Betrayed By Heart

ess

n shining through the kitchen window, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air, and the comfortable hum of normalcy. How naïve I was, thinking things would

tory of how I lost everything-how I w

al, just a few months ago, had been an unexpected turn. I didn't mind; I had always wanted to be the kind of sister who welcomed family with

attention without ever asking for it. It wasn't that I was jealous. No, I'd always considered myself confident in my own skin, secu

the fact that Delilah wasn't as innocent as she seemed, that the love I shared with

aybe a little boating if the weather was nice. It was our thing-away from the stress of work, away from the pressures of li

orning, I didn't realize that something had shifted beneath the

tside," Delilah called from the hallway, her

, startle

repeated, this time in a sing-song tone that

in the doorway to the living room, her long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her expressi

ile. "Thanks, Delilah

own in perfect harmony with the kind of peaceful Saturday morning we always cherished. But as I stepped outside, I sa

I called, wal

t always did. But today, it didn't feel as warm. There was something off in the way h

smiling up at him, trying to ignor

citement I expected. "Yeah, just give me a

. "Everyt

od by the door, watching us with that same unreadable expression. I couldn't

reath, his eyes locking onto m

t. "What do you mean?" I whispered, my

is eyes shifting away from mine.

ying. "What? Space? Why? Lucas, we've been

I... I'm sorry, Vanessa. I think I've made a mistake. I think

breathe. My chest tightened, my legs wobbling as I tried to stand. "What?" My voice

smug as she placed a hand on Lucas's arm. "It

psed onto the grass, the weight of her words crashing over me. "No...

e coldness in her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you, Vanessa. But Lu

rson I'd trusted most in the world, the woman I'd ope

, and the world around me became a blur of pain. Lucas