The Betrayal

Melanie's hands shake as she pushes open Alex's door after entering her fiancé's passcode. She hadn’t planned on coming here today, but the stress of a prospective pregnancy has forced her to seek consolation in the one person she feels she can trust.

She is ten days overdue for her period, and she is beginning to lose her mind about her mother's likely response.

“How is mommy going to respond?” Her stomach knots at the thought.

Before taking a pregnancy test, she feels like she should speak with Alex face-to-face so that he can mentally get ready to become a parent if the findings are positive.

"Alex?” Melanie yells,

"I need to talk to you," She says as she enters, but no one answers.

Melanie starts to get nervous since she knows for sure that Alex is at home because his car is parked outside.

“How could he be anywhere else?” Her pulse is pounding as she moves from the living area to Alex's bedroom.

“What if he reacts badly?” she thinks and She notices them at that point.

Mel recognizes the lady on the bed as Ava Morales, Alex’s married best friend. Alex has been Melanie's boyfriend for two years and is her fiancé for three years now.

Melani’s world collapses as She musters all the bravery to utter, "Alex?" even though her legs feel like jelly, her head goes numb, and her vision becomes blurry.

Startled, Alex stops, his eyes bulging with shame as Ava tries to hide.

"Melanie, I...we...this isn't what it looks like," Alex stutters, but it is precisely what it appears to be.

Melanie's heart shatters into a gazillion fragments, She takes off running and doesn't stop until she gets back in her car and drives quickly away from the treachery.

She discovers she has committed a grave error, and tears pour down her face.

“How could he subject me to this?” Melanie wimphers, She is in anguish because of Alex, and she has mistaken him for the solace that she needs at the moment.

She has no one to turn to as she now faces the potential of becoming a parent alone. Her future, her happiness, and everything wonderful in her life are on the line, so worrying about her mother's response becomes less of her concern.

Melanie leaves Alex's residence quickly, feeling betrayed within. She is aware that she cannot return to her mother's home or her beauty studio at this time, as Alex will attempt to locate her and persuade her to stay. But she's finished.

As she makes her way home, her mind is constantly buzzing with all the things she needs to accomplish but Instead of thinking long and hard, she swiftly packs a tiny bag with essentials: clothes, a phone charger, a wallet, and a few toiletries.

"I'll be gone for a while, keeping quiet until I figure it out." She thinks,

Melanie disappears for a week. She doesn't really have pals, so she crashes at the home of her personal assistant, Shirley.

She makes an effort to hide as she works through her feelings. She is upset, hurt, and perplexed, but above all, she is happy to be rid of Alex's toxic hold.

After a week of doubt, Melanie ultimately decides to take charge of her life. She decides that instead of depending on homemade tests or conjecture, she will visit the hospital for an accurate blood test and ultrasound to determine whether or not she is pregnant.

“And if I am, How am I going to proceed?” Melanie is getting more nervous as she waits for the outcome.

Melanie realizes she has been granted another chance, as the doctor enters the room and smiles warmly.

"The test came back negative, Melanie. The doctor tells Melanie,

"You are not pregnant," and gives her an envelope.” the pretty doctor informs her as she hands her an envelope.

Melanie feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, and tears of relief flood down her face.

“I can finally approach Alex and end this once and for all.” she determines.

Melanie drives to Alex's house with her heart still heavy but her spirit unwavering, having discovered bravery. It's time for her to move on from this destructive phase of her life.

She inhales deeply as she stands outside Alex's house and rings the doorbell rather than entering the passcode. She is not here as Alex's girlfriend, but as a guest, because she is determined to call it quits on the relationship once and for all.

With a look of both surprise and shame on his face, Alex opens the door and says, "Melanie, I...we need to talk."

"Alex, I know what I saw," she begins in a firm voice.

“You and Ava were on your bed doing God knows what.” Melanie enters, her gaze fixed on his.

Alex tries to confuse her by saying, "It was not what it looked like, my love," his tone takes on a hint of desperation.

