A Secret Between Us

The Fallout

Gemma was sitting outside her flat in her car, staring at the driving wheel indifferently. She grasped it with trembling fingers as her thoughts again replayed the scenario she had seen. Aurora's confident grin. Marcus's look of terror. They appeared so at ease and unaffected by their betrayal.

The recollection struck her again like a kick to the stomach, and her chest tightened. How were they able to? Her sense of security in the connections she had fostered for years had been snatched from her by Aurora and Marcus, two individuals she had fully trusted and believed would never betray her.

Now, the tears she had been preventing fell freely down her cheeks. She made no effort to remove them. What was the purpose? She felt as though her heart had been torn from her breast and stomped underfoot, leaving a huge hole that she doubted would ever close. Her ribs hurt with each weak, trembling breath she took because the pain was so intense.

After leaving her parents' house, she ought to have driven directly home, but she was unable to do so. It was unbearable to think about sitting by herself in her tiny flat, surrounded only by her thoughts and isolation. Rather, she had spent hours driving in a state of confusion, with the city lights fading into a jumble of rage, heartache, and disbelief.

She had her hands on the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white, and her nails were driving into her palms hard enough to make marks that resembled crescents. She had turned up the music to block off her thoughts, but the memory that kept repeating in her head was too loud for any song to stop.

Her ears rang with Aurora's laughing. That sound was too loud for Gemma to ignore. It wasn't only the betrayal; it was also their boldness and carelessness. Were they expecting her not to notice? Or worse, were they apathetic?

Throughout the drive, her phone rang multiple times, but she had chosen to ignore it. At this point, she was unable to handle any more.

Gemma dragged herself out of the car at last. As she climbed the stairs to her flat, her legs felt shaky. She struggled with her keys, the cold metal slipping between her shaking fingers. She tried three times before she was able to open the door.

A wave of silence swept over her as soon as she entered. It was not a reassuring silence, but rather one that was oppressive, heavy, and resonating with her thoughts.

Gemma lowered her head into her hands as she slid onto the couch after dropping her handbag on the counter. The tiny apartment reflected the emptiness that had grown inside of her, feeling chilly and lifeless. As though she could somehow keep herself together, she wrapped herself with her arms and held her knees to her chest.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by her phone buzzing once more. Marcus' name flashed over the light screen as she gazed at it.

“Please, Gemma. Let me explain. I must speak with you.” Marcus begged

A new wave of anger gripped her chest and her teeth clenched. What does that mean? How was he going to explain what she had seen?

Her anger was obvious in every keystroke as she wrote a response, her hands shaking.

“Nothing needs to be explained. I witnessed everything. Please, don’t call me again.” she typed back.

The sound of her hitting send and flinging the phone onto the coffee table echoed throughout the silent room as it clattered against the wood.

But the phone buzzed again as soon as she finished. Marcus wasn't the one this time. The person was Aurora.

“Gem, We need to speak, I believe. Just don't be angry. It's not what it seems.” Aurora said.

A lifeless, humorless giggle from Gemma's lips. Not what it seems? Coming from Aurora, that was rich.

She did not attempt to respond. She was too exhausted to keep up with Aurora's lies. Not tonight.

Rather, she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts racing with questions for which she lacked answers. What was the duration of this? Had it been occurring for weeks, or was it merely a brief moment of poor judgment? Months? Her stomach turned at the thought.

Gemma woke up the following morning with a pounding headache and sandpaper-like eyes. Her mind was too preoccupied with the betrayal to find any rest, so she hadn't slept much.

She pushed herself to get out of bed and She dragged her feet to the kitchen because she wanted coffee, lots of it.

As she brewed her coffee, her phone buzzed again. She groaned and picked it up, expecting another message from Aurora or Marcus. But this time, it was her mother.

“We must speak, Gemma. This afternoon, stop by the house.”

She felt a knot in her stomach. She was familiar enough with her mother to understand that this was not a request. Mrs Alexandra commanded rather than asked.

After looking at the message for a while, Gemma typed a brief response.

“Fine,” she replied.

Gemma was nervous when she arrived at her parent's house a few hours later. She had no desire to be present. Another argument with her family was the last thing she needed. She was aware that she couldn't completely ignore them, though.

The mansion was exactly as she had left it the previous evening. Pristine, commanding, and completely inhospitable. She entered and was immediately struck by the aroma of fresh flowers, which stood in sharp contrast to the chaos she was experiencing.

In the living room, her mother was seated like a queen on her throne on the edge of a velvet armchair, waiting for her. Her father's gaze was unreadable as he stood at the window with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Sit down, Gemma," her mother remarked in a harsh voice.

Despite all of her instincts telling her to leave, Gemma obeyed.

Her mother said,

“We need to talk about last night," in a cool but firm voice.

"What you did was totally out of place.”

Gemma blinked with disbelief.

“What did I do? Are you serious?”

As though Gemma hadn't said anything, her mum went on,

"You caused a commotion."

“That kind of running out in the middle of dinner. How embarrassing that was for us… do you know?”

Under the surface, Gemma could feel her rage rising.

"I entered while Marcus and Aurora were there. Did you think I would just sit there and act like nothing was wrong?

At last, her father spoke in a contemptuous tone.

“According to Aurora, there was a miscommunication. Most likely, you overreacted.

Gemma stared at him, in disbelief.

“A misunderstanding? I saw them! They were…”

“Enough," Mrs. Alexandra said.

“What you witnessed is not the point of this. It has to do with your actions. Gemma, you've always been such a drama queen. Everything is always about you.”

The words pierced Gemma's throat more deeply than she wanted to acknowledge.

She gripped the steering wheel like a lifeline as she drove directly to her grandmother's house. With her weak hands stretching out to embrace Gemma, Miss Helena gave her a loving greeting.

“Sweetheart,” she said softly.

“What’s wrong?”

The question released all the feelings Gemma had been holding back. She sobbed onto Helena’s shoulder, feeling like a child again.

When she was done, Helena said in a whisper,

“Listen to me, Gemma. You underestimate how strong you are. Avoid letting them make you feel inferior.