Betrayed by Love

I wandered back home in a daze. Sam and I had been living together for the past six months, and our wedding was supposed to happen in three months. However, I wasn’t even sure if there was a point in going through with it anymore.

Without another word, I packed a suitcase, grabbed my things, and walked out. Thankfully, I still had an apartment nearby—the one my mom left me before she passed, filled with her favorite decorations.

As I pulled up to the apartment building, thunder cracked across the sky, and moments later, heavy rain started pouring down.

The moment I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.

My mom’s favorite genuine leather couch cover had been swapped out for a bright pink one, and the little potted plants she gave me were gone, too. The entire apartment had been redecorated in some kind of childish, cartoonish theme.

Then, I heard Lily’s laugh coming from the bedroom. Fuming, I stormed over and shoved the door open. Even the bedroom had been changed.

Lily was lounging on the bed, while Sam was crouched on the floor massaging her feet. When Lily saw me, she looked smug, like she was showing off.

“Amy, Sam is just the sweetest. He saw me struggling in heels, so he’s giving me a foot massage.”

“Shut up!” Sam snapped and glared at her.

In response, Lily clutched her stomach and looked at him with big, teary eyes. “Sam, why are you yelling at me? What if you scare the baby?”

The baby? Was she pregnant too?

My vision blurred with rage. I charged forward, trying to drag her off the bed. However, before I could touch her, a strong force yanked me back. It was Sam, and he shoved me to the ground.

“Amy, what are you doing?” he shouted.

That was when he noticed the bruise forming on my arm, and the anger in his eyes turned to guilt.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to push you that hard! But you were out of hand. Lily’s pregnant. You can’t just attack her…”

Worried, he reached out to help me up, but I smacked his hand away.

“So she’s pregnant, and she gets treated like royalty, but it’s fine for you to throw me to the floor?”

Tears streamed down my face. I looked at him with nothing but disappointment.

“Why did you take her here?” I yelled. “Who gave you the right to touch anything in this apartment? You know how much this place meant to me!”

Sam looked stunned by my outburst. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, trying to calm me down.

“She didn’t have anywhere else to go. Someone tried to hurt her at a hotel, and she was too scared to stay there again. I couldn’t bring her to our place either. She’ll stay here just for now. As soon as we find her a place, I promise she’ll leave.”

“This was my mom’s home!” I cried, struggling in his arms. “How could you bring another woman here and let her change everything? Sam, I hate you!”

I pounded my fists against him, but he held on tightly.

“Okay, okay,” he said quickly. “We didn’t throw anything out. Your mom’s stuff is all in the storage room. I’ll take Lily away right now if that’s what you want.”

“Get out!” I screamed. “Both of you, get out of my house!”

I grabbed everything I could reach—pillows, picture frames, anything—and hurled them at them like a madwoman.

Lily shrieked and darted out of the room, knocking things over in the hallway with a loud crash. Sam let go of me immediately and ran after her. He helped her up, and soon, they both left my apartment.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Sam.

“Amy, please don’t be mad. I’m taking Lily away for now. It’s storming tonight, and she’s been scared of thunder since she was a kid. I have to stay with her tonight. But I swear, I’ll come back to you tomorrow.”

I sank to the floor, covered my face with my hands, and broke down crying. Outside, lightning lit up the sky, and thunder rumbled through the city, drowning out the sound of my sobs.