The Loyalty Text - S01 E05

Story 4 months ago

The Loyalty Text - S01 E05

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

Episode 5: The Loyalty Test

The big house with the white walls and the beautiful rose garden used to be a very happy place. It used to be filled with the sound of music playing on the radio. It used to be filled with the sound of Nia and Andre laughing together while they cooked their meals. But now, everything had changed. The house was not happy anymore. It had become a very quiet place. It was so quiet that it felt like a library where everyone is afraid to make a sound. The air felt cold even when the sun was shining outside. Nia walked through the rooms and felt like a stranger. She felt like she did not belong in her own home anymore. Every time she stepped on the floor, the wood made a little noise that seemed too loud in the silence.

Andre had stopped talking to Nia. This was the hardest part for her. Before the loyalty test started, Andre would talk to her about everything. He would tell her about the funny dog he saw on his way to work. He would tell her about the people he talked to and the things he learned. He would ask her about her day and listen to every word she said. But now, he said nothing at all. He stopped asking her what she wanted for dinner. He stopped telling her that she looked beautiful in the morning. When they were in the same room, he would look at the floor or look at his phone. He would never look into her eyes. If Nia tried to say something to him, he would just turn around and walk into another room. He felt like his heart was breaking into a thousand little pieces. He thought Nia was a mean person who had been laughing at him behind his back.

Kate was always there. She was like a shadow that would not go away. Whenever Andre was sad, Kate was there to talk to him. She would come over to the house with her bright smile and her soft voice. She would sit close to Andre and tell him that she was his only true friend. She would say things that made Nia look very bad. Kate would say, "It is okay, Andre. Do not be sad. Nia just does not understand you like I do. You are such a kind and wonderful man. You deserve to be with someone who trusts you and loves you for who you are." Kate was very good at telling lies. She made her voice sound like she really cared, but her heart was full of bad plans. Andre started to believe everything she said. He thought Nia was the dishonest one. He did not know that Kate was the person who had stolen the notes from the office. He did not know that Kate had torn the pages to change the words.

Nia felt like she was a ghost in her own house. She would walk past Andre and he would act like she was not even there. She felt like she was disappearing little by little every day. She cried every single night when she was alone in the dark. She would look at the ceiling and wonder how everything had gone so wrong. She remembered when she thought the loyalty test was a good idea. Now, she knew it was the biggest mistake of her life. She wanted to tell Andre the truth, but she was very afraid. She was paralyzed by her own guilt. She felt like if she told him the truth, he would hate her even more for playing a game with his heart. She felt stuck in a trap that she had built for herself.

One afternoon, Nia saw something that made her heart stop. She was coming down the stairs when she saw Kate in the living room. Kate was wearing a beautiful scarf. Nia looked closer and realized it was her own scarf. It was the soft silk scarf that Andre had bought for her on their first anniversary. Kate was wearing it like it belonged to her. Then, Kate walked over to the favorite chair in the corner. It was the chair where Nia loved to sit and read her books. Kate sat down in the chair and leaned back with a big smile. It felt like Kate was slowly erasing Nia from the house. It felt like Kate was trying to become the new wife. Nia stood on the stairs and felt a cold shiver. She knew she had to do something, but the weight of her secret felt like a heavy rock on her chest.

The days felt longer and longer. Nia would try to make nice meals for Andre. she would cook the pasta he liked or bake the bread that smelled so good. She hoped that the smell of good food would make him want to talk to her again. But Andre would not even taste the food. He would come home and go straight to the bedroom. He would eat nothing and say nothing. Nia would sit at the big wooden table all by herself. She would look at the two plates and the two forks and she would cry into her tea. She felt so alone. She felt like she was losing the man she loved to a woman who was a liar.

One evening, Nia decided to make a very special dinner. She bought the best meat and the freshest vegetables. she spent hours in the kitchen making sure everything was perfect. She set the table with the white cloth and the candles. She waited for Andre to come home at six o'clock like he always did. But six o'clock came and went. Andre was not home. Seven o'clock came, and the house was still quiet. Eight o'clock came, and the sun went down. The food on the table started to go cold. The sauce became thick and the bread became hard. Nia sat in the dark and waited. She felt a very bad feeling in her stomach. She wondered where Andre was. She wondered if he was with Kate.

It was almost ten o'clock when Nia finally heard the sound of the front door opening. She stood up quickly. Her heart was beating very fast. She saw Andre walk into the hallway. He looked very tired. He did not look at the table with the candles. He did not look at Nia. As he walked past her, Nia smelled something. It was a very strong smell. It was the smell of Kate’s perfume. It was a sweet and flowery smell that Nia knew very well. It was the smell of the woman who was trying to steal her life. Nia felt like she had been hit in the face. She knew that Andre had spent the whole evening with Kate.

Andre stopped walking and turned to look at Nia. His eyes were not kind anymore. They were cold and full of a deep sadness. He looked at the dinner she had made, but he did not look happy about it. He looked like he was disappointed. "Nia," he said. His voice was very deep and very serious. "We need to talk. I cannot keep living like this. This house does not feel like a home anymore. I do not feel like I can trust you. I think we need to talk about our future and what we are going to do." Nia felt the ground move beneath her feet. It felt like the whole world was falling down.

She realized that Andre was thinking about leaving her. He was thinking about ending their marriage. She looked at him and wanted to scream that she loved him. She wanted to tell him that Kate was a bad person. But the words would not come out. She was so afraid that she could not speak. Andre waited for a moment for her to say something, but when she stayed quiet, he just shook his head. He turned around and walked toward the bedroom. The sound of his footsteps on the floor felt like a hammer hitting a nail. Nia stood in the kitchen with the cold food and the candles that were burning low.

She realized that time was running out. She had tried to be quiet and wait for things to get better, but things were only getting worse. Kate was winning. The lies were winning. If Nia did not act right now, she would lose Andre forever. She would lose the house with the white walls and the rose garden. She would lose the man with the kind heart. She felt a sudden rush of energy. She knew she could not be afraid anymore. She had to find a way to show Andre the truth. She had to show him that Kate was the one who was being dishonest. But how could she do that without him hating her for the test?

Nia looked at the phone on the counter. She thought about the first phone call she made to Kate. She thought about the money she had paid. She realized that she had the proof of the plan in her own phone. But if she showed it to him, he would know that she did not trust him from the very beginning. It was a very hard choice. She could stay quiet and lose him, or she could tell the truth and hope he would forgive her. The suspense was so high that Nia felt like she could not breathe. She knew that tomorrow would be the day that changed everything. She had to make a move before Kate took the final step.

Nia blew out the candles on the table. The room became dark. She stood there in the shadows and made a promise to herself. She would not let Kate win. She would fight for her marriage, even if it meant she had to admit to her own mistakes. She went to the window and looked out at the roses. They looked black in the moonlight. She knew that just like the roses, her life had thorns. But she also knew that if you are brave enough, you can find the beauty again. She just hoped it was not too late to save the love of her life.

Andre came home smelling like Kate's perfume. Do you think he is already falling in love with Kate, or is he just looking for comfort?

Kate is now wearing Nia's clothes and sitting in her chair. What would you do if you saw someone trying to take over your place like that?

Do you think Andre is right to want to talk about the future, or should he give Nia one more chance to explain?

If you were Nia, would you show Andre the messages on your phone to prove Kate is a liar, even if it means admitting you started the test?