My heart still aches with a dull, constant throb.
It was supposed to be a regular Tuesday evening.
I had left work early, a surprise for Mark.
We had planned a cozy night in, just the two of us.
He was my fiancé, my rock, my future.
Sarah was my best friend, my confidante, my sister by choice.
They had known each other almost as long as Mark and I had been together.
I had even introduced them, beaming with pride at my perfect little world.
I pictured Mark's face when I walked in, probably on the couch playing video games.
A smile touched my lips as I quietly unlocked the front door.
I wanted to sneak up on him.
The apartment was oddly silent, usually there was music or the TV on.
I kicked off my shoes in the hallway, trying to be extra quiet.
A faint, unfamiliar sound drifted from our bedroom.
It wasn't the sound of video games.
It wasn't the sound of quiet reading.
It was a soft, rhythmic creak.
A cold knot formed in my stomach, sudden and unwelcome.
I pushed the bedroom door open, slowly, hesitantly.
The scene that greeted me froze my blood.
It was them.
Mark.
And Sarah.
Tangled together in our bed.
My bed.
The one we picked out together.
The one where we whispered our dreams and made plans for a future that now lay in ruins.
The world tilted on its axis.
My vision blurred, but the image burned into my mind with horrific clarity.
Sarah's hair fanned out on my pillow.
Mark's arm around her.
Their faces, startled, caught in the act.
Pure, unadulterated shock stole my breath.
My lungs seized, unable to pull in air.
A strangled sound escaped my throat, a mix of a gasp and a sob.
Their heads snapped towards me.
Their eyes, wide with guilt and terror, met mine.
Mark’s face went white, draining of all color.
Sarah pulled the sheets tighter around her, her jaw slack.
"Emily?" Mark stammered, his voice a pathetic whisper.
"How long?" I managed to choke out, the words raw and scraped.
It wasn't a question I expected an answer to.
The answer was written all over their faces.
Months, maybe years.
The betrayal hit me like a physical blow.
It wasn't just my fiancé.
It was my best friend.
My sister.
The one person I thought I could tell anything to.
The one who had comforted me through family struggles, career setbacks, and doubts about Mark.
Every laugh, every shared secret, every hug felt like a poisoned dagger now.
They had been laughing at me.
