We met at a coffee shop, as we usually did every week.
I was sitting in the living room, staring at the phone screen, which showed Agnieszka, my best friend. I couldn't bring myself to pick up. Her words, spoken just hours earlier, still rang in my head, the words that had turned my life upside down.
We met at a café, as we did every week. Agnieszka was my confidante, the person I shared my joys and sorrows with. She’d been there when I met Adam, my husband. She’d been my bridesmaid at our wedding. And now she was sitting across from me, nervously toying with her cup of coffee.
„I have to tell you something, Anka– she began quietly.
– „What's the matter? You sound serious” – I replied with a smile, although I felt that something was wrong.
Agnieszka looked at me, and I saw tears in her eyes.
– „It's been a long time. I don't know how to tell you this. But… I have to be honest.”
My heart sped up.
– „Aga, what's going on? Tell me directly.”
She took a deep breath.
– “I had an affair with Adam.”
I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
– “What?! When?!”
– “That was three years ago. It didn't last long. I swear we haven't had any contact like that since. But I had to tell you. I couldn't hide it any longer.”
I looked at her, trying to understand. Three years ago… It was the time when Adam would come home late from work, when he would say he had a lot of responsibilities. It had never occurred to me that he might be cheating on me– and certainly not with my best friend.
„Why now? Why are you telling me this now, Aga?– I choked out, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.
– „Because I can't live with this. It's eating me up from the inside. You deserve the truth, Anka. I apologize with all my heart. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
But her apology didn't change anything. I got up from the table and left, leaving her alone.
When I got home, Adam was waiting for me in the living room. I looked at him, all my anger and pain bursting out.
– „When were you going to tell me you cheated on me with my best friend?!”
His face turned white.
– „Agnieszka told you?”
– „Yes. She said. So what now? How are you going to fix this?!”
Adam looked down.
– