The Loyalty Text - S01 E08

Story 6 days ago

The Loyalty Text - S01 E08

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 8

Episode 8: The Loyalty Test

The evening was very dark. It was the kind of dark that makes you feel like the sun will never come back. Outside the house, the sky was full of heavy clouds. Then, the rain started to fall. It was not a soft rain. It was a loud and angry rain. The water came down from the sky like millions of tiny rocks hitting the roof. It made a sound like a big drum playing over and over again. The wind was blowing through the trees, making the branches rub against the windows. It sounded like someone was scratching at the glass, trying to get inside. The red and white roses in the garden were being pushed around by the wind. Their beautiful petals were falling onto the wet grass. Everything looked sad and lonely.

In the driveway, the lights of two cars appeared. The yellow light cut through the dark rain. The first car stopped, and then the second car stopped right behind it. Nia stood inside the house, looking out through the window. Her heart felt like a small bird that was trying to escape a cage. She was holding a small brown folder in her hands. She squeezed it so hard that her fingers turned white. She was very afraid, but she knew she had to be brave. This was the most important night of her life. She took a deep breath of the cold air and waited.

The front door opened. The sound of the lock was very loud in the quiet house. Andre walked in first. He was wet from the rain. His hair was messy, and his coat was dripping water onto the floor. But he did not seem to care about the water. He looked very tired. He looked much older than he did just a few weeks ago. His face was full of lines that were not there before. He did not look at Nia. He did not look at the beautiful roses she had put in the vase. He just looked at his shoes. He looked like a man who had lost his best friend. He looked like a man who had no more hope left in his heart.

Kate followed behind him. She did not look tired at all. She looked like she was very happy. She was wearing a very fancy dress that was the color of a bright lemon. She walked into the house with her head held high. She did not wait for Nia to say hello. She did not act like a guest. She walked like she was the person who owned the house. She looked at the white walls and the nice furniture with a greedy look in her eyes. Then, she did something very mean. She walked over to the big, soft chair in the corner. This was Nia’s favorite chair. It was the chair where Nia sat to read her books and to think about her life. Kate sat down in the chair without being asked. She leaned back and crossed her legs. She looked at Nia with a mean smile that said, I am the boss now.

Nia stood by the fireplace. There was no fire burning, so the bricks were cold. She felt the coldness in her bones. She felt like she was standing on a piece of ice that was melting. She looked at Andre and her heart broke all over again. She wanted to run to him and dry his hair with a warm towel. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry for the big mistake she had made. But she stayed where she was. She forced herself to stand tall. She forced herself to keep her head up even though she felt like crying.

She looked at the folder in her hands and reminded herself that the truth was the only way to save them.

"Thank you for coming," Nia said. Her voice was very soft. It was shaking like a leaf in the wind. She had to stop and swallow because her throat felt very dry. But she did not let herself stop talking. "I am glad you are both here."

Andre still did not look at her. He just stood in the middle of the room. He looked at the wooden floor. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but in this house. The silence in the room was very heavy. It felt like a big, thick blanket that was making it hard to breathe.

Kate let out a big sigh. She made a sound like she was very bored. "Let us get this over with, Nia," Kate said. Her voice was sharp and cold. It did not sound like honey anymore. "We all know why we are here. We know that you are leaving. There is no reason to make this take a long time. Just sign the papers and let Andre be happy. He does not want to be with someone who does not trust him. He wants to be with someone who cares about him. Just give us the keys and go away."

Nia felt a sting in her eyes. The words were very mean. They were meant to hurt her. She looked at Andre to see if he would say anything. She hoped he would tell Kate to be quiet. She hoped he would say that he still loved her. But Andre said nothing. He just stayed very still. He looked like a statue made of salt.

Nia took a very deep breath. She felt the paper of the folder under her fingers. "I am not leaving yet," she said. Her voice was a little bit stronger now. "Before I go, I want to tell the whole story. I want to tell the real story. Not the story that Kate told you, Andre. I want to tell the truth. It is a story that started with a very stupid mistake that I made. I was wrong, and I want you to know why."

