After-Effects

9

The time frame in this chapter is Three weeks and four days later after the Bachelor's party.

Karissa

Standing there, listening to the mind twirling the truth of Keith's infidelity, its significance of being more than a mere one-night stand jabbed deeper.

The truth stabbed me repeatedly, invisible hands twisting the knife, as I struggled to reconcile every moment we'd shared. Memories I thought were genuine now taunted me, leaving me questioning everything, every laugh, every whispered promise, and every tender touch. The pain was suffocating, making it hard to breathe, as I felt the realness of our once loving relationship laying in mud right in front of my eyes.

Every glance, every smile, every inside joke - all spirals into a foggy suspicion. It felt as though the universe itself was conspiring against me, the fates taunting me with cruel whispers, that I was nothing more than a temporary illusion, a dream that never truly existed. The very fabric of reality seemed to be unraveling, revealing a harsh truth - that I was but a mere specter, a shadow of someone I thought I was.

The cosmos mocked my deepest fears, echoing the haunting suspicion that I was insignificant, a mere whisper in the winds of time, that the act of betrayal against me was so uncomplicated to commit.

Lasers of pain still sliced through me, despite my battered heart's desperate attempts to shield itself. The truth gnawed at my soul, I couldn't escape the ache, no matter how hard I tried. Both Keith and I were entangled in a vicious cycle, craving closure yet paralyzed by the fear of more agony.

The most devastating blow was that the one person who was once my entire universe my guiding star, my safe haven,
now seemed like a stranger - a menacing figure whose presence made my skin crawl. His familiar face now twisted into a hardened mask, filling me with dread as I wondered what new torment he would unleash upon me.

Every glance, every gesture, every whispered word now seemed tainted with his treason and broken to irreparable pieces.

My heart, already so deeply injured still resonated with his anguish, for the empathy we once shared. He had lost his father, a pain I knew all too well, and for a weak moment, my instincts urged me to reach out, to envelop him in a comforting embrace.

But then, like being electrotcuted back to reality- memories of his betrayal, his deception, his cruel disregard for my feelings. My empathy evaporated, replaced by a resentment, as I recoiled from the notion of easing his pain. How dare I still feel for him, after all he had done to me? The conflict raged within.

As the hurt finally began to subside, a simmering anger rose. Dark suspicions crept in, like venomous tendrils, poisoning my mind with thoughts of suspicions.

Searing questions ravaged my mind, each one a fresh wound, Was he entwined with her before our relationship began? Was this a clandestine affair, a secret he kept hidden behind a mask of devotion? Did he truly love her, or was this just a temporary obsession? And what was it about her that made Keith, a man who once embodied loyalty and integrity, risk everything - our relationship, our trust, our future - for a chance to be with her? What made her so extraordinary, so captivating, that he would sacrifice his own dignity, his own honor, to be in her presence?

Byron, Roman, and Dexter had all met Keith in college or later, so they were oblivious to his high school antics. Only Taylor had been around back then, making it pointless to question the others. They wouldn't have any insight into Keith's past.

I loathed these questions, each one a bitter reminder of my own gullibility. I despised him for shattering the illusion of our perfect love, and I detested myself even more for feeling sympathetic about his loss. The wound of his betrayal had sealed my soul somewhere, I can feel the pain and I am still empty.