MY BEST FRIENDS SISTER

THE FAll

ETHAN’S POV

I was sitting at my desk, just staring at my computer screen, pretending to work on my spreadsheet. My fingers hovered over the keys, but I wasn’t typing. I felt stuck. The office around me was busy, like always. Phones were ringing, people were chatting about their weekends, someone was laughing at the other end of the room. It was all just background noise, the kind you get used to after working in the same place for years. Everything felt normal, maybe even boring. I didn’t expect anything to change that day. I thought it would be just another Monday.

Suddenly, the doors at the end of the room slammed open so hard they banged against the wall. I jumped in my seat, my skin tingling. Everyone went quiet, as if someone had pressed pause on the whole office. I turned around slowly and saw my boss standing in the doorway. His face was bright red and I could see the veins on his neck bulging. He looked unbelievably angry, angrier than I’d ever seen him. His hands were shaking. He stared straight at me and yelled, “ETHAN! HOW DARE YOU?!”

In that moment, my heart stopped beating. I could barely breathe. I sat there, frozen, while everyone else stared at me. People were whispering, but nobody did anything. I could feel dozens of eyes on me. My ears went hot and my mouth felt dry.

I tried to say something, even though I had no idea what was happening. “Sir… I don’t…” I started, but he didn’t let me finish. His hand came out of nowhere and slapped me hard across the face. The sound echoed in the silent room. My cheek stung and I almost fell out of my chair. For a second, everything spun and I couldn’t see straight.

Then his voice was booming again, even louder than before. “You… you..you slept with my wife?!” I heard him shout. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? To me? To my family? To this company?!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My mind just stopped working. It was like my thoughts were far away and I couldn’t grab hold of them. I wanted to explain but I didn’t even know what I was supposed to explain. I just shook my head, feeling sick. “No, sir, please. It’s not like that,” I said. My voice was shaking, and I was scared it would crack and everyone would hear it. “I swear, I didn’t… I don’t even know what’s going on”

But then he took out his phone and shoved it in my face. On the screen was a photo. My stomach dropped. It was me and his wife, in a way I never thought anyone would see, except it wasn’t real. I knew it wasn’t real. The picture looked like we were together, but I could tell it was fake. It was photoshopped, but honestly, unless you looked really close, you’d never know. I could barely breathe.

People around me started whispering more. I could hear their words, even though they tried to keep their voices down. Some people gasped, some covered their mouths. I felt like I was shrinking in my chair, getting smaller and smaller, wishing I could just disappear.

My boss’s voice was trembling with anger. He glared at me and said, “Do you see this, Ethan? I trusted you. I gave you this job! I believed in you! And this is how you repay me? By sleeping with my wife?”

I wanted to shout that it wasn’t true. My hands shook so badly I had to grip the desk to keep me from falling over. I looked around the room, desperate for someone, anyone, to help me. That’s when I saw Mark. He was standing by the window, with his arms crossed and a half-smile on his face. He looked right at me, and in that moment, I knew. It was Mark. He’d always been jealous, always making little comments, always trying to make me look bad. I remembered the threats, the jokes that didn’t seem like jokes, the way he watched me when nobody else was looking. My chest hurt. I knew he had set me up.

“Mark did this!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “He set me up! He’s been messing with us, he’s lying, please sir, you have to believe me!” I looked at my boss, hoping he would listen, hoping someone would stand up for me.

But my boss just got angrier. He pushed away a woman who tried to calm him down. He slapped me again, even harder this time. My face was burning, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the horrible feeling in my chest, like my heart was being crushed.

“You’re fired, Ethan. Get out! Now! And don’t ever come back.” He pointed at the door and shouted for security. “Take him out!”

I couldn’t even argue. I felt empty. I tried to pick up my bag, but my hands wouldn’t work. I stumbled to my feet, bumping into someone’s desk. Papers fell everywhere. People got out of my way, not meeting my eyes. I could hear them whispering, but couldn’t make out the words. Chairs squeaked as everyone tried to look busy, but I knew they were all watching me.

I walked through the doors, barely holding myself together. As soon as I stepped outside, the sunlight hit my face. My hands were shaking and wet. I didn’t know if it was sweat or tears. My whole body felt heavy and weak.

I stood there for a second, trying to breathe. I felt like I was falling and nothing could stop it. My job was gone. My reputation was gone.I didn’t even have anyone to call. My friends were all from work, and I knew they’d already picked sides. I felt like I had nothing left. Mark had destroyed everything. He’d really done it.

Then, as if the world wasn’t bad enough, it started to rain. At first, just a few drops, but then it came down harder and harder. I could feel the cold water soaking through my shirt, but I didn’t care. I let it happen. I stood there, letting the rain wash over me. I was numb all over. The city lights blurred in the rain, and i couldn't get a grasp of the way i felt inside.

I found a brick wall and slid down until I was sitting on the ground. I hugged my knees to my chest and closed my eyes.I didn’t know what I was going to do next. I just knew that nothing would ever be the same again.