i re-entered the bedroom, I didn’t expect any different from her. I faced Jake and looked at him one last time, The man I thought would never hurt me this way. “I’m done Jake. You’re dead to me”

**********************************************

I stepped out of the house, my breath coming in ragged gasps as i slammed the door behind me. The air outside felt sharp against my skin, a bitter contrast to the warmth i had just fled. I climbed into my car, the weight of everything that happened this evening crashed on me. As I started the engine, tears streamed down my face, blurring the streetlight that flickered by. I drove aimlessly around the neighbour hood, feeling utterly lost. Each sob rattled through me, echoing my heartbreak. My phone buzzed continuously on the passenger seat- Jake. I didn’t need to look to know it was him. The calls wouldn’t stop. Every few minutes, another one came in, and after each call a voice notification followed. I couldn’t bring myself to listen. Nothing could erase the sight of him in bed with Lily. I ignored every call, gripping the steering wheel tighter as i drive.

After driving in circles for a couple of minutes, the growing emptiness gnawing at me, I realized I had no one to turn to, Jake had been my rock, my only close friend and now he was the source of my pain. Work friends weren’t close enough to bear the weight of this- especially not tonight, on what should’ve been our anniversary. My mind wandered to my parents. Surely, they’d understand and take me in.

Without thinking, I turned the car in the direction of their house. I didn’t know what I was hoping for but I needed someone to validate the anger consuming me, to tell me I wasn’t crazy for walking away.

I could see the warm glow of their living room light as i pulled into the street. My heart hammered in my chest as I parked and wiped my tears, hoping to regain some composure before stepping inside.

“Mom? Dad” I called out as I walked into the house, my voice cracking.

My mother appeared first, her face lighting up before she registered my tear- stained cheeks. “Emma! What’s wrong honey?”

“Jake has been cheating on me” I whispered to her

“What?” she said while my dad joined us in the living room

“Jake has been cheating on me with Lily” I said staring straight at her.

Her hands flew straight to her mouth. “Emma how did this happen? Omg poor Lily”

Wait what?? Poor Lily?

“What do you mean poor Lily?”

“Emma you know Lily. I just know Jake manipulated her, She would never do something like that”

I blinked, stunned by her words. “What?”

My father quickly jumped in. “Jake probably took advantage of her kindness, you know how he can be Emma. He’s always been persuasive”

“You’re excusing her? She knew exactly what she was doing! They both did!”

My mother placed a hand on my arm, Her face soft with pity. “We’re not excusing it but you have to see- she’s your little sister, you know she’s not as strong as you. maybe she was confused-“

“Oh my God you’re actually defending her!” I shouted, the disbelief burning my chest. “She’s not some innocent little girl, mom! She knew exactly what she was doing!”

“Don’t raise your voice at your mother!” my father warned, his face darkening.

“I’m raising my voice because you’re both acting like this is nothing!” I snapped back, tears stinging my eyes. “This isn’t just some mistake! She slept with my husband- on our anniversary! And you still won’t hold her accountable. She’s selfish, she’s always been selfish because you two let her be. you’ve coddled her since we were kids and look where it’s gotten us. she does whatever she wants and you just make excuses for her”

“Emma that’s not true” mom whispered staring at me like I had just commited blasphemy

“Oh it is. It’s been true my whole life” I shot back, my voice thick with emotion. “You’ve always treated Lily differently because she’s your daughter. And I’m not”

Mom froze, Her eyes widening in shock. “That’s not fair”

“Oh stop acting so shocked!” I sneered. “You never cared about me the way you care about her. Because I’m not really yours, am I?”

“That’s enough Emma” My father barked at me, ever ready to protect his precious wife and daughter.

“No dad. Lily is not a child, stop treating her like one! she knew exactly what she was doing and you’re both acting like i’m the problem”

The tension in the room was suffocating. My father’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, his jaws tight. “We’re not saying that but you don’t get to come in here and blame your mother for this. she’s doing her best-“

“Her best? This is her best?” I laugh bitterly. “Her best is letting Lilly get away with eveything. And your best? Is letting both of them get away with their selfishness”

“I said that’s enough!!” He yelled, his voice booming in the small room.

I took a step back, shaking my head. “I don’t even know why i can’t here, I guess i thought my parents would have my back for once. Guess I was wrong”

The words hung in the air as I turned, storming out before I could say anything more. As I slammed the door behind me, the last bit of hope I’d held onto shattered into pieces.