She thought she had everything – a loving husband, a newborn daughter and a best friend who felt like family. But one night he changed everything. Ten years later, just when I had finally gotten over it, she showed up at my door, she looked like a ghost of the woman I once met.
Probably everyone had a best friend who felt almost like a sister, someone closer than anyone else. Someone who knew you inside and out. Well, a best friend like that ruined my life.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie and I became friends at school and since then we had been inseparable. We did everything together: school projects, birthday parties, pajama parties.
People called us twins, although we didn’t look alike at all. And although the older we got, the more different we were, that never interfered with our friendship.
Katie had always been the soul of the party: a partying woman, free and self-confident.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She was the one who danced on the tables, the one who laughed the loudest, the one who caught everyone’s attention without even trying.
So when I told him that I was getting married, I didn’t expect any other reaction than: “Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll have fun for both of us.”
Even so, Katie and my fiancé Dave became friends; they really had no choice because Katie and I spent a lot of time together.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
If someone wanted to be close to me, they also had to accept Katie. He cried at my wedding, although he had promised he wouldn’t do it.
“Do you want me to throw the bouquet so you can catch it?” I asked Katie in the middle of the wedding.
“If you throw me the bouquet, I will never forgive you. My soul is not ready for commitment,” she replied, and we both laughed.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
When I got pregnant, Katie was as happy as Dave and I. He was with me throughout the pregnancy.
He held my hair when I had morning nausea, helped me choose things for the baby and helped me clean the house when my belly had already become huge. I was infinitely grateful to fate for having given me such a friend.
The birth was very difficult, and after giving birth, Katie did not separate from Maya.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He helped in everything he could and filled Maya with gifts. He even started to stay asleep to help me.
One night, Katie and I were sitting in the kitchen drinking tea. Maya slept upstairs. The house was silent.
“Maybe you want to have a child too?” I asked him while serving him another cup.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He looked at me and shook his head. “Oh, no. That’s too much. Too much responsibility.”
“But you’re so good with Maya,” I told her. ” You feed her, you change her, you shick her to fall asleep. You help more than anyone else.”
Katie sketched a small smile. “Yes, but she’s your daughter. Not mine. That’s different. I like to help, but I don’t want this for myself.”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Don’t you want a family?” I asked.
“No. Not now. Maybe never. I don’t want a man, a house, a life. It seems like a trap to me.”
I was silent for a moment. “I want that. I want this life. I want her with Dave.”
Katie looked at me. “You’ve been lucky. Dave is weird. Most men are not like him.”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Just then Dave came in. He approached from behind and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“Katie, here again?” he said with a smile. “Maybe we should give you a key. This is also almost your house.”
We all laughed. But later I realized that the joke was getting closer to the truth. Katie was part of the family. And maybe I wanted more.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
One night, when Maya was three months old, Katie went back to sleep. The girl had cramps.
He cried often and woke up a lot during the night. Katie said she wanted to help. She called herself “Aunt Katie” and said she didn’t mind losing sleep.
It was late. The house was silent, but something woke me up. I heard a noise and got into bed.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
At first, I thought Maya was crying again. I listened carefully, but it wasn’t her. The sound came from downstairs.
I stretched out my hand and felt the empty space next to me. Dave wasn’t in bed. It seemed strange to me.
I got up and walked slowly towards the kitchen. I was still half asleep, but as I got closer, I heard soft voices. Then I saw them.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie and Dave. Together. Right there. In my kitchen. I was frozen. My heart was beating hard. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t move.
Katie saw me first. He opened his eyes wide. He pushed Dave away and hurried to grab his clothes. Dave didn’t move quickly. He stayed there, calm, as if nothing had happened.
It was my house. My baby is upstairs. And they didn’t care.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie stood there, trembling. Then he knelt down and started crying. Her face was wet with tears. His voice was strong and broken.
“Alexis, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… please forgive me,” he said over and over again.
I stood there. His hands were cold. My whole body was shaking.
“Why?” I asked. My voice came out weak and thin. “Why did you do this to me?”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie looked at me. His eyes were red. His face was pale. “I don’t know what happened. Please forgive me. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again. I promise you.”
He approached me, still crying. But Dave grabbed her arm and put her on her feet.
“Don’t humiliate yourself in front of her,” he told her. Then he looked directly at me. “You’ve looked for it, Alexis. We haven’t done anything for months.”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I stared at him. “Because I was pregnant with your daughter!” I shouted. “Gill birth to our daughter! Do you know what that did to me? And now you say this?”
“I’m your husband. I have needs,” he said.
“And I’m your wife!” I shouted. “But that didn’t stop you from sleeping with my best friend!”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie kept crying. “I’m sorry, I’m very sorry.”
Dave’s voice became louder. “What was I supposed to do? It’s the instincts. You let Katie stay. You let her sleep here. I couldn’t resist.”
“Instincts?!”, I shouted. “What instincts?! Are you an animal?!”
Dave’s face changed. He looked tired. “I’m not going to explain anything to you. Anyway, you won’t understand,” he said.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He took Katie by the hand and went to the door. She kept crying. He kept looking at me. “I’m sorry,” he said again. Then the door slammed shut.
I collapsed on a chair and started sobbing. My whole body was shaking. My chest hurt. I could barely breathe.
How could they do this to me? My best friend. My husband. I kept seeing them in the kitchen.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I kept hearing Katie cry and Dave’s cold voice. I couldn’t understand it. Nothing made sense.
Dave never came back. Not even once. He left everything behind. So I packed his clothes, his books, everything he owned.
I put everything out. Then I asked for a divorce. I took away parental authority. He didn’t even object. I also kept the house.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Pexels
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Pexels
I went through the divorce with great difficulty. Every day seemed like a struggle to stay strong.
I was left alone with a little girl in my arms. Maya cried a lot. My parents helped me as much as they could.
They took turns to hold the baby, prepare the food and try to cheer me up. But the pain of betrayal stayed with me. It hurt deeply.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Even so, time passed. Ten whole years. Maya became an intelligent, kind and beautiful girl. I found a new job and slowly rebuilt my life and my career.
I made peace with the past. I stopped thinking about Katie and Dave. I thought they had left my world forever.
Then, one day, I heard the doorbell. I opened the door and I froze. There was a woman standing.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She looked like Katie, but not like the Katie I remembered. She was thin, tired and pale. His eyes were sunken. His smile had disappeared.
“Hello, Alexis,” he said. His voice was soft, almost difficult to hear.
I stared at her. My heart began to beat faster. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie looked down and began to cry. “I have no one to turn to,” he said. His shoulders trembled as he spoke.
I stayed there for a moment. Then I stepped aside. “Come in.”
He entered slowly. We sat on the couch. I watched her carefully. It looked like a shadow of the girl I knew.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I’m sick,” she said. “I need treatment. I need money. I don’t know who else to ask.”
I stared at her. “And Dave?”
He let out a dry laugh. “We broke up after two years. He cheated on me again. I wasn’t the only one for him. He never changed.”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I nodded. “I’m not surprised.”
“You have every right to hate me. You have every right to kick me out,” he said. His eyes filled with tears again. “I hurt you. And now it seems that life is returning the damage to me.”
I slowly shook my head. “Let me ask you something. Why? Why did you do it?”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Katie looked away. “I don’t know. Maybe she was jealous. You had everything. A good man. A home. A daughter.”
“You never wanted that kind of life,” I said. “And it was far from perfect.”
“I know. I said I didn’t want her, but maybe deep down I did. Maybe I just didn’t know how to handle it. I made a big mistake. I can’t explain it. I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Forgive me, Alexis.”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Apologies won’t change the past,” I said.
“I know,” Katie whispered and lowered her head.
“I think this conversation is over,” I said. I got up and left the room.
When I came back, Katie was at the door with her bag.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Wait,” I said. “I didn’t tell you to leave.”
She turned, surprised. “But I thought…”
I gave him an envelope. “This is for your treatment. If you need more, let me know.”
He trembled his hand as he took it. “I don’t know how to thank you. I’ll give it back to you, I promise.”
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Don’t think about it now. Focus on getting better.”
“So… have you forgiven me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I did it. Maybe I just accepted what happened. You were once my friend. I can’t let you suffer.”
“Thank you,” Katie said. He leaned towards me and hugged me.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
It was hard for me to get over it, but I hugged him back. Not because he had forgotten what he did. Not because the pain has disappeared. I did it because she needed it.
She was devastated and could see it in her eyes. Life had already punished her in ways that I could never. I had lost everything. I had no reason to hurt him more.
Now my life was full. I had Maya, my home, my peace. And maybe, without wanting to, Katie had saved me. If things had continued with Dave, he could have ended up more hurt than I ever imagined.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
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