The revenge

Isabella's POV:

I wish I could forget that day. The scent of betrayal still clings to my memory like stale perfume.We had been together for five years-five years since our final year at university, five years of believing in him, building dreams, imagining a future where we'd grow old together. Kelvin was my world. Or at least, I thought I was his.

I remember the sky was dull, overcast, as if it already knew what I was about to walk into. I hadn't told Kelvin I was coming. I wanted to surprise him-I had baked his favorite banana bread, the one with walnuts he always pretended not to like but finished anyway. I just wanted to see his face light up when he saw me. Stupid, right?

I let myself into his house using the spare key he gave me. At first, everything seemed normal. Quiet. Then I heard it-a giggle, soft but unmistakable, followed by whispers and the rustling of sheets.

I stood frozen. My heart was already screaming before my feet moved. I followed the sound upstairs, numb but burning. And then I saw it-her. Valerie. A woman I barely knew, wrapped in my boyfriend's arms, tangled in our bed sheets.

I don't know what I expected when I used my spare key to open his apartment door. Maybe a smile. A kiss. Maybe the warmth in his eyes that always made me forget the rest of the world. I wasn't ready-God, I wasn't ready for that.

The door creaked open, and I stepped inside quietly, holding the little paper bag with his favorite pastries. A peace offering after our argument two nights ago. My heart was still a little bruised, but I was willing to meet him halfway. That's what love is, isn't it?.The air was heavy. Not with silence, but with... something else. Breathless gasps. Soft moans. A rhythm I recognized, but prayed I was imagining.

Then I saw them.

Kelvin. My Kelvin.

His body moving over hers like he used to move over mine-slow, deliberate, like he knew every inch and couldn't get enough. Her name escaped his lips in a whisper, "Valerie," like it belonged there. Like it wasn't a betrayal that shattered the last piece of me.

Time didn't stop-it ripped.

He didn't see me.I had him saying "you are sweet". Valerie was moaning. I stood there frozen, my hand still clutching the bag, like it mattered anymore. Valerie's back arched beneath him, her hands tangled in his hair. The sounds, the sweat, the sheer intimacy-it wasn't just sex. It was passion. Connection. Something we hadn't had in weeks. Or maybe longer.

My chest tightened, breath caught somewhere between my ribs and throat. For a second, time stopped. My breath caught. My chest ached so hard I thought I might actually die right there. Kelvin jumped up, trying to cover himself, stammering nonsense. Valerie didn't even flinch. She just stared at me, smug, like she knew she had won something.

I didn't scream. I didn't cry-not then. I turned around, walked out, and didn't look back.

By the time I got to Jennifer's house, I was shaking, the tears finally spilling out like a dam had burst. I collapsed into her arms and sobbed so hard I could barely breathe. I kept saying the same thing over and over: "Why would he do this to me? After everything?"

Jennifer held me like I was made of glass. She didn't rush me. She didn't speak until I had nothing left but silence.

Then she pulled my face up and looked me straight in the eyes. "Isabella," she said softly, "he's not worth it. Don't you dare let a man like Kelvin break you. He cheated because he's a coward, not because you weren't enough. You hear me? You are enough."

She wiped my tears like a sister would, her hands warm and steady. And in that moment, I knew-yes, I was heartbroken, yes, I felt like I was dying inside, but Jennifer's words planted the first seed of strength in the ruins he left behind.

Kelvin didn't just lose me that day. He lost someone who would have given him the world. And I? I began the long road to finding myself again.

I sat on Jennifer's couch, wrapped in her soft grey blanket like it could shield me from the memories. My throat was raw from crying, and my eyes felt swollen shut. But I couldn't stop talking. I needed to let it out.

"I don't get it," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was good to him, Jen. I gave him everything."

Jennifer listened silently, her hand on my back, grounding me.

"For five years, I was loyal. I stood by him through every low point-when he lost that internship, when he failed that course and was depressed for weeks. I was the one who pushed him to chase his dreams when he didn't believe in himself. I celebrated his wins like they were mine. I loved him with everything I had." My voice cracked.

"I used to cook for him even when I was exhausted. I canceled plans just to be there for him. I forgave him for being emotionally distant, for forgetting our anniversaries sometimes, because I thought... I thought love was about patience. About sacrifice."

I looked at Jennifer through blurry eyes. "And this is what I get? Him in bed with Valerie like I never existed?"

Jennifer shook her head slowly, her expression filled with the kind of quiet anger only a best friend can carry. "You gave him more than he ever deserved."

That night, I turned off my phone. I didn't want to see his name. But the next morning, it started-the calls.

First call.

Then another.

And another.

By the fifth, I blocked his number.

Then the texts started coming in. Pages and pages of apologies. Some frantic. Some calm and rehearsed. Some where he pretended to explain, like that would undo what I saw with my own eyes.

> "Isabella please, let me explain. It wasn't what it looked like."

"I made a mistake. I was stupid. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You're the love of my life. Please don't walk away like this."

"Five years, Isa. Doesn't that mean something?"

He had the audacity to try and use our five years as a reason for me to stay-as if he hadn't thrown those years away the second he touched another woman.

I read every message. Every. Single. One.

But I never replied.

Not once.

Because each word he sent only reminded me of the lies he told with the same mouth he now used to beg. I wasn't going to let him talk his way out of this. He broke something in me that night-and no apology could put those pieces back the way they were.

Jennifer never left my side. She kept reminding me that I wasn't crazy for loving him, but I'd be crazy to take him back. And deep down, I knew she was right.Still, the pain lingered. But at least now... I wasn't alone in it.