The gentle gurgle of the running stream was soothing yet everything hurt, especially my heart, as my grandmother's words came back to me.
“If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it is yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”
I weighed the sage advice against my best friend's attempt to comfort me. “Let him go, Becky. You deserve better. There are many handsome men out there who would give the world to be with you.”
Her words made sense at the time because Murphy went on a business trip without saying a word to me. A visit to his empty apartment and the maid's confirmation verified it. That was the last straw.
My anxiety and insomnia worsened, and my sedative prescription was ineffective against this condition.
The late nights, minimal or abrupt responses to my text messages and growing emotional distance between Murphy and I were the obvious signs. They stared me in the face like the glaring sun on a hot afternoon but I wouldn't accept them. It was a phase that would pass, except it didn't.
In high school, we were inseparable as friends. Before college in different locations, he asked me out and we began dating. Despite the distance, we were in each others’ lives as if we were never apart. We were in love, and our families and friends cheered us on.
Then we graduated, got our desired jobs and then the emotional distance started to creep in. Short temper, irritation and crass words uttered at my actions were the early signs. He no longer laughed at my jokes. I commented on this unpleasant behaviour and profuse apologies and a bouquet of red flowers followed. It got better for a week and then got worse for the next three months. This slightly affected my focus at work.
Finally, I put a call through to Anthonia, my best friend and poured my heart out to her. “Why didn't you say something earlier?” She blurted.
Anthonia didn't believe in relationships and I didn't want to push my romantic bliss in her face so it wouldn't seem like a constant reminder of what she was missing. I buried my face in my palms and groaned. “I don't know.”
“Yea, you do.” I uncovered my face to look at her. She smirked. “You have it all, girl and you know it. Why would Murphy suddenly change? Did you do something to turn him off?”
“If I did, he's not saying.” I sighed. “Now you see I don't have it all. And I don't want to be seen as the nagging or needy girlfriend but what if he's going through something and isn't ready to talk about it with me?”
“Girl, if that's the case, it means he doesn't trust you to be on his side. Drop him and move on!”
I stared at her for a long moment as she nodded slowly, affirming that the words did proceed from her and not some invisible being. “I can't, Anthonia. Murphy and I have been together for four years and I love him.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
It was her turn to sigh exasperatedly. “Becky, what do you want me to say? You are beautiful and deserve a man who will give you his undivided attention. If Murphy isn't doing that, I say let him go.”
“Okay,” I said. Anthonia smiled and gave me a hug.
I did not call or text Murphy for a week to get his attention. It failed. He went radio silent on me. I waited for his return from the said work trip.
The Chinese food in the paper bag was warm against my hand on the starry night but I didn't mind. I was going to surprise my boyfriend at home with his favourite meal and hopefully we could talk things through.
I froze on the sidewalk as the glow from his kitchen window revealed Murphy wearing an apron, and grinning at a woman. She had her arms around his neck and they locked lips for a second. That second felt like the longest moment of my life.
The image of infidelity was not the shocker but the woman. She was none other than my best friend, Anthonia who advised me to let Murphy go.
My ankle twisted at an awkward angle as I made my way to my car and I fell. The food was smashed. I threw it into a trash can and slipped into my car, my brain in a fog. I sat in the dark for an hour as I watched my two very good friends cook and canoodle by the window.
Then they turned off the light and went into the room.
It was twelve-thirty am when I slipped into Murphy's apartment, my hands in a rubber glove I found stashed in my car. I still had my key.
A plate of the cooked meal was in the refrigerator. I held a bottle of my crushed sedative pills in one hand and pulled out the plate of food with the other hand. After a moment, I placed the plate back in the refrigerator. I slipped out of the apartment silently and drove home like a zombie.
I waited for two days, the most agonising period of my life. The anger came in spades accompanied by judgements. The doubts gnawed at me, causing my head to throb as I debated whether to return to Murphy's apartment and hash out my grievances.
I closed early from work, ready to drive to his place when my phone buzzed. It was Anthonia's sister, Claire.
“Becky! Have you heard?” Her voice was high pitched, and sounded teary and shameful, I think.
“What is it?” I whispered, my heartbeat slowing down and my mind going numb.
“Oh my God. I don't know how to say this….Murphy and Anthonia were found dead in his apartment. Did you know they were dating?”
I gasped, the reality of my action hitting me hard. “Becky? Are you still there?”
I turned off my phone and drove home.
TO BE CONTINUED….
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Okay I wasn't expecting this plot twist 😭.
The emotions in this writing are palpable and my heart just can't contain it all. I feel sorry for Becky but I wish she asked questions and got closure instead of just letting them go.
Please tag me in the next part.
I feel sorry for Becky too. The entire scene was a shocker for her and she didn't handle it well. Let's see how the next part(s) will treat her (fairly or unfairly 😉). Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Yes, I'll tag you!
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Ahh. I can't wait for the next part. When she said Anthonia didn't do relationships, I ruled out all possibilities of her being the cause of everything. But brooo!!!
This was such a nice read. Really! I loved it
Well, I'm glad I surprised you on this one! Hehe. Thanks so much for reading. I'm glad you found this story interesting. !LADY 😊
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well done with this!
you pack a lot into a thousand words. The set up is uncomplicated and the betrayal nicely done. when this draft is complete I would imagine you'd want to make this three or four chapters to introduce more characters and background (eg, seeing how her work is affected & why she happens to have such powerful sedatives)
Re: the sedatives, can I suggest considering a different delivery system? left over dinner feels a little hit and miss. some folks aren't keen on left overs, sometimes they get put in the fridge and then, a few days later, disposed of.
if the sedative were in a beverage (orange juice?) then you open up the option of one of them falling asleep while driving and them dying in a car wreck - the drive can also have been set up with the phone call with her friend.
anyway - great start - looking forward to reading more
Interesting ideas and suggestions regarding the sedatives! I had planned to explore a slightly different approach for the delivery system, but I’ll definitely consider your suggestion. I hope to post the continuing parts soon. Thanks so much for your insight and feedback on the story
This is an insanely written story and so sad for Becky. The betrayal hit me hard for some reason and I want to see what awaits Becky, who has now moved on from victim to victor? Or is it predator...
I hope Becky becomes a victor at the end of this story but you never know the way a writer's mind works! Hehe. Thanks so much for the compliment on my story.
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I must say that in the end I was very surprised, the story became a crime of passion, I will be waiting for the second part to see how things continue.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Happy day.
I'm glad you caught the crime of passion aspect of the story. I hope to build on it in the next part. Thanks so much for your visit and kind comment. 😊
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