After-Effects

12 - 2

Before we start, I want to clear something, any of you thinking that this doesn't make sense should know that, One - Keith was purposely hiding things from Karissa because he knew she wasn't someone who'd settle for less.

Two - I had, in person, witnessed my sister go through this where her fiance had done this to her and was openly claiming how loving two people wasn't bad, but since the other woman didn't chose him, he wanted to be with her. I can't express the disgust I've felt while he was saying all that and then he was acting like nobody understood him.

So yes, this is No Fiction, this is reality hence living up to its Title Random Realities.

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Karissa

The thought of being deceived so cruelly, coming second to someone I always thought I was the only one for, was agonizingly suffocating.

A simple nod was all it took. The truth crashed down on me like a rogue wave, leaving my mind swaying in disbelief. Nausea churned in my stomach as the cruel reality settled in: he loved her, and worse still, he might probably still love her. The thought was a cold harsh slap, stripping away the illusions I'd clung to. My vision cleared, and I saw our relationship for what it was – a facade, built on untold truth.

"What was I to you, Keith? A placeholder? A distraction?" I demanded, my voice rising as I shot up from the couch, unable to contain my emotions. "Was I just a convenient option, easily available until you figured out how to get back to her?" The words spilled out with my pain.

"You didn't just lie to me, Keith. You disrespected me, kept me at arm's length while your heart belonged to someone else. Every moment we shared, every promise you made, it all feels like a sham!

"No, I loved you too," Keith exclaimed loudly. "I still do." The words so hollow and uninspiring, lacking the conviction that once made them meaningful.

"No, you don't," I snapped, the anger in my words matching the hurt in my heart. "I was just the consolation prize, the closest option while she remained your first choice." Keith rose from the couch, his towering frame looming over me, but his eyes betrayed vulnerability, not dominance.

"That's not true!" Keith exclaimed with desperation. "Rose is...was special. You don't just forget your first love, Karry. But that doesn't mean I didn't love you enough. I did everything right with you, didn't I?" His words tumbled out in a frantic plea, as if seeking validation, seeking forgiveness, or perhaps seeking to convince himself.

"Oh my god!" I breathed, recoiling in shock. The man before me was a stranger, lost in his own delusions. How could he have concealed such monumental secrets behind a façade of love and commitment? The half-truths, the omissions, the outright lies – all of it had been a recklessly concealed lie.

I forced myself to take a steadying breath, reining in my anger and confusion. My mind was spiralling on a wheel but I refused to let emotions cloud my purpose. I hadn't come this far to let him betray me twice – once with his deception, and again with my own vulnerability.

"Are you listening to yourself, Keith?" I fumed trembling with restrained fury. "That's twisted. What exactly was your relationship with Rose? Were you friends, girlfriend and boyfriend, or something more?" Each word felt like a struggle to extract, as if I was pulling needles from my head or poking more inside.

"No, we weren't any of those things," his words spilled out in a rushed confession. "But that doesn't mean our feelings didn't exist. We never got the chance... She got engaged, and I was miserable." He took a step closer, his eyes pleading for understanding, but I retreated, creating distance between us.