Chapter 4: The betrayal That Shattered Everything

The weight of Andrew's confession pressed down on Grace, each word a jagged shard of glass lodged deep within her chest. The apartment, once their sanctuary, now felt like a cold, unfamiliar place. A place where every corner held the echo of a love that had crumbled, a trust that had been fractured beyond repair. She had always believed in the promises Andrew had made, the life they had built together, and the certainty that they had something unbreakable. But now, the harsh truth shattered it all.

Her mind raced back, piece by piece, to moments she had never questioned before. The late nights, the unexplained absences, the casual excuses that had once seemed so harmless. She had dismissed them as nothing more than stress from work, or his usual need for space. But now, in the aftermath of the letter, those moments were stained with a new and terrifying understanding.

Six years.

Six years of hidden lies. Six years of betrayal. The very thought of it sent a chill down her spine. How could he have done this to her? To them?

Grace's stomach churned. She had known Sarah, of course. In fact, Sarah wasn't just some stranger who had crept into their lives unnoticed. Sarah had been a friend—someone she had trusted. They had shared dinners, laughter, even tears. Sarah had always been kind, warm, and seemingly sincere. Grace had never once suspected that behind that smile, Sarah had been sharing something so intimate, so destructive, with her husband.

The realization hit like a tidal wave.

Sarah had known the man Grace had loved. She had known him intimately.

The tears that Grace had been holding back began to fall, streaming down her face in hot, uncontrollable waves. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the couch, clutching the letter to her chest as if it could somehow shield her from the pain. She felt a hollow ache deep inside her, a void that threatened to swallow her whole.

The betrayal was not just from Andrew. It was from Sarah too. The woman she had once called a friend.

How long had it been going on? How long had they hidden this from her, living their lives in the shadows while she walked around in the daylight, oblivious to the truth? Every memory with Sarah now felt tainted, twisted by the lies that had been so carefully constructed. Grace could hardly breathe. She couldn't reconcile the woman she had trusted with the one who had stolen pieces of her life in silence.

She could almost feel the crushing weight of it—the weight of the betrayal, the weight of the years she had spent building a life with a man who had never truly been hers to begin with.

Her chest tightened. She was suffocating.

How could she ever look at Sarah the same way again? How could she even stand to be in the same room with her after knowing the truth? But Andrew—her husband, the man she had loved with every fiber of her being—was the one who had made the ultimate choice. He had chosen to love her and Sarah, to weave his life between the two women, unable to decide who he truly wanted. Grace had never been enough. She had given everything, but somehow, it hadn't been enough.

"I loved you so much, Grace, I couldn't admit I needed more."

The words echoed in her mind, the sting of them leaving a permanent scar. What did he expect her to do with that? With a truth that wasn't even a confession of guilt, but an explanation for his own weakness?

Grace squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could wake up from this nightmare, wishing it could all be a cruel joke. But the harsh reality was undeniable. The man she had built her life around—the man she had given her trust, her loyalty, her heart—had broken her.

And Sarah. The woman who had been a part of their lives. The one Grace had never suspected. The one who had been there, right under her nose.

She let out a strangled sob, feeling as though her entire world was collapsing in on itself. The life she had known was gone. Andrew was gone. And Sarah, once a friend, was a stranger in the worst possible way.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, numb and broken. It felt like hours, but time had lost all meaning. Grace had no idea what came next. Her heart felt as though it was being torn from her chest, each beat more painful than the last. She wanted to scream, to rage, to demand answers. But nothing could bring back the years that had been stolen from her.

The silence of the apartment was deafening.

But then, through the haze of her grief, something began to stir within her. It was small, fragile—like a flicker of light in the darkness. A resolve, a quiet but unmistakable certainty.

The betrayal that had shattered everything didn't have to be the end. Grace didn't know what the future held. She didn't know how she would heal or if she ever could. But one thing was clear: she wouldn't let this define her. She wouldn't let Andrew's choices destroy the person she was meant to be.

She stood up, wiping away the tears, and walked to the kitchen to drink water, She has to be strong.