Andre looked up then. His eyes were full of confusion. He looked at Nia like he was seeing her for the first time in a long time. He did not say anything, but he listened. Kate shifted in her seat. Her big smile started to fade away. She looked a little bit nervous. She did not like that Nia was talking. She wanted Nia to be quiet and leave.

Nia began to talk. She talked about the day she felt the first seed of doubt in her heart. She explained how she had been sitting in the garden, looking at her beautiful life, and feeling afraid. She told Andre how much she loved him. She told him that she loved him so much that it made her scared. She was afraid that she was not good enough for him. She was afraid that one day he would wake up and realize he wanted someone better. She told him that her fear had turned into a monster. It was a monster that told her lies. The monster told her that she needed to test him to see if he would stay.

"I was so scared of losing you that I did the one thing that would make me lose you," Nia said. Tears started to run down her face, but she did not wipe them away. "I admitted that I was the one who reached out to Kate. I was the one who paid her to come here. I was the one who asked her to pretend to be lost. I thought if you passed the test, I would never be afraid again. But I was wrong. The test was a very bad idea. It was a lie, and you cannot build a happy life on a lie."

Andre looked like he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. He looked at Nia, and then he looked at Kate. He looked like he was trying to put a puzzle together in his head. He looked at the woman sitting in Nia’s chair, and he saw her differently.

Kate stood up quickly. She did not look happy anymore. She looked angry. "Do not listen to her, Andre!" Kate shouted. Her voice was very loud. "She is just making up more stories! She is the one who wrote those mean things about you! She is the one who does not trust you! She is trying to trick you again because she knows she is losing! I am the one who was there for you! I am your friend!"

Kate tried to walk toward Andre. She wanted to grab his arm and pull him away. She wanted to stop Nia from saying any more words. But Nia held up her hand. She stood her ground. She did not let Kate scare her anymore.

"Wait," Nia said. Her voice was calm now. It was the calmest she had felt in a very long time. "I am not just telling stories, Kate. I have something to show you both. I have something that will show the truth once and for all."

Nia reached into the brown folder. She pulled out a piece of paper. It was the email that Kate had sent to her friend. She also pulled out the receipt for the money she had paid. She held the papers out so that they could see them. The room became very quiet again. The only sound was the rain hitting the windows and the sound of Nia’s heart beating. Andre reached out his hand to take the papers. Kate froze where she was standing. Her face turned very pale. She looked like she wanted to run out of the house and into the rain.

Nia looked at her husband. She looked at the man she had almost lost because of her own fear. She looked at the woman who had tried to steal her life. She knew that the next few minutes would change everything. She had told her secret. She had admitted her mistake. Now, all she could do was wait to see if the truth would be enough to save them. The suspense in the room was so thick that it felt like they were all underwater. No one moved. No one spoke. They all just looked at the papers in Andre's hand.

Nia felt a strange peace. She had done what she needed to do. She had been honest. Even if Andre still wanted to leave, she knew that she had told the truth. She had learned that testing someone you love is like trying to catch a butterfly with a hammer. You only end up breaking the thing you want to keep. She looked at the roses on the table and hoped that there was still a chance for things to grow again. She hoped that trust could be rebuilt, even if the house of their marriage had been shaken by the storm.

Kate tried to speak again, but no sound came out of her mouth. She looked like a bird that had been caught in a net. She looked at the door, but she did not move. She knew that her secret was out. She knew that she could no longer hide behind her fake smiles and her sweet voice. The game was truly over.

Nia finally told Andre the truth about the test. Do you think she should have told him sooner, or was this the right time?

Kate tried to interrupt Nia. Why do you think she is so afraid of Andre seeing the papers?

Andre now knows that both women lied to him in different ways. If you were Andre, could you forgive either of them?

Do you think Nia's reason for the test (being scared of not being good enough) makes her mistake any better?