I Heard Another Girl Inside My Boyfriend's Home

I hung up. I looked down and dug through my bag for the key.My boyfriend, Lukas Asher, had given it to me two years ago. Back then, he'd said, "Here, take it. Come over whenever you want. This place is going to be yours someday anyway."I'd never once used it without letting him know first.I slid the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened. The entryway light was on. His sneakers sat beside the shoe rack, next to a pair of women's shoes I'd never seen before.I didn't go any farther. I just stood there. Rustling came from the living room. Clothes brushing against each other, hushed voices, someone speaking in a panicked whisper.I took two steps forward. A dress lay discarded beside the couch. Pale purple, with barely enough fabric to cover anything.There was a single sock on the floor. A woman's. Two wineglasses sat on the coffee table, next to a half-empty bottle of red wine.Then I saw them. He was getting up from the couch, frantically pulling on his pants. His s

Lukas' head shot up, and he stared at me. "Sienna—""Don't say my name." I cut him off, pulled my phone out of my pocket, and tapped the screen. "I recorded everything you just said."He froze. So did the woman."That includes what you said." I looked at her. "You said you love him. You admitted you knew he had a girlfriend and got involved with him anyway. I have all of that recorded."Her expression changed."You recorded us?" She took a step forward. "When did you start recording?"I didn't answer. I simply slipped my phone back into my pocket and turned to leave."Stop!" she shouted behind me. "Delete that recording!"I didn't stop. I kept walking toward the door."Lukas!" she shrieked. "Make her delete it! You can't let her leave with that! What's she going to do with it? What if she sends it to someone?"I heard a commotion behind me, followed by hurried footsteps. Before I could reach the door, she caught up and grabbed my arm. Her hand was cold, and her nails dug into

Lukas glared at me."Don't push your luck," he said through gritted teeth. "I already gave you the money.""That was for the recording," I said. "This is separate."The woman tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Just write it. Hurry. How much time do we have left?"He glanced at his phone, then looked back at me. His eyes were bloodshot."40 minutes," I said.He clenched his jaw, turned around, and rummaged through a drawer for a pen and paper. Hunched over the coffee table, he began to write. He took his time, stopping every few words as though he were having second thoughts.I stood there watching him. The woman hovered beside him, staring at the paper with her lips pressed tightly together."Done." He stood up and handed me the paper.I looked it over. His handwriting was messy, but everything I'd asked for was there. Our relationship, his cheating, and the 100,000 dollars he'd agreed to pay me as compensation for the breakup."Sign it," I said.He signed."Now put your

I stared at the message. Junior year was eight years ago.I typed out a reply. "That was eight years ago."I hit send. Then I blocked Lukas on WhatsApp, and everywhere else he could possibly contact me.Once I'd done that, I tossed my phone aside and lay back on the couch. The ceiling was white, and the bright overhead light hurt my eyes. I closed them, but all I could see was white.I had no idea how much time had passed when my phone buzzed again. It wasn't a call or a WhatsApp message. It was a text from an unfamiliar number."Sienna, did you block me?"I ignored it. Another text came through. "I'm begging you. Can't you at least give me some of the money back? Even 50,000 dollars would help. Or 30,000 dollars. She really needs it."I stared at the message for a moment before slowly typing my reply. "She's pregnant. I'm not the one who got her pregnant."I sent it, then blocked that number too. Finally, some peace and quiet.I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. My we

I didn't say anything, and the woman hung up.I sat on the couch with my phone in my hand, staring out at the night. The rain seemed to have stopped. Droplets still clung to the window, blurring the light from the streetlamps outside.I looked down at my phone. An unfamiliar number sat in my call history. The call had lasted a little over seven minutes.I blocked that number too. Then I set my phone aside, lay down, and closed my eyes. My thoughts were still a mess, but I felt a little better than before. At least it didn't hurt quite as much.I didn't know how long it took, but eventually, I fell asleep. By the time I woke up, it was morning. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across my face, bright enough to make me squint.I sat up. There was a blanket over me, though I couldn't remember putting it there. I must have pulled it over myself last night.I picked up my phone and checked the time. It was 8:05 am. The recording had already been sent.I opened my messagin