My living room was occupied with Ryan and Lena, and I sat on the sofa, gazing at them blankly. Although my body resisted, my mind begged me to get rid of them. Their arrogance was suffocating, and the scene I would just witnessed repeated over and over in my thoughts.
Lena appeared to be the ideal guest as she sat with her legs crossed and her hands neatly clasped in her lap. However, Ryan strolled the room as if he owned it, as if he had not just dropped the question to a different woman a few hours prior.
"Are you really going to keep your behavior to yourself?" When Ryan eventually spoke, his voice broke the strained stillness.
I forced myself to look at him and blinked. “Explain?” I repeated in a flat, icy tone. "Ryan, what specifically do you want me to explain?"
His eyebrows sprang up, and he glanced at Lena. "You have been distant since you came back," he stated. “Is it the trip? Work-related stress? Stacey, I am trying to assist you, but you are making it impossible."
I laughed without amusement and shook my head. "Am I the one making things impossible?"
Lena gently cleared her throat, calling our attention. "Ryan is simply trying to be considerate, Stacey," she said, her voice silky and lovely. "Perhaps you should—"
“Don’t.” I snapped, abruptly cutting her off. My voice was harsher than I wanted, but I did not mind. "Lena, you have no right to sit there and act like you are worried about me."
Ryan's protective instincts quickly took over as his eyes narrowed. "Be mindful of your tone," he cautioned, approaching her. "Lena has shown you nothing but kindness, and this is your way of saying thank you?"
I resisted the impulse to blow up, clenching my fists and burying my nails into my hands. In addition to standing up for her, he was also accusing me of wrongdoing. after all of his actions.
"You have no clue what I have gone through in the last three months, Ryan," I answered slowly, maintaining my composure in spite of the storm that was brewing inside of me. You have no clue how much I have given up to secure our future. And now you are brave enough to stand there and give me a lecture? when she is present."
"What does that mean?" With a defensive tone, he fired back.
"It implies that rather than criticizing me for not throwing a lavish party for you and your long-lost sister, perhaps you should ask yourself why I am unhappy," I replied, getting to my feet and looking him in the eye.
Lena recoiled, and Ryan's mouth tensed. Good. Let them struggle.
Ryan responded, "You are overreacting," in a harsh but lowered voice. "This is how you have always been—making everything about you and drawing judgments too quickly."
I stepped back a little as the words hit me like a slap, my breath halting. The sounds I was hearing were unbelievable.
"I am making myself the center of attention." I muttered, my voice shaking with rage. "Ryan, are you really attempting to deceive me at this moment? After—”
I was unable to finish my sentence. I couldn’t say it. I could not force myself to tell them everything.
"After what?" Ryan pressed, sounding almost arrogant now.
I shook my head as the tears I had been fighting so hard to contain threatened to come out. “You know what? Forget it. Both of you. Get out of my apartment.”
Ryan frowned. “Stacey, don’t be ridiculous. We came here to visit you because we care for you—"
“Get. Out.”
This time, there was no space for debate because the words were said more loudly. Lena was about to speak when Ryan put a hand on her arm and stopped her.
"We will go," he stated in a strained voice. “But this isn’t over.”
A nervous breath left my throat as I watched them go, the door clicking shut behind them. The stillness that followed was terrible, but it was my own.
For now.
---
Hours passed, but the storm inside me refused to settle. My mind was racing with questions I could not answer as I paced the flat. How much time had they been deceiving me? Was Ryan just an expert manipulator, or was I an idiot?
Now, every memory we had in common seemed poisoned. Every grin, every joke, every promise seemed fake. How did I become so blind?
My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts. After a moment of hesitation, I answered, partly expecting Ryan to call again. Rather, my mother had sent me a message.
“Ryan called us. He said you’re not feeling well. Is everything okay, baby?”
I tightened my jaw and gripped the phone more tightly. Of course, he’d run to my parents. He had a knack for manipulating the story to suit his interests.
I quickly typed a response. "I am alright, Mom. Just tired. Don’t worry about me.”
Nevertheless, another message arrived as soon as I clicked send. This one was unidentified.
"You have a right to know the truth about Lena and Ryan. Come see me at the Fifth Avenue coffee shop tomorrow. Noon.”
My heart raced as I looked at the screen. Who could this be? What truth were they talking about?
Every possibility that sprang to mind was more devastating than the last. I wanted to disregard the message and act as though nothing was going on. The part of me that refused to be a victim, however, understood I had to go.
I have to be aware.
---
The following morning, I hardly slept. I could not because of my thoughts. When noon finally arrived, I was already in the coffee shop, sipping my black coffee and looking around the room for anyone who could be suspicious.
Fifteen minutes went by. Then thirty. I was ready to walk away when a man moved into the seat across from me.
"Stacey?" he said softly.
I nodded cautiously. “Who are you?”
He lowered his voice even more as he looked around. "I know Ryan, but you do not know me. And Lena.”
My heart skipped a beat. "What are you saying?"
The man leaned forward with a somber gaze. "You are mistaken about who they are. And if you do not leave now, you will lose more than your relationship."
My breath caught in my throat. “What are you talking about? Who are they?”
He hesitated for a bit before placing his phone on the table. In a picture I saw, Ryan and Lena were embracing, but it did not appear like they were siblings; rather, it looked like they were younger.
He declared, "They have been deceiving you from the beginning. It is worse than you realize, too.”
