Simone.

The door creaks open, the sound piercing the air just as Abby's tongue presses deeper between my legs. My mind is a haze of pleasure, my fingers gripping onto the sides of the couch while Abby struggles to hold me down.

This feels good, I don't want it to stop and I'm so close---

“Simone?”

Zack’s voice pierces through the room, and my body jolts so hard I almost knock Abby off the couch.

My heart stops.

The warmth of Abby’s touch is gone, replaced by terror. I scramble, pushing her away, pulling the throw blanket across my chest as if it's going to cover me from reality.

The panic sets in, leaving me breathless, my limbs shaking uncontrollably.

I glance at the door, and there he is—Zack, standing frozen, his face pale, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. He looks like someone just hit him, like he’s trying to piece together what’s in front of him, but it’s too much to handle. He’s not even moving, just staring at us, at me.

His eyes lock on mine, my stomach twist into a painful knot. I want to say something, anything, but no words come. All I can do is stare back, terrified, guilty, and exposed.

“You’ve been doing this?” His voice is low laced with disbelief, but mostly, hurt. It’s as if he’s asking a question he doesn’t want the answer to, like he already knows but needs to hear it out loud to make it real.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. How can I explain this? How can I explain away this betrayal when it’s staring us both in the face?

It's like this morning when he was tongue tied, now I am tongue tied.

His gaze shifts to Abby, and I see the disbelief deepen. He looks as though he’s going to say something more, but his words choke in his throat, unfinished. His hands clench into fists at his sides, jaw tightening.

“And you—” He starts, his voice cracking, but he can’t even finish that. He shakes his head, and before I can even react, he turns and bolts out the door.

“Zack, wait!” I scream, my voice breaking as I leap off the couch, trying to pull on my clothes. My hands fumble as I yank my shirt over my head, but my fingers are trembling so badly. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest I feel like I’m going to pass out.

I dash to the door, barefoot and breathless, but by the time I get there, Zack’s already gone. His car screeches down the road as he disappears.

I stand there, staring at the empty street, my throat tight, unable to process what just happened. The man I love just walked out on me. And I did this. I’m the reason.

Slowly, I turn back toward Abby, and she’s still sitting on the couch, calm as ever, watching me with a look that makes my stomach churn. There’s no panic in her eyes, no guilt, nothing, almost like she expected this all along. She licks her lips, eyes darting to me, as if she’s savoring the moment.

“Did you—” I stop, my voice trembling as I try to form the words. I can't believe I’m about to ask. “Did you plan this? You knew he’d be home soon, didn’t you? You knew, and you still—” I trail off, realization hitting me.

Abby insisted we make out right here instead of the bedroom. She knew.
I might be overthinking it but her calmness isn't helping her case.

Abby shrugs, nonchalant. “What’s the big deal, Simone?” she says, her tone is infuriatingly calm. “You wanted this. I just did what you didn’t have the balls to do. I gave you your freedom.”

“Freedom?” I chuckle.

My chest feels like it's going to burst with anger.

“How dare you?” I whisper, my voice breaking. The tears I’ve been holding back come dashing down my cheek, blurring my vision.

“When are you going to see it, Simone?” Abby stands, her posture relaxed, completely opposite to the destruction she’s just caused. “Zack’s bad for you. You were miserable with him, don’t pretend you weren’t.”

“And you’re not?” I snap, the anger rising, my voice is shaking with every word. “You think you’re any better? You manipulated me—used me—and for what? To prove a point?” My fists clench, nails digging into my palms so hard they hurt, but it’s the only thing keeping me grounded, keeping me from losing it completely.

Abby tilts her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. “I did you a favor. You were too afraid to walk away from that marriage. Now you don’t have to.”

I shake my head. I try to understand her twisted way of thinking but it doesn't make sense. How does she think she just helped me when she broke my marriage?

I can't believe I trusted Abby, and she orchestrated this whole thing to tear me and Zack apart. The betrayal cuts deeper than I can explain. The hurt is suffocating.

“Leave.” The word comes out quietly at first, but then it's stronger. “Just leave, Abby.”

“Simone, you don’t—”

“I don’t want to hear it. Just leave!” I shout, my voice cracking. I can’t stand to look at her anymore. I can’t stand the sight of her standing there like nothing’s wrong, like she hasn’t just ripped my life apart.

Abby hesitates for a moment, her eyes flicking over me, but then she grabs her sweater and heads for the door. There’s no apology, no remorse, just a quick glance over her shoulder before she walks out.

And just like that, she’s gone.

As the door clicks shut, the silence settles around me. It's heavy, it's dark. I sink to the floor, my back against the wall, my legs curling up to my chest. The tears come faster now, uncontrollable sobs that make my entire body shake.

I want to call Mom, to hear her voice. She warned me. She warned me about letting someone like Abby into my life, and I didn’t listen. I thought I was strong enough to handle it. I thought I could keep it all together. But now, it feels like I’m standing in the disaster my own actions, and I don’t know how to put the pieces back together.

I hate Abby.

I hate her for what she’s done, for pushing me into this, for breaking me apart. But more than that, I hate myself. I hate that I let her do this to me, that I let my marriage fall apart because I was too weak to stop it.

Zack didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve any of this.

I bury my face in my hands, my tears soaking my palms. Everything hurts—my chest, my throat, my heart. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back from this.

+++

Umm??? 🤔 🤔

I don't know how to feel about this. Abby feels she is doing the right thing and Simone feels her life is being torn apart --- well it is.

Thoughts?