Betrayal Stings

Sky trudged home after her night shift, the ache in her feet a dull reminder of the day’s work. She was exhausted, her mind clouded by fatigue, yet there was a spark of anticipation flickering inside her.

 Tonight was supposed to be special—it was her birthday, and Valentine’s Day too. She’d spent all day entertaining fleeting fantasies, hoping Andrew might surprise her with something thoughtful. 

She pictured herself stepping inside to find rose petals scattered across the floor, maybe even a romantic candle or two lighting up their tiny apartment. Something, anything, to show he’d remembered her.

But as she pushed open the door, the dream shattered almost immediately. Her eyes fell on the floor near the entrance, where a lacy bra lay, entwined with a pair of men’s boxers. 

Sky’s breath caught. Her fingers tightened around the doorknob as the air around her thickened, suffocating her in disbelief. A chill crept up her spine, numbing her thoughts as she tried to swallow down the mounting dread.

“No… no, no, no,” she whispered, voice barely audible, her words a desperate mantra as if saying it could turn back time, erase the scene in front of her. 

Slowly, she closed the door behind her, shutting herself into a silence broken only by a sound that made her stomach twist—a low, drawn-out moan from further inside.

Heart pounding, she took another shaky step forward. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, to flee, to leave whatever was unfolding inside unseen. But an awful curiosity urged her forward, compelling her feet to carry her toward the living room.

There, in the dim light, she saw them. Andrew, his face twisted in a wicked grin, his hands grabbing another woman’s hips. The girl’s back was to him, her head thrown back, lost in the pleasure he was giving her. The sight alone shattered something inside Sky, but then she heard his words, each one slicing through her heart like a cruel blade.

“God, yes, baby… you’re so tight… so much better than your sister…”

Her sister. “No it can't be”

“Andrew!” she shrieked, her voice raw and jagged as she hurled her bag onto the floor. The sound startled them both, their heads snapping toward her in shock.

 “Are you kidding me?! You’re… you’re a fucking bastard!” Her voice rose with each word, her anger spilling over, filling the air between them, until there was no trace left of the hope she’d carried home with her.

Andrew scrambled up, his face twisted in shock, sweat dripping from his forehead and trailing down his nose, collecting at his lips before falling. 

But Sky barely noticed him—her gaze had shifted to the person now facing her, her heart sinking like a stone. There, standing in all her brazen confidence, was Brittany. Her little sister. Her eighteen-year-old sister.

Sky’s heart shattered. She felt as if the ground had been yanked out from beneath her, leaving her spiraling. Her voice broke free in a desperate, furious scream. 

“What the hell, Andrew?! You… you were screwing my little sister in my own house?!” Her voice cracked, the words clawing their way out as she paced wildly, her hands fisting into her hair, as if the pain might wake her from this nightmare. "Oh God, please… have mercy."

But there was no waking up. It was real. Every twisted, gut-wrenching detail was real. She didn’t know where to turn, how to process it all; it was too much—far too much.

“Get a grip over yourself, Sky,” Brittany said, her tone dripping with indifference as she crossed her arms over her bare chest, casting a bored glance in Sky's direction. Her expression twisted, a smirk tugging at her lips.

 “Yeah, Andrew’s fucking me. So what? What are you gonna do, huh?” Her voice turned mocking. “Guess he got tired of that loose pussy of yours.”

For a moment, Sky felt as though she’d been punched. Was this really Brittany speaking? The sister she’d sacrificed everything for? The sister she’d protected, ever since their parents had died? Sky had given up her life, her dreams, just to make sure Brittany had a stable home.

Her voice broke, tears slipping down her face. “Brittany, you ungrateful little bitch,” she choked out, slamming her hands down on the table. 

“After Mom and Dad died, I took you in. I dropped out of college so you could have a chance at a future. I did everything for you! I fed you. I gave up everything just for you.” Her voice rose, the hurt blending with an anger she hadn’t known she could feel.

“You’re just eighteen!” she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Brittany. “Eighteen! And you’re already doing this?! Letting some man use you like this?! Is this what I sacrificed everything for?” Her words were trembling, her heart pounding so hard she could hear it echoing in her ears. “And you have the audacity to stand there and disrespect me?”

Brittany scoffed, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer, the smirk on her face deepening. 

“You think I owe you something?” Brittany laughed bitterly, crossing her arms. “I didn’t ask you to play mom, Sky. You were desperate for attention, playing the martyr, and now you’re mad because I’ve got what you don’t. You’re just bitter because, deep down, you know Andrew would rather be with me than with a washed-up loser like you.”

