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Chapter 9: Betrayal
The late afternoon sun cast a warm, orange glow across the porch, highlighting Becca as she leaned casually against the railing. Her eyes gleamed with an unsettling satisfaction as Nick and Phil approached, the smirk on her face a silent taunt. She had been waiting for this moment, the confrontation inevitable and, to her, almost amusing.
“I knew you’d come,” she said, her voice smooth, a hint of laughter threading through it. “Though I didn’t expect you this soon. So, Lily’s told you everything? And it’s anger that’s brought you here.”
Nick’s shoulders tightened, his jaw clenched as he stepped forward. His voice was tight, layered with barely controlled frustration. “Why, Becca? Why lie about Lily? You said she liked Phil. Why would you mislead us like that?”
Becca’s gaze shifted to Phil, and for a moment, pity softened her eyes. “It wasn’t a lie, Phil. Lily did like you. But liking isn’t loving. You were... misled if you thought otherwise.”
Phil’s face fell, his fists clenching at his sides. He looked away, his voice raw and strained. “All this time,” he muttered, “she only thought of me as a friend. That’s all I was to her.”
Nick pushed on, his voice now sharper, the disbelief evident in his words. “And Alex? You said he was cheating on Lily. Was that another lie? What was the point of that?”
Becca raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with mockery. “Nick, I expected better from you. I know Phil’s a bit naive, but you? You didn’t even bother to check on Alex’s background?” She chuckled, a low, hollow sound. “He was cheating on her, if you must know. Or maybe he still is. Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me.” She shrugged as if discussing something as trivial as the weather.
Nick’s face twisted with disbelief. “You’re spinning a web of lies, Becca. Manipulating everyone like puppets. Why?”
Becca folded her arms, her expression calm, almost amused. “I didn’t lie. I presented the truth... differently. If you all had flawed perspectives, that’s on you.”
Phil, who had remained quiet, finally spoke up. His voice trembled with a mix of guilt and confusion. “And Alex? Did he... was he really hurting Lily? You made it seem like he was dangerous.”
Becca looked at him, her gaze long and almost amused. “I never said that, Phil. But yes—your suspicions were right.”
Phil’s brow furrowed, his voice breaking. “Why, Becca? Why go through all of this? What did you gain from hurting us?”
For a moment, the self-satisfied mask Becca wore cracked, revealing something vulnerable beneath. Her smirk faded, and she looked at Phil with a softness that surprised even her. “You really don’t know, do you?” she whispered, almost gently. “I thought you’d have figured it out by now.” She let out a bitter laugh, her eyes glistening with an old, unhealed hurt. “I liked you, Phil. I always have.”
Phil stood there, rooted in shock as her words sank in, his eyes widening as he tried to process it all.
Becca’s voice trembled, a hint of resentment woven into her confession. “Since we were kids, I’ve liked you, Phil. But to you, I was always... just a friend. Every hint I gave, every chance I took, you missed.” Her tone broke, the frustration and sorrow she’d kept hidden finally spilling out. “Do you know how that feels? To be invisible to the one person you care about most?” Her gaze dropped, her fingers tightening against her arms. “I felt... betrayed.”
Phil’s expression softened, shadows of guilt flickering in his eyes. He tried to find words but faltered, his voice barely above a whisper. “And that’s why you did all this?”
Becca’s expression hardened again as though sealing off her vulnerability. “Yes. I wanted you to feel the same—the doubt, the questioning. But hurting you... that was never my goal. I cared about you too much for that.” She paused, gathering herself, her gaze distant as she seemed to remember a time when things were simpler between them. “Do you remember when we were younger? How we used to spend summers together? You’d bring me flowers from your mother’s garden, and I thought—” She stopped, her expression twisting as if the memory left a bitter taste. “But then Lily came along, didn’t she?”
Phil felt the weight of her words, remembering those days. He could see her now as the girl who had watched him, who had cherished those summers more deeply than he realized.
“Lily didn’t take me away from you, Becca,” he murmured, trying to bridge the distance between them.
Becca’s face hardened, her eyes narrowing. “She did, even if she didn’t mean to. And she never deserved you. I was the one who was there first. I know you better than she ever could. She just... got lucky.”
Nick stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension, cold and unyielding. “And Phil doesn’t deserve you, Becca. What you did—manipulating us, toying with everyone—was wrong.”
Becca’s face was unreadable for a moment, but her jaw tightened, and her fingers curled into her palms, betraying a crack in her composure. Phil looked down, a mix of regret and sorrow in his eyes. He struggled to keep his voice steady, the weight of guilt and sorrow pressing down on him. “I’m sorry, Becca. I didn’t see you that way. And if I hurt you without realizing it, I’m truly sorry. But this...” He gestured around helplessly, unable to put into words the web of betrayal she had spun around them. “This isn’t the way.”
Becca forced a sad smile, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. For a moment, her vulnerability returned, raw and exposed. “You don’t have to apologize, Phil. Not anymore.”
Nick touched Phil’s shoulder, a gentle nudge that signaled it was time to leave. As they turned away from the house, a heavy silence settled between them, the weight of Becca’s confession lingering like a shadow.
Once they were a few steps down the street, Nick glanced at Phil, his voice low and hesitant. “So, what do we do now?”
Phil sighed, his voice weary yet resolute. “We move forward. We forget about this.”
Nick frowned, concern etched in his expression. “But what about Lily? Shouldn’t we clear things up with her?”
Phil nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah... I will.”
As they walked on, the weight of the confrontation still hung heavy, a silent reminder of the betrayal that had unfolded.
What do you think about Becca backstory...did you all like it .....
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DELUSIONAL HEART
Romance"When Phil's long-held crush on Lily finally seems within reach, a tangled web of secrets and lies threatens to destroy everything. As he struggles to distinguish reality from his own delusional heart, Phil must confront the ultimate question: how f...
