Edge Of Betrayal

Breaking The Silence

The door creaked open, and the moment she stepped inside, Theo rushed to her, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and anxiety. "Ariel," he breathed, moving closer as if he couldn't believe she was really there.

She held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Theo, don't. Just... don't." Her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed the pain and betrayal she felt deep inside. Seeing him, it just replayed the whole scene for her. She stepped back slightly, putting physical and emotional distance between them.

Theo watched as Ariel turned and closed the door behind her with a soft, decisive click. She took another deep breath, her chest rising and falling with visible effort, as if steeling herself for the confrontation before turning around to face him once again. Every second felt like an eternity to Theo as he stood there, his heart pounding with a mix of dread and hope.

Theo could see the raw hurt etched into her features, a stark contrast to the loving and open expression she had always worn. It twisted his heart, making him painfully aware of the depth of the damage he had caused.

He waited for her to turn around his expression pained, thoughts frantic now that the time had finally come. He had imagined this moment over and over, but seeing the real, palpable anguish in Ariel's eyes now... this was completely different. As she faced him, his words rushed out, "I know I messed up, Ari. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

"Sorry?" Ariel echoed, her tone sharp and incredulous. She shook her head.

"You think 'sorry' is going to fix this? I caught you in bed with another woman, Theo. Do you have any idea how that feels?"

Her voice rose with each word, the intensity of her emotions breaking through her calm facade. Ariel's eyes burned with a mixture of anger and sorrow, and Theo could see the tears she was trying so hard to hold back.

Ariel's eyes burned with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "No, Theo, you don't know how it feels. Because I would have never done that to you. Never. Walking in and seeing you with her... it was like a knife to the heart. It shattered everything I thought I knew about us."

He remembered the look of shock and devastation on her face, a look that now haunted him. He felt a rush of shame and regret, knowing he was the cause of her pain. He was a fool to try to convince himself this wouldn't turn out this way. Maybe a coward is a better word, he thought to himself. He hadn't wanted to face the reality of how much this would change things. So stupid..

Her voice wavered as she continued, her hands trembling slightly. Theo moved to reach out to her, comfort her and she took a step back again, glaring at him. "What you did, Theo, it goes so deep. It wasn't just that.. that you were with her. I stood there and it felt like the ground was ripped out from under me. All the memories, all the promises, they all feel like lies."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. "I've been questioning everything, doubting everything we had. How could you love me and hurt me like this? Were you ever really committed? Did you ever really love me, or was it all just a facade?"

Theo felt a sharp pain in his chest as he listened to her words, the reality of the hurt he had caused sinking in deeper. No, he didn't understand. He had no feelings for that women, didn't know the anything about her, and he knew full well how real his love for Ariel is.But now she didn't. He hadn't thought of how this would affect everything, past and present, how it would put everything into question. How could he have been so blind, so foolish? Theo's shoulders slumped, guilt washing over his features.

"I can't imagine, Ariel. I just... I was stupid, and I made the worst mistake of my life. I do love you. So much. That night... it was a honestly a horrible mistake. I was drunk, lost in my own insecurities and fears. Please, just let me explain."

Ariel's eyes flashed with a mix of anger and disbelief. "A mistake?! You tripped, all your clothes fell off, and you mistakenly landed in bed with her, huh? Totally. Happens allllll the time."

Theo winced at her words, his face contorted with regret. "I know how it sounds, Ariel, but it wasn't like that. I was drunk and out of control. It was a stupid, terrible lapse in judgment."

Ariel let out a bitter laugh as she tried to steady herself. "A lapse in judgment? Theo, being drunk doesn't excuse what you did. You made a choice. Multiple choices that led you to that morning. You chose to betray me." Her voice cracked, revealing the depth of her pain.

Theo stepped forward, desperation in his eyes, his hands fisted at his sides to avoid reaching out again. He felt a gap between them that was growing by the second. "Ariel, I know... I know I just—"

"Just what, Theo?!" Ariel cut him off, her voice rising with emotion. "We were supposed to get married, build a family. You threw everything, all this time away. For what? A quick fuck that you didn't think you'd get caught for? Honestly, I can't even believe this." She paused, her voice breaking slightly as her hurt began to show. "I thought you were better than this."

Theo tried to move closer, but Ariel stepped back, keeping the distance between them. "Ari, stop. Please, don't say that," he pleaded, panic lacing his voice. This wasn't the soft, sweet, open Ariel he'd always known. He did this to her. He'd never experienced this side of her, didn't expect it—though he absolutely should have.

Frantically, he tried to explain. "After hearing Titan always saying how marriage makes things worse for everyone, being against monogamy, how so many couples end and all that... I think I was just in a bad place, both metaphorically and physically, and I fucked up." As the words tumbled out, Theo realized how much he was putting his foot in his mouth and how stupid it all actually sounded now that it was out of his head. His explanations really were inadequate, almost childish in their simplicity. He was painfully aware of how his words must sound to Ariel, and how they only seemed to deepen the wound he had inflicted.

"Ariel... I just... I can't lose you," he said, his voice cracking.

Ariel looked at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and anger. "Do you even hear yourself, Theo? You're blaming Titan, your circumstances, everything but yourself. You are the reason for all of this. If you really valued us, what we had. We wouldn't be having this conversation."

Theo's heart sank further, the weight of his actions pressing down on him. He felt a deep, gnawing fear that he might have lost the most important person in his life. "Ariel, I know this is bad, worse than bad, but I'll do whatever it takes, anything to fix this. What we have is real. Please Ariel, just don't give up on us."

"I wouldn't say I was the one that gave up on us Theo," Ariel said, her voice firm."Back up. I have questions, and you're going to give me answers. Then you're going to leave."