That was it. Sky’s vision blurred with rage, her hands shaking as Brittany’s words rang in her ears. Without thinking, she lifted her hand and slapped Brittany hard across the face, the sharp crack echoing through the room. Brittany staggered back, her hand flying up to her cheek, her expression shifting from shock to fury.

For a moment, there was only silence, thick with tension, as the two sisters stared each other down—Sky, breathless and trembling, and Brittany, seething with resentment, her eyes blazing with defiance.

Suddenly, Andrew stormed forward, his face twisted in fury, and slapped Sky hard across the face. The sharp sting radiated through her cheek, and she stumbled back, a bitter, searing pain that went deeper than the slap itself. 

For a moment, she was too stunned to react, her hand moving slowly to her face as she looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock and heartbreak.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, barely a whisper at first. “Andrew… did you really just slap me?” Her words were filled with disbelief. She shook her head, as if trying to shake herself awake. 

“Over her? Over my own sister?” The betrayal hit her like a tidal wave, anger and anguish tearing through her chest. “After everything I did for you… after all the sacrifices I made?”

Andrew only glared at her, a cold, twisted look in his eyes, and crossed his arms as if he’d done nothing wrong.

Sky’s voice grew louder, rising with every word as the depth of her hurt spilled over. “I paid your school fees, Andrew! I worked long hours—grueling hours—to make sure you had a future.

“ I built you up from nothing! I made you a man!” Her voice cracked, her body shaking with the enormity of what was crashing down around her. “And this… this is what I get?”

She turned to Brittany, her face contorted with rage and disbelief, but Brittany simply raised her chin, her lips curling into a smug, defiant smirk. 

Sky could barely breathe as the shock of betrayal morphed into something darker, something bitter and raw.

Sky’s voice dropped, each word slow and venomous. “You know what?” She jabbed her finger toward the door. “Both of you… out of my house.” Her voice broke, but her determination did not. “I don’t want to see your faces ever again. Just get out!”

Andrew scoffed, taking a step closer with a smug smirk on his face, his tone dripping with condescension. “Your house?” He laughed bitterly.

 “You don’t own this place, Sky. We bought it together, remember?” He had the audacity to look amused, like this was all some game, as he lazily pulled on his pants, casting an arm around Brittany’s shoulders. Brittany clung to him, her expression triumphant as she looked Sky up and down with cold disdain.

Sky’s hands clenched into tight fists, fury flashing in her eyes. “In case you forgot, I paid ninety percent of the rent, you pathetic excuse for a man,” she spat, her words sharper than any slap. Her whole body trembled with barely restrained rage. 

“So let me make myself crystal clear—get the hell out of my house before I lose every ounce of self-control I have left.” She glared at him, pointing a trembling finger at the door.

Then her gaze shifted to Brittany, and something broke in her voice, a rawness that cut deeper than anything she’d said before.

 “And you… you are no longer my sister.” She spoke slowly, every word laced with venom. “I curse the day Mom brought you into this world.” Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, filled with a grief that tore at her insides. “You are dead to me.”

With a surge of finality, she grabbed Andrew and Brittany, pushing them roughly toward the door, not caring that they stumbled, half-dressed and reeling. Andrew tried to say something, but she didn’t want to hear a single word.

As he opened his mouth, she snapped, “Screw you.” And with that, she slammed the door with a resounding bang, cutting them off and sealing them out of her life. 

As soon as the door slammed shut, the weight of everything crashed down on Sky. Her knees buckled, and she slid down the door, her back scraping against the rough wood as she crumpled to the floor. 

The tears came in hot, relentless waves. Her hands shook as she clutched her chest, trying to hold herself together, but it was impossible.

They had betrayed her. The two people she had loved most in this world had turned on her, as if her love and loyalty had meant nothing at all. 

Andrew, who she'd sacrificed so much for, and Brittany, her own sister—her baby sister. She had given up her dreams, her time, her entire life to support them both, and they’d torn it all apart like it was nothing.

Her mind replayed their words, each one a fresh wound, stinging and tearing at her as she tried to breathe through the pain.

With her head buried in her hands, she whispered to herself, “Why… Why did they do this?” But there was no answer, only the silence.

Sky sat there, her back against the door, feeling as if she’d lost not just them, but a part of herself she’d never get back. And all she could do was cry.

"I thought love was supposed to heal, not destroy. But now... now I'm left with nothing. No family, no love, no home. Just emptiness."

She paused, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for answers.

"But something inside me is stirring. A spark, a flame, a fire that refuses to be extinguished. I can feel it rising, burning away the pain."

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I do know one thing: I will rise from these ashes. I will rebuild, I will heal, and I will make them regret ever crossing me."

As determination ignited within her, Sky's gaze locked onto the door she had slammed shut just moments before.

"This is just the beginning."