The tangled web of love

Audrey's Pov

“What is this? Explain it to me!” I yelled at the man in front of me, throwing the bunch of pictures that I held at him.

Pictures of him and my sister cuddling on the bed, some of it showed them having sex while some showed him putting a ring on her fingers. Others were very explicit.

I waited, waited for him to tell me that this was a deep fake, maybe, that he wasn't the one. I would have gladly accepted the explanation, but he merely bent over to pick up the pictures, his eyes narrowing.

“Were you spying on me?” He raised an eyebrow, he gazed intently at me.

“What?” I questioned, not believing my ears.

“I asked if you were spying on me, Audrey.” He repeated, a frown spreading on his lips, “You know how much I hate you invading my privacy, yet you still did it anyway.”

My hands trembled as I stared at him in disbelief, “Are… Are you serious? You aren't even going to deny this?” My heart pounded in my chest, my hands trembled in anger.

“Also… Invading your privacy? Is that really what you are focusing on right now!” I could barely keep my voice steady as I spoke, “You have been sneaking behind my back doing something like this with my sister and now you're trying to turn this on me?!”

“This isn't about me, Audrey,” He said coldly, “It's about you not trusting me. You always do this, always looking around for something. You're always trying to pick a fight.”

My heart sank at his words, the bitter taste of betrayal filled my mouth. This was a man I trusted with everything, a man that I thought I knew better than everyone.

“How could you stand here and act like I'm in the wrong? Don't you dare twist this further, Zachary.” I spat, taking a step forward, “I never went looking for anything. These pictures found me, they were sent to my mail by someone I don't even know! Or maybe it was because you were careless, or you just didn't care. And yet, you're trying to gaslight me into…” I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“Is this true or not? Have you been having sex with my sister, and not only that, you're getting engaged? Is it true?!” I questioned again, begging him with my eyes to tell me it wasn't true.

But deep down I knew, I knew that it was. However, Zachary didn't even have the decency to hide it, he smirked, raising his gaze to meet mine.

“What of it? She's a lot better than you anyway. Your sister, Amelia, is everything you could never be. She's smarter, more fun in bed and less clingy. Why will I leave her for an old hag like you?” Zachary sneered, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

How words hit me like a train, making me stumble and hold the edge of the table for balance.

“Zachary… I did everything for you. I gave you so many opportunities that Amelia would have never been able to give you, I literally gave you my entire life and this is how you repay me back?! By sleeping with…” I trailed off, I couldn't even call her my sister.

“You're a pathetic woman, Audrey.” Zachary continued, his legs bringing him closer to me, “Always desperate for attention, always so needy. You practically drove me to her.”

The tears that I had tried to keep from spilling finally fell down my face in droplets. Every word he said was like a dagger to my heart.

“How could you do this to me? You promised me, you said that you would love me forever!” I yelled at him, staring at him through blurred vision. But through my blurry eyes, I saw his real face. The façade of love that he had shown me was nothing more than that; a mask.

“You were so naive, Audrey. Did you ever think I cared about you? You were just a convenience, one that I played with while Amelia wasn't around.” He continued, not caring that my heart broke with every word he said.

“But you know, I am willing to take you back. After all, you only love me, and you'll continue to love me.” Zachary raised his hands, caressing the side of my face and forcefully raising my head up to look him in the eyes.

“You are so beautiful when you cry, Audrey. Just forget any of this ever happened, and we'll continue the way we were. Come on, Audrey, kiss me and we'll return back to how it was.” Zachary enunciated sulkily, leaning his head down to place his lips on mine.

At that moment, it was as if something snapped inside of me. Blood rushed to my head and I became extremely angry. It was as if the tears that were flowing dried instantly and were replaced by hot flowing rage.

Everything about him fueled my anger, every word he uttered. I had given home everything, my body, my life, my heart, everything and he had thrown it away like it was nothing. Now he stood before me, thinking he could bend me to his will once more? No, not this time. I was done playing the damsel in distress.

“Zachary…” I whispered, my voice calm but laced with cold edges. His smirk widened as he leaned in, thinking I was about to give in. But as his lips neared mine, I snapped.

In one swift motion, with all the strength that I could muster, I slapped him. The sound echoed in the room, like a glass plate shattering. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stumbled back. Before he could recover, I lunged at him, pushing him back with all my might.

If there was one thing I knew, it was that Zachary was like a piece of paper. He had no body muscle, not any strength. Even a woman like me could beat him up. My hands fought their way to his throat, gripping it tightly.

“How dare you," I hissed, my voice low and dangerous, "How dare you think you can manipulate me, humiliate me, and then expect me to come crawling back to you. I loved you, Zachary. I gave you everything, and you betrayed me in the worst way possible. And now you want me to forgive you? To go back to the way things were?" I laughed.

His hands clawed at mine, trying to pry them away from his throat, but I tightened my grip until his face turned red, his eyes wide with panic and he almost couldn't breath. However, I realized what I was doing very quickly and released my grip, and got up from his body.

I remembered when he did this same thing to me. He strangled me one night until I was rushed to the hospital. He begged and I went back together with him. Thinking about it, I was a woman who had thrown away my dignity to someone who had never loved me. But that would change.

"You’re nothing but a lying, cheating coward," I spat, "You don’t deserve love, and you certainly don’t deserve mine. You and Amelia can go to hell, both of you.” I said to him, snatching my bag from the table and walking outside.

Once I did, I took out my car keys and was about to open the door when someone walking into the house caught my eye. I froze when I saw the very person we were talking about come into the house, a huge smile plastered on her face.

She stood right in front of me, waving her hands in greeting as she mouthed, enunciating her words clearly, “Hello, Sister.”