Double Deception

Chapter 12: A Fragile Proposal

The next morning, Emily showed up at my apartment unannounced. Her face was pale, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"I need to talk to you," she said, her voice trembling.

I hesitated, debating whether to let her in. Against my better judgment, I stepped aside.

She perched on the edge of my couch, twisting her hands in her lap. "I've been thinking a lot about everything. About us. And I know I've hurt you in ways I can't even begin to fix. But I want to try."

I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. "Try how, exactly? Another confession? More lies?"

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I mean real work. Therapy. Together. I've already booked my first individual session. And if you're willing, we could go to couples counseling, too."

The Plea

Her words caught me off guard. Therapy wasn't what I'd expected from her. It was... proactive. Almost too good to be true.

"I know it's not enough," she continued, her voice breaking. "But it's a start. I've been living in denial for so long—pretending that Emma was just this harmless outlet, that I wasn't doing real damage. But I see now that I was wrong. I don't want to lose you. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to rebuild your trust."

The sincerity in her voice was hard to ignore. But so was the weight of everything she'd done.

The Inner Conflict

"You can't just expect me to forgive you," I said, my tone sharp. "Therapy doesn't erase the fact that you lied to me for years, that you cheated on me, that you—"

"I know!" she interrupted, tears streaming down her face. "I know I've ruined everything. But I love you, and I want to be better. For you, for me, for us. Please, just give me a chance to prove it."

I looked away, my emotions warring within me. Part of me wanted to believe her, to cling to the hope that we could somehow salvage what we had. But another part of me—the part that had spent sleepless nights replaying every lie, every betrayal—wasn't sure I could ever trust her again.

Marcus Weighs In

Later that evening, I called Marcus. As always, he was blunt.

"Therapy? Seriously?" he said. "That's her solution?"

"She's trying," I said defensively.

"Is she, though? Or is this just another way to keep you on the hook?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know, man. What if she's serious? What if this is her way of making amends?"

"And what if it's not?" Marcus countered. "What if you go through all this therapy, all this effort, and she just finds another way to lie to you? Do you really think you can ever trust her again?"

His words hit hard because they echoed the doubts I'd been trying to suppress.

The Counseling Pitch

A few days later, Emily followed up with an email—an uncharacteristically formal approach. In it, she detailed her plans: weekly individual therapy sessions, a list of therapists for couples counseling, and a heartfelt acknowledgment of her actions.

She ended the email with a simple line: "I don't expect you to decide right away, but I'm not giving up on us."

I read the email multiple times, each pass stirring a different emotion—anger, sadness, hope, and fear.

A Decision Looms

That night, I sat alone in my apartment, staring at the ceiling. Could therapy really help? Could we rebuild the trust she had shattered?

Or was this just another attempt to control the damage, to avoid the full consequences of her actions?

As I turned off the lights and crawled into bed, one thought haunted me: Was love enough to overcome the destruction she'd caused?