It's Only You

I pulled over in front of my boyfriend’s apartment building, a soft smile tugging at my lips. It had been two weeks since I last saw Kevin, and the distance had only made me miss him more. I had heard he was back in town, and I wanted to surprise him. Linda, my best friend, walked beside me, carrying the small bag of snacks we had picked up on the way, chatting lightly as if this were any other day. I reached into my bag and pulled out the spare key Kevin had given me. My heart beat faster with excitement as I slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. What I saw inside stopped me cold. Kevin was sitting on the couch, his arms wrapped tightly around Anna, my other best friend. Their lips were pressed together, desperate, familiar, as though they had done this before. My whole world tilted. I froze in the doorway, unable to move, unable to breathe. The air felt too heavy in my lungs, and my chest tightened so painfully I thought I might collapse right there. “Kevin…” My voice came out weak, trembling, like it didn’t belong to me. He pulled back immediately, his face draining of colour. “Amara, wait___ it’s not what it looks like,” he stuttered. Linda stood frozen beside me, the bag slipping slightly in her hand, her mouth parted and eyes wide with disbelief. Anna turned fully toward me. Her gaze was steady, almost bored. No guilt. No shame. Not what it looks like? My hands began to shake. In that moment, something inside my chest cracked like glass shattering. I wanted to scream and cry, to demand answers, but the words lodged painfully in my throat. “You…” I whispered, my voice breaking as my eyes moved between Kevin and Anna. “The two of you… how could you?” No one answered. The silence screamed louder than any confession ever could. My legs gave out, and I fell to the floor, powerless, humiliated and broken. “Kevin, how dare you?” Linda growled, rage boiling over in her voice. She stormed forward and struck him hard across the face. “You bastard! How could you toy with our feelings?” she cried, tears brimming in her eyes. “What do you mean by our?” I whispered, dread curling in my stomach. “I… I__” Linda stammered, her voice cracking as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Kevin, then back at me, unable to meet my eyes. Anna stepped forward coldly, her words sharp and laced with venom. “Oh, drop the act, Linda. You are just as much of a snake as I am. Or did you forget you were sleeping with him behind her back too?” The room spun again. My eyes darted between them, desperately searching their faces for anything that would tell me this wasn’t real. But all I found was guilt. I felt tears burn at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of them. I forced myself to stand, stepping back slowly, shaking my head as I clung to the last pieces of my strength. Kevin stepped toward me, reaching out. “Amara, please__” I brushed his hand away. “You’re all dead to me,” I whispered, my voice trembling with anger and pain. Then I turned and ran. With every step down the hallway, I felt myself shutting down piece by piece until all that remained was the sharp sound of my heels against the floor and the crushing weight of betrayal echoing in my heart. By the time I reached my car, tears were already streaming down my face. I climbed inside, shut the door, and finally let it all out. I cried until my chest ached and my head throbbed. When the pain dulled into exhaustion, I wiped my tears and drove off. When I got home, I stepped out of the car and walked inside. My mother was in the kitchen, and my sister Amelia sat on the sofa reading. The moment she saw my face, her eyes lifted and filled with worry. “What happened?” she asked. I didn’t answer. Mom appeared a moment later, concern etched across her face. She asked the same question, but I moved past them in silence and went upstairs without a word. Amelia stood and followed me, leaving Mom frozen in the kitchen. “Sis, what’s wrong?” she asked gently, closing my bedroom door behind her. “He cheated,” I whispered. “He cheated with Anna and Linda.” The words broke me. I cried out. Amelia gasped and rushed forward, pulling me into her arms. She didn’t speak. She didn’t have to. She just held me and let me fall apart against her. After a while, we sat on the bed in silence, her arms still wrapped around me, her presence the only thing keeping me together. Slowly, I pulled away. “Can you leave me alone, please?” I asked softly. She nodded without arguing, stood up, and quietly left, closing the door behind her. When I was alone, the breakdown came again deeper this time. My heart felt unbearably heavy, shattered beyond repair. The world had slipped right through my fingers, and no matter how hard I tried to breathe through it, the pain refused to fade. It wasn’t going away anytime soon.