Happily Never After (sequel to Stolen Love)

Chapter 9

THE LETTERS

Dear Dominic,

I really like you. I have enjoyed spending a lot of time with you. But, this was a mistake. I'm sorry. I am with Sam, your best friend. And Maya is my best friend. Do you really want to hurt them? I don't. I love our group too much to rip it apart with our affair. Tomorrow, I'm going to break it off. But by the time you read this letter, we will be broken up. I just needed to write all of this down before I go say it all to you. We also need to tell Maya and Sam about this. I don't want to risk them hearing about it from somebody else. Our group would be split in half by that alone. I'm sorry. I will miss being so close to you. But this is wrong. I'm so sorry.

-Riley

(Written: May 13, 2017)

Dear Sam,

I'm so sorry. I couldn't be sorrier. I regret everything that happened. But I need to tell you. And I will. I promise to tell you everything. So here goes...

I've been seeing Dominic. While I was seeing you. It was a mistake, and I realize that now. I'm going to break it off with him tomorrow. I PROMISE. I am so SORRY.

I love you. I know that's probably not something I should say for the first time in a letter, but it's true. I LOVE YOU. I just hope that after I tell you about me and Dominic you will be able to forgive me. I understand if you can't though. You will be furious at me. You will probably hate me, but please, please, please, don't let this split the four of us apart. I don't want that. I would be devastated if you broke up with me after you find out, I'm devastated just thinking about that, even though you most likely will. Just don't shut me out, please. At least not forever. That would the worst thing that could happen, ever. I love you, I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, and I don't want to imagine it. I love you, and I'm so, so, so, so sorry.

Love Riley

(Written: May 13, 2017)

Dear Maya,

I love you. You're my best friend, and hopefully always will be. We've known each other since kindergarten. Remember that day? The day we met. It was one of the best days of my life. A girl walks up to me, asking to borrow my glue stick. I didn't know that girl would end up being my best friend for the rest of my life. I wish we could go back to that day. Before I messed everything up. You're probably wondering what it is that I did to mess everything up. I'll tell you.

Dominic and I have been seeing each other, secretly. I realized that it was a mistake, but I realized too late. I'm breaking it off tomorrow at school. I don't want to hurt our friendship, but I fear it's way too late for that. I messed it up the first time I kissed him. I regret it. All of it. It was a huge mistake. I wish I could turn back time, go back and not kiss him. But I can't, and I did. I hope and pray that you will forgive me, but I know you probably won't. At least not for a while. I love you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I hurt everybody with my mistake. I can do so many things to try to fix it, but it will never be the same. You will never fully trust me again, neither will Sam. With any luck, I can apologize enough to get our lives back to the way they were before, mostly. I'm so sorry.

-Riley

(Written: May 13, 2017)