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A car parked in a driveway | Source: Pexels
“Peter! Peter, where are you?” I called out desperately.
From the living room, I heard voices. I walked in to find Peter sitting on the couch with another woman next to him. My heart sank further when I recognized her: Jennifer, the daughter of Debbie’s best friend, Moira. Debbie always wanted Peter to be with Jennifer, not me.
“Peter, what is going on?” I demanded, my voice breaking.
He looked up at me with cold eyes. “You cheated on me, Chelsea. I have the pictures to prove it.”
A man gets angry at his fiancée | Source: Midjourney
My mind went blank. “What? I never cheated on you! What pictures?”
Peter stood up, thrusting a set of photos at me. The pictures showed me with a man I had never seen or met in my entire life. I was dumbfounded. How could this be possible?
“Peter, these pictures are fake. I don’t know this man. You have to believe me. You know I’d never do that to you,” I pleaded.
Jennifer stayed silent, but I could see the satisfaction in her eyes. Peter shook his head. “I can’t trust you anymore, Chelsea. IT’S OVER!”
A furious man | Source: Midjourney
Peter’s words cut through me like a knife. “Peter, this is insane! You know me better than this. How could you let some fake photos destroy everything we’ve built?”
“You’ve tainted your character, Chelsea,” he spat, his voice full of disgust. “You’ve been fooling me for God knows how long. I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
I could feel the fury and sorrow bubbling up inside me. All the years we spent together, the dreams we shared, were crashing down around me because of a lie.
A woman looks shocked and hurt | Source: Midjourney
“How can you say that? After everything we’ve been through, you’re just throwing it all away over some fabricated evidence?”
Peter looked away, unable to meet my eyes. “I can’t take the risk. I can’t marry someone I can’t trust.”
The injustice of it all overwhelmed me. I had been nothing but loyal and loving to him, and this was my reward?
“You’re making a huge mistake,” I said, my voice trembling with anger and sadness.
Without thinking, I slapped him across the face. He stood there, stunned, as I turned and walked out, tears streaming down my face.
A teary-eyed woman | Source: Midjourney
***
Two years had passed since that gut-wrenching day. The memory still stung, but life had moved on, and so had I.
I had picked up the pieces and started fresh, but the small town we lived in had a way of keeping everyone’s business alive.
The rumors about what really happened started circulating a few months ago, and they reached my ears like a balm on an old wound.
