I knew what I was signing up for when I entered into a relationship with Zak. 

The long work hours, being away from home, his fan base, the online hate that came with our relationship being out in the public. But for the last two weeks of him being home, I could sense a change in him. 

At first I thought that maybe he had brought home an attachment, that he was struggling with the aftermath of work, but after talking with the guys, I found out that the investigation wasn't a negative one. If anything it was quiet the opposite. Which meant the problem stemmed from home...

He was distant and often came to bed long after I had fallen asleep. Then he would wake first thing and be at the museum until late. Was I the problem?

Every time I suggested that we spent the day together, he would say that he was busy. If I tried to organise dinner, he would tell me that he will grab something on the way home and to eat without him. All physicality of our relationship was gone.

So here I was, stood at the large glass windows, staring out at the Vegas skyline, wondering what was going on with him and when this would end. Glancing at Gracie, I frown knowing that if it wasn't for me, she would be here alone, a lot. 

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I go onto social media and let the sinking feeling settle into my stomach as I see the notifications piled up at the bottom of the screen. From tagged photos to private messages. Zak warned me about all this, but it didn't prepare me for what I had to put up with.  Complete strangers pulling and dissecting my life, commenting on my appearance and clothing. I'm too fat, I'm a solid 2 and he is a 10. How he can do much better than me. Etc. 

For a while I would look at these messages and feel self-conscious, sometimes I would let that negativity turn inwards and I would pick apart my appearance, wondering if I was delusional about what I saw when I looked in the mirror. It took me sometime to block out the hate and look for the supporters in this kind of shit show. 

My thumb hovers over the inbox until I eventually cave, names of people fill my screen, all sending some type of message, from hate to support to memes. Weighing up my options of going to bed alone or reading these, I sit myself down on the couch and begin opening them one by one. 

15 messages in and deleted, I'm about to shut my phone off when I see Zak's name in a subject line. Curiosity gets the better of me and I click on it. 

- He is cheating on you.

I sigh. 

The amount of messages I had received like this makes my head swim, at first there was some suspicion around it. Especially when I felt insecure, but when they told me Zak was cheating on me with them, at that very moment, whilst Zak was asleep beside me, I began to dismiss them. But just as I am about to delete the message, another message from the same person crops up. 

It's a photo..

Rolling my jaw, I debate deleting the message without opening it. But with his distant behaviour, I find myself clicking on it. That is when I see him and then I see her...

*Sent Photo*

*Sent Photo*

*Sent Photo*

Images began to fill my screen, one after another. Showing me all the proof I would need, from messages to photos of him.

My worst fears had been confirmed..

*****

It's late when I hear Zak's car pull into the garage and I'm still in the lounge, sat in the darkness, waiting. I hear him enter the house and toss his keys down before walking past me, completely unaware that I was sat there. There was some irony in that, I guess. 

Closing my eyes, I try to work out where he is in the house, and wondering if he will come looking for me when he realises that I am not in bed. But he doesn't. Instead he showers... Wonder if he has been with another woman tonight?

When he gets into bed tonight, I won't be there. In my place will be the photos that were sent. 

After 30 minutes, I see the bathroom light turn off and within 10 minutes the bedroom light is turned on. I don't move when he calls my name, instead I sit there, in the dark welcoming it's coldness. 

The lounge light flicks on, making me close my eyes briefly before I open them to see him stood in front of me, holding the photos. 

"I can explain.."  He says. 

My heart shatters and I stand up slowly. "Wrong three words. I wanted it's not me." I tell him. 

"I-"

"Don't." I interrupt. "Do not stand there and feed me some bullshit excuse, I don't want to hear it. How could you?"

"It was a mistake." He insists, reaching out towards me. 

"Don't you dare touch me!" I shout as tears being to fill my eyes. 

"Please. Please don't cry."

"Am I suppose to be happy?!" 

"No.. But I can explain, if you will let me."

I scoff. "Explain what?! What could you possibly say that will justify that?! What are you going to say, that it isn't recent? That it is before me? That it isn't you and it's photoshopped? That they are Deep Fakes?"

He lowers his head in guilt. 

"How can you explain it, Zak? Did you slip and fall into her bed?! Look at them! LOOK!" I scream snatching them out of his hand and throwing them in his face.

 "After everything! You told me that the rumours online were bullshit! But they weren't.. Were they? You're a cheating piece of shit!" I scream, shoving him in the chest. His lack of fight is a kick in the gut, it's like he has already given up on our relationship and deep down, a part of me still wants him to fight for us.

"It meant nothing!" He shouts finally.

"IT MEANT EVERYTHING! IT MEANT EVERYTHING TO ME!" I cry, hitting my chest. "Was I not enough?! Am I not pretty enough? Do I not dress sexy enough?! What has she got that I haven't?!"

His brows furrow. "Of course you're enough."

"Liar!" 

I wiping the tears, I reach down and pick up my holdall off the floor. "I hope she was worth it."

His eyes flash from my bag to my eyes. "Y-You can't leave."

"You haven't given me a choice." I answer, pushing past him and heading towards the front door. 

"You can't leave me! I need you!" 

Spinning, I fire back. "You didn't need me when you were in her bed! You didn't need me when you were cheating on me! I should have listened to all those trolls online, because it seems as if they knew you better than I did."

"You are wrong. Please let's just sit down and talk about this. It's late..."

"Now you want to talk?!" I laugh. "Two weeks, two weeks you've barely uttered a word to me. You haven't wanted me any where near you and now I know why... Do the crew know? Because she said she was in California.. Which meant this happened whilst on lockdown."

He looks down to the floor and nods.

"So they all know. Bet they had a laugh when I rang them concerned for you. How could I be so damn stupid!"  I turn and begin heading for the door again. 

"But I love you." He says as if it's going to heal the wounds that he has created.

"If you did.. You would have never gotten into her bed or her messages. Like I said, I hope she was worth it."

Pulling open the door, I can barely see my car on the drive through all my tears, but I know that I have to leave. That I have get out before he talks me around, because despite the pain I'm in, I still love him and that pathetic piece in my heart still wants him to make it all alright. 

"Don't go. Just come back in and we can talk. Please!" He begs approaching the door as I look over my shoulder. 

I shake my head. "You broke this. You... I- Uh.. Gracie needs you to be home more, which shouldn't be too hard now that you haven't got to avoid me. It's not right that she is at home all day on her own."

"Sweetie. Please.." 

"Goodbye Zak."

***************

**********

*****

***

**

*

Author note: I've run out of ideas and with the need to write, I thought of this one. Not one of my best, but I have never wrote Zak in this kind of light... Now I have. 

Hopefully I'll get some more inspiration and have more happier one-shots for you all to read. Requests are open, send me a DM. 

Until next time, 

Newbie x