"Try not to deny it.” She interrupts, annoyance seeping like poison from her voice.

“Melanie, it wasn't what you believed. It was an isolated incident, an error. It just so happened that Ava was going through a difficult moment in her marriage. I apologize if I offended you," Alex groans and massages his temples.

“Alex, you are full of s***,” Melanie screams, adrenaline rising in her chest.

"It was a "mistake" but this is not the first time you have gone behind my back, I know what I saw". Melanie scoffs.

“Do you recall Astrid? And now, Ava?” In a much more aggressive tone, she scolds him,

“I was just… forget it.” Alex starts but stops mid-way.

"Melanie."

“It will never happen again…I swear…I cherish you.” Alex says as he crawls closer.

“ You cherish me?” Melanie scoffs and shakes her head.

“You have a strange way of expressing that,” she remarks.

“You cheated on me, you deceitful scum of a man.” she expresses, hurt and angry

“False ownership is over! I deserve more than that”

“Youre-trash-and-you-wont-hear-from-me-again kind of relationship bull crap.”

In the next sequence, her eyes burning with anger, Melanie takes off her engagement ring, tosses it on Alex's way, and walks out on him and his flattery.

She knows she will never step foot in there again — that she's finally broken free from the cycle, and toxic circle of their relationship.

However, once they split up, Alex enters denial mode that he would rather focus on Melanie's eternal place in the afterlife instead of giving up that she is just gone, period.

He is confident she will come begging for him to return and that he is what she needs so doesn't bother to chase her.

Alex doesn't talk to her for three days at which point he is boiling in hate and disdain.

“Where are you?”

“Why are you ignoring me?”

On the fourth day of their breakup, Melanie reads Alex's text message after Shirley and her neighbors have told her about Alex showing up at the house as well as right in front of where she works.

Melanie is terrified, pulls out her phone, and texts her twin sister Kalinin about what happening, in case something does happen to her.

Melanie sighs and sets her phone down because Kalinin is a medical doctor, so she might working in the hospital.

“How are you, baby girl?” Kalinin replies almost immediately

“I am not fine,” Melanie replies

“ I called it quits with Alex and it is barely a week out of our relationship now, I'm not ready for the headlines proclaiming that I am fearing for my life.” Melanie confides, in her twin sister, her heart pounding in fear for her safety,

“it is clear that Alex is not taking the breakup well and continues to stalk me like a lunatic,” she adds.

Kalinin, being somebody that has zero chills calls Melanie right after she finishes reading her message.

“What do you mean by you are scared for your safety? “… Kalinin snarls as soon as Melanie answers the call.

“His stalking was taken a step further from that, I must say; it went up a notch…”

“ He has been appearing at my regular coffee shop, my gym, and even at my assistant’s house”

“He’s acting like I'm the insane one; appearing at my work, with an intimidating presence,” Melanie says shakily.

“You have to file a restraining order," Kalinin says immediately.

“This is harassment” Her sister is not apoplectic, she is stuck in the corner of irritation and outrage.

“You can not let him run your life like this.” she urges

“I think I may have an idea how to solve that — I will just stop working until he stops bothering me!” she suggests.

“Melanie, you can not base your life there and let him play with your reins.”

“Why don’t you come to Orion? I would like you to remain with me and my family for a while,” Kalinin offers.

“Orion is not at all the solution I had in mind,” Melanie refutes.

“I can't run away all the time,” she mumbles.

She knows she needs to do something, but doesn't know what Leaving her comfort Zone will feel like for Her and she doesn't even want to imagine it.

“Mel, you cannot be running scared and living on your nerves waiting for Alex to come back,” Kalinin attempts to reason with her.

I know you are just trying to take care of me, but let me think about it first okay? Melanie hesitates but she knows that Her sister is right, she cannot spend the rest of her life like this, in a constant state of fear watching over her shoulder.

“You know what?”

“You need to give me some time to fix things here, and then I will be ready for a six-month holiday on Orion.” Melanie hesitates a bit before she hangs up because she knows her sister is right, Alex cannot rule her life like that.