Behind The Bet

CHAPTER4

Her phone sat cold and silent on her nightstand, the screen blank despite the countless times she’d checked it.

Her mind spun with questions. Was he okay? Did he regret everything? Or worse... had he moved on just like that?

A knock interrupted her spiral. Claire stepped in, her face etched with worry.

“Oh mama…” Claire walked quickly to her side, kneeling in front of her. “You’ve been crying nonstop. I’ve called him too, but he’s not responding. Maybe… maybe he just needs space. Let’s not jump to conclusions, okay?”

“No way!” Reyna cried, her voice raw. “I’m not delusional, Claire." We were together just four days ago! He was fine. He showed me a dress on his phone and asked if I liked it!”

She grabbed Claire’s arm, eyes wide with realization. “Claire… that was supposed to be my dress. He was buying it for me!”

She screamed, a soul-deep cry that shook her chest. Her body trembled with exhaustion and heartbreak, yet she tried to stay composed, at least enough, to keep her family from seeing her break completely.

Claire wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly as Reyna wept. “ You don’t have to hide this.

The days dragged painfully. Reyna lay curled on her bed, barely eating, barely sleeping. Her eyes were heavy from crying, her chest hollow. Then, like a cruel joke, her phone buzzed.

David: “Babe, what’s happening?”

She sat up slowly, her fingers trembling as she read the message again. That’s all? After everything?

She swallowed hard and replied:

Reyna: “Where have you been, David? I’ve been terribly sick. I’ve been calling, texting… nothing. You just disappeared. What happened?”

The response came almost instantly.

David: “Hope you’re not pregnant?”

Her heart dropped. That’s all he cared about?

Reyna: “I don’t know… I haven’t gone for a test yet. But I feel weak, tired, and dizzy. I’ve been in pain.”

She waited, hoping for some concern, some emotion, anything.

Reyna (seconds later):“ David, Is there another woman?”

He responded without hesitation.

David: “You can’t be pregnant. Just treat yourself.”

She stared at the message in disbelief, the words piercing deeper than she expected. It wasn’t denial, it was detachment.

Another message followed.

David: “I almost forgot, what’s your genotype?”

She frowned, confused by the question. It felt random, impersonal.

Reyna: “AA.”

He read it… then went offline.

Just like that.

No “take care,” no “I miss you,” no “I’m coming over.” Nothing.

Reyna stared blankly at the screen. Her throat closed up as fresh tears spilled. The man she gave everything to couldn’t even fake concern.

She took a screenshot, opened her chat with Claire, and dropped the image with a simple caption:

“He texted.”

Then she dropped the phone on the bed, covered her face, and sobbed not just from heartbreak, but from the realization that she was slowly losing the man she once thought she’d spend her life with.

Claire stared at the screenshot for a while before replying, “Rey, that wasn’t a conversation. That was emotional damage dressed as a text.”

Reyna curled deeper under her duvet, her fingers cold against the phone. “I know. But at least he responded. "That has to mean something… right?”

“No,” Claire replied almost immediately. It means he’s doing the bare minimum, and you're still hoping for magic. He ghosted you when you needed him the most and came back asking about your genotype like he was picking livestock. ”

Reyna’s chest tightened. Claire was right, but her heart wasn’t ready to agree. She placed a hand on her lower belly, as though the silence in her womb needed comfort too.

Later that night, as rain tapped softly on the window, Reyna got another message. It was from David again.

David: “You should focus on getting better. I have a lot going on. Let’s not make this more complicated.”

She stared at the words. “Let’s not make this more complicated?” Her lips trembled. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard but then dropped. There was nothing left to say. Not tonight.

Reyna didn’t sleep that night.

The silence in her room was too loud, too painful. She kept rereading his message like it might change the more she stared. “Let’s not make this more complicated.” But it was already complicated. Her heart, her body, everything was tangled in a web he helped spin.

By morning, her eyes were sore, but her mind was sharper. She sat up, grabbed her journal, and began to write.

"Dear David,

I was never supposed to fall for you. But I did.

I trusted you with the parts of me that had never seen daylight.

I gave you my heart, and everything I have.

And yet, you text me like I’m a stranger asking for too much."

A knock interrupted her. Claire peeked in, holding a warm mug. “You haven’t eaten. Come out, at least get some air.”

Reyna nodded, wiping her eyes. “I think… I think I’m done chasing silence.”

Claire looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m done trying to get him to care. I’m going to be okay. With or without David Reynolds.”

Claire gave a small smile. “That’s my girl.”

But deep down, Reyna knew it wasn’t that simple. The heart doesn’t heal just because you say it should. It breaks. It bleeds. It remembers.

And sometimes, it still hopes.

Reyna sat on the edge of her bed with her best friend Claire, her phone pressed tightly to her ear, tears quietly slipping down her cheeks. Her auntie's voice came through as steady, loving, but direct.

“Aunt, I’m tired… I’ve tried everything with David,” Reyna said, her voice shaking. He doesn't call, doesn't check on me. I feel like I'm forcing myself on him. ”

Her aunt took a small pause, then calmly asked, “Reyna, let me ask you… does he send you money regularly?”

“No,” Reyna replied softly.

“Does he pay your bills, support you, or care when you’re going through things?”

Reyna wiped her face. “No ma.”

“Does he offer emotional support? Show you real love and respect?”

Another silence. “No.”

Her aunt sighed, not with pity, but with wisdom. “Then he’s not your man. And honestly? That’s a good thing.”