Traitor // Short story // The Sturniolo Triplets x reader (✓)

10

me and matt went back to his house, and we waited for chris to come home in his room. we told nick about what we saw and our suspicions.

'so it's true that you actually saw chris say that?' he asked the both of us.

me and matt looked at each other. 'yeah,' i said. 'it's true.'

nick let out a long sigh. 'well, now all we can do is wait for him to come home and ask him.'

i nodded.

finally, after what felt like hours, we heard the sound of the front door opening. the three of us jumped up, our eyes meeting in a mix of anticipation and dread.

'he's home,' matt whispered.

we quickly made our way to the living room, where chris stood by the door, looking tired and a little out of it. he glanced up at us, a faint smile on his lips, but there was something off in his expression—something we couldn't quite place.

'hey, what's up?' he asked casually, kicking off his shoes and walking further into the room.

nick was the first to speak. 'we need to talk, chris.'

chris frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked between the three of us. 'okay... about what?'

matt and i exchanged a nervous glance before i finally found my voice. 'me and matt kinda followed you, and we saw that you were talking to some guys and... well... what did you get yourself into?'

chris tensed up and looked at me with a stare that could kill. 'you followed me?'

'well, yeah,' i replied.

chris scoffed. 'i can't believe it, my brother and my best friend.'

i walked up to him and put my hands in his. 'please, chris, we can help. what's going on?'

chris snapped his hands away from mine. 'no, y/n. i'm sorry, but no, you can't help me.'

'chris?'

'no, y/n! no!'

'what's going on, chris?! we're not letting you go until you tell us!' matt chimed in.

chris looked around and finally let us know the truth. 'you really want to know?! well, i never told you guys, but i needed money, like real money.'

he walked towards the window and looked out into the dark night. 'so i got this job. a job that could secure me and you guys a lot of money, if you ask me.'

he looked at me. 'you know those house fires that were set off? every single one was because of me.'

my mouth dropped. chris was the one who set off those fires? i knew it wasn't an accident.

'people got killed all because of this stupid job, all because this guy didn't get what he wanted from those families. so he told me to light their houses, and they... all... died.'

i could see that his body was trembling when telling us this.

i felt my breath catch in my throat, unable to process the words that had just come out of chris's mouth. the room suddenly felt colder, and i could see the shock etched on matt's and nick's faces as well.

'you... you did what?' matt stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

chris looked at the floor. 'i didn't want to at first,' he muttered. 'but i had no choice. the guy—he's dangerous. he knows things, has connections. he said if i didn't do it, he'd come after you guys.'

nick's fists clenched at his sides, anger replacing the shock in his eyes. 'and you thought this was the solution? burning people's homes? killing them?' his voice cracked with emotion, and he took a step closer to chris. 'how could you even think about putting us at risk like that?'

chris finally looked up at us, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with regret. 'i thought i could handle it. i thought i could keep you safe, but it all spiraled out of control. i didn't know what to do...'

tears welled up in my eyes as i watched him crumble before us. this was chris, the person i trusted, the person i loved. how could he have gotten involved in something so horrible?

'y/n?' he said, walking toward me.

matt stepped in front of me and blocked chris from coming any closer. 'no, you stay away from her,' he said. 'after what you've done, i should call the police.'

chris's eyes went wide with fear. 'no, please! i- i was just protecting you.'

nick came to matt's side, also protecting me. my eyes were now streaming with tears, and my breathing was coming out fast.

'i'm sorry, but i have to go,' chris said. 'i have one more job, and then this will all be done, trust me.'

i realized what he was saying and walked through matt and nick to face him. 'chris! you aren't going to do another house, are you?!' i said through my tears.

'i have to. i'm sorry.' and that was that—chris ran out the door before any of us could say anything.