The Loyalty Text - S01 E07

Story 4 months ago

The Loyalty Text - S01 E07

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 7

Episode 7: The Loyalty Test

Nia spent the whole night in her small office. It was a very long and very dark night. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were shining, but Nia did not look at them. She did not look at the rose garden either. She sat in her chair and stared at the bright screen of her computer. The light from the screen made her eyes feel tired and itchy, but she did not stop. She could not stop. Her heart felt like it was breaking more and more every minute that Andre was away. She knew that he was at a hotel. She knew that Kate was probably there too, telling him more lies. Nia felt a lot of shame. She felt like a very foolish person for starting this game. But she also knew that she had to be the one to end it. She had to find the truth and bring it into the light.

She began to look through all her old emails. She looked through her text messages too. She was looking for the very first things she had ever sent to Kate. She needed to find the messages where they talked about the plan. She needed to find the receipt that proved she had paid Kate to play a part in this test. It was a very difficult search. A few weeks ago, Nia had felt so ashamed of what she was doing. Because she felt bad, she had deleted many of her messages. She had wanted to hide the proof of her own trick. Now, she realized that was a big mistake. She needed those messages to save her marriage. She scrolled through page after page of old emails. She looked at junk mail. She looked at the trash folder. She did not give up. She was like a person looking for a tiny needle in a big pile of hay.

While she was searching, something very strange happened. Nia found a message that she did not expect to see at all. It was an email that had been sent to an old account she did not use very often. The email was from Kate, but it was not meant for Nia. It looked like Kate had sent a message to a friend of hers, but she had accidentally copied Nia’s old email address on the message. Kate must have been in a hurry or she must have made a mistake with the buttons. Nia opened the email and her eyes grew very wide. Her breath caught in her throat. She read the words over and over again.

In the message, Kate was bragging to her friend. She was talking about how easy it was to trick Andre. Kate wrote that Andre was a very kind man but that he was also very sad right now. She wrote that because he was so sad, he would believe almost anything she said to him. Then, Kate wrote something that made Nia gasp out loud. Kate wrote, "He is so hurt by his wife that he thinks I am his only friend. Soon, he will leave her forever. And when he does, this beautiful house and everything in it will be mine." Nia felt a cold shiver go down her back. She felt like she had just seen a snake in the grass. This was the proof she needed. This message showed that Kate was not just playing a part for money. It showed that Kate was a liar who wanted to steal Nia’s whole life.

Nia sat in silence for a long time. She held her phone tightly in her hands. She had the proof now. She had the words written by Kate herself. But then, a new fear came into her mind. Would Andre believe her? He was so angry with her right now. He was so hurt because he thought she had been mocking him. He might think that Nia had made up this message too. He might think she was just trying to tell more lies to get him to come home. Nia knew that she had to be very, very brave. She could not just send him a text message. She had to show him the truth in person. She had to make him see who Kate really was.

Nia took a deep breath and picked up her phone. Her hands were shaking, but she forced herself to be steady. She called Andre’s number. It rang for a long time. Nia was afraid he would not answer. Finally, he picked up the phone. He did not say "hello" in a happy way. His voice was very cold and very short.

"What do you want, Nia?" Andre asked.

Nia felt like crying, but she stayed strong. "Andre, please," she said. "I know you are angry. I know you are hurt. And I am so sorry for everything. But I am asking you for one last thing. Please come home this afternoon for one last talk. After that, if you still want to leave, I will not stop you. I will let you go. But please, just give me this one last chance to speak to you."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Nia held her breath. Finally, Andre sighed. "Fine," he said. "I will come at four o'clock. But this is the last time, Nia. I mean it." Then he hung up.

Nia did not stop there. She knew she had to get Kate to come to the house too. If Kate was not there, she could always find a way to tell more lies later. Nia called Kate next. When Kate answered, Nia made her voice sound very sad and very defeated. She pretended that she had given up.

"Kate," Nia said, acting like she was crying. "You won. Andre wants to be with you, and I cannot fight it anymore. I am going to pack my things and leave the house today. I want you to come over this afternoon so I can give you the keys and show you how everything works. I want to leave the house to you and Andre so you can be happy."

Kate did not sound sad at all. She sounded very excited. Her voice was like a bird chirping. "Oh, Nia," Kate said. "That is very mature of you. I am glad you see that Andre deserves to be happy. I will be there right away. I will come at four o'clock to collect the keys." Kate was so greedy that she did not even think it was a trap. she was so happy to get the "prize" that she agreed right away. She thought she was finally getting the beautiful house and the kind man for herself.

Nia hung up the phone and stood up. She had a lot of work to do. She spent the whole afternoon cleaning the house. She wanted it to look perfect. She polished the white walls until they glowed. She fixed the pillows on the blue sofa. She even went out to the garden and cut some of the most beautiful red roses. She put them in a vase on the kitchen table. She wanted the house to look like the home Andre loved. She wanted him to remember all the happy times they had shared there. As she worked, she felt a mix of hope and terror. Hope made her feel light, like she could fly. But terror made her feel heavy, like she was walking through mud. She knew this was her very last chance to save her marriage. If her plan failed, everything she loved would be gone forever. She would be all alone in the world.

She went into her office and printed out the email Kate had sent to her friend. She also printed out the receipt that showed when she had first paid Kate. She put the papers on the table, hidden under a cloth. She did not want them to see the papers right away. She wanted to wait for the right moment. She looked at the clock. It was almost four o'clock. The sun was starting to go down, and the shadows in the house were getting long. Nia felt her heart beating like a drum. Thump. Thump. Thump. She went to the front door and waited.

She looked at the photos on the wall one more time. She looked at the picture of them laughing at the beach. She whispered a little prayer. She prayed that Andre would have an open heart. She prayed that he would be able to see through the lies. She realized that she had been the one to start this fire, and now she was the only one who could put it out. She had learned a very hard lesson about trust. Trust is like a beautiful house. It takes a long time to build, but it can be destroyed very quickly if you are not careful. She knew she had been wrong to test him, but she also knew that Kate was a much bigger danger.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car in the driveway. Then she heard another car. Both Andre and Kate had arrived at the same time. Nia took a very deep breath. She smoothed down her dress and wiped a stray tear from her eye. She stood up tall. This was it. The stage was set. The characters were all there. Nia opened the door and saw Andre walking up the path. Behind him, Kate was walking with a big, greedy smile on her face. Kate was wearing a fancy dress and high heels. She looked like she was coming to a party, not to a breakup.

Andre looked at Nia, and his face was still very sad. He did not look like he wanted to be there. Kate walked up and stood next to him. She even tried to take his arm, but Andre moved a little bit away. He looked at the house and then he looked at Nia.

"I am here, Nia," Andre said. "What did you want to tell us?"

Nia looked at Kate, and then she looked at Andre. She felt the suspense rising in the air. It was so thick that she could almost touch it. She knew that in just a few minutes, the truth would come out. She knew that her whole life was about to change. She invited them inside, her heart racing. As they walked into the living room, Nia felt like she was standing on the edge of a very high cliff. This was the moment of truth.

Nia found a message that showed Kate's true plan to steal the house. Do you think this proof will be enough to make Andre trust Nia again?

Kate is coming to the house because she thinks she is "winning." Do you think her greed will be her downfall?

If you were Andre and you walked into your home to find your wife and the "other woman" together, how would you feel?

Do you think it was a good idea for Nia to invite them both at the same time, or is it too dangerous?