The Loyalty Text - S01 E03

Story 4 months ago

The Loyalty Text - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

Episode 3: The Loyalty Test

The week that followed that first meeting was a very strange and a very quiet week for Nia and Andre. The sun still came up every morning. The birds still sang in the trees outside their house. The red and white roses in the garden were still very beautiful. But inside the house, things did not feel the same. The air felt heavy. It felt like a storm was coming, even though the sky was blue. Nia felt a lot of weight in her heart. She felt like she was carrying a big bag of heavy stones everywhere she went. She wanted to be happy, but her secret was making her feel very sad. She looked at Andre and saw his kind face, and she felt like a very bad person.

Kate started showing up everywhere they went. It was not a mistake. Kate was being very sneaky. She knew exactly where Nia and Andre would be. On Monday, Nia and Andre went to the park to walk their dog. The dog was happy and wagging its tail. But suddenly, Nia saw a woman sitting on a bench. It was Kate. She was wearing a big hat and looking at a book. When she saw Andre, she stood up and gave him a very big smile. She waved her hand like she was an old friend. Andre waved back and smiled. He thought it was just a coincidence. He thought it was a small world. But Nia knew the truth. She knew that Kate was there because of the plan.

On Tuesday, Andre went to the small coffee shop on the corner. He went there every morning to get a warm drink before he started his work. The coffee shop smelled like roasted beans and sweet sugar. When Andre walked inside, he saw Kate sitting at a small table by the window. She had a cup in her hand and a big smile on her face. She called out his name and asked him to come and talk for a minute. Andre was a very polite man. He did not want to be rude. So, he went over and talked to her. They talked about the weather and the neighborhood. Andre told Nia about it later that day. He said, "I saw that nice neighbor again. She is very friendly." Nia just nodded her head and looked down at the floor. She felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Kate was very smart. She was not just a charming woman; she was also a very observant woman. She began to notice things. She saw that Andre was a man who loved his wife very much. She saw how he spoke about Nia with love in his voice. But she also saw that Nia was acting very strange. She saw that Nia was nervous. She saw that Nia did not look Andre in the eye. Kate was a woman who liked nice things. She looked at Nia and Andre’s house and she saw how beautiful it was. She saw the soft sofas and the big kitchen. She saw the garden with the roses. Kate decided that she did not want to just play a trick for money anymore. She wanted more. She wanted the house. She wanted the beautiful life. She wanted Andre’s kind heart all for herself.

Kate began to change her plan. She stopped being just a friend. She started to tell small and quiet lies. She knew that a small lie can grow into a big problem, just like a small weed grows in a garden. On Wednesday afternoon, Kate saw Andre again. They were sitting on a park bench under a big oak tree. The leaves were green and the wind was blowing softly. Kate looked at Andre and made her face look very sad. She sighed a long and deep sigh. Andre asked her what was wrong. He was a kind man and he did not like to see people sad.

"You know, Andre," Kate said in a very quiet voice. "I am a new neighbor, and I do not want to cause trouble. But I care about you because you have been so nice to me." Andre looked at her and waited for her to continue. Kate took a deep breath. "I saw Nia talking to a stranger yesterday," she said. "They were standing in a quiet place. Nia looked very happy. She looked much happier than she looks when she is at home with you. I am worried that she is not being honest with you."

Andre frowned. He felt a tiny bit of worry start to grow in his mind. He knew that Nia was a good person. He loved her more than anything in the world. But he also knew that she had been acting very strange lately. She was quiet. She was jumpy. She was always looking at her phone. He did not want to believe Kate, but the words she said felt like a seed being planted in his brain. He started to think back to all the times Nia had been quiet during dinner. He started to wonder why she did not want to hold his hand as much as before. He felt a cold chill in his heart.

Kate watched him. She saw the look of worry on his face and she felt a sense of power. She knew she was winning. She wanted to break the trust between Nia and Andre so that she could step in and take Nia’s place. She was being very cruel, but she did not care. She only cared about what she wanted. She smiled a secret smile when Andre was not looking. She knew that the loyalty test had turned into something else. It was now a battle for a man’s heart.

When Andre got home that evening, the house felt different to him. The white walls did not look bright anymore. They looked cold. He saw Nia standing in the kitchen. She was making tea. She looked up and tried to smile at him. "Hi, Andre," she said. "How was your day?" Usually, Andre would walk over and give her a very big hug. He would tell her that she was the best part of his day. But today, he did not do that. He did not move toward her. He just stood by the door and looked at her.

"It was fine," Andre said. His voice was flat. It did not have the usual warmth. He walked past her and went into the living room. He sat down in his favorite chair and stayed in total silence. Nia felt a wave of regret wash over her. She knew something was wrong. She could feel the distance between them. It felt like a giant canyon had opened up in the middle of their living room. She wanted to run to him. She wanted to fall on her knees and tell him everything. She wanted to say, "I am sorry, Andre. I made a mistake. I hired a woman to test you because I was afraid."

Nia walked into the living room and stood in front of him. She looked at his face. He looked sad and tired. Her heart broke for him. She realized that by trying to see if he was loyal, she had made him lose his peace. She opened her mouth to speak. She wanted to tell him the truth right then and there. She wanted to stop the lies. She wanted to close the door she had opened. But just as she was about to say the first word, a sound broke the silence.

Andre’s phone buzzed. It was sitting on the coffee table between them. The sound was very loud in the quiet room. Andre picked up the phone. Nia watched his face. She saw his eyes go wide. She saw his jaw tighten. She saw his hands start to shake just a little bit. Kate had sent him a message. But it was not just a message. It was a photo.

It was a photo of Nia from the day before. In the photo, Nia was sitting by herself on a bench. She looked very sad and very lonely. But Kate had written a caption under the photo. The caption said, "See? She is hiding something from you. She is not the woman you think she is."

Nia stood there, frozen. She did not know what was on the phone, but she knew it was from Kate. She saw the look of anger and hurt in Andre’s eyes as he looked from the phone to her. He looked at her like she was a stranger. The trust that had been as strong as a rock for many years was now starting to crack. The test was working, but it was not testing Andre anymore. It was destroying everything they had built together. Nia felt like she was standing on the edge of a very high cliff, and the ground was starting to crumble beneath her feet.

She wanted to explain. She wanted to say that Kate was lying. But how could she explain without telling him that she was the one who started the whole thing? If she told him the truth, he would know she did not trust him. If she stayed quiet, he would believe Kate’s lies. She felt trapped. She felt like she was in a cage that she had built with her own hands. The room felt very small. The silence was so loud that it hurt her ears.

Andre looked at her for a long time. He did not say a word. He just held the phone in his hand. The light from the screen made his face look pale. Finally, he stood up. He did not look at her as he walked out of the room. He went into the bedroom and closed the door. Nia heard the sound of the lock turning. It was the saddest sound she had ever heard. She sank down onto the floor and put her head in her hands. She cried quiet tears. She had wanted to know if Andre’s heart was as strong as a rock. Now, she was afraid that she had broken that rock into a million tiny pieces.

The night was long and very dark. Nia stayed on the floor of the living room. She did not want to go to sleep. She felt like she had to stay awake to guard what was left of her life. She looked at the door to the bedroom and wished she could go inside. She wished she could go back to the time when they were happy. She wished she had never felt that first shiver of doubt. She realized that love is not about tests. Love is about believing in someone even when you are afraid. She had failed her own test.

As the sun began to peek over the trees the next morning, Nia knew that things were going to get worse. She knew that Kate would not stop. Kate wanted everything Nia had. And now, Andre was starting to listen to the lies. The loyalty test had turned into a nightmare. Nia didn't know how to wake up. She didn't know how to save her marriage. She only knew that the game was far from over, and the ending was going to be very painful for everyone.

Kate is now telling lies to Andre. Do you think Andre should believe a stranger over his own wife?

Why do you think Nia is so afraid to tell the truth even now when things are getting bad?

If you were Nia, what would you do to stop Kate from taking over your life?

Do you think Andre’s doubt is fair, or should he trust Nia no matter how strange she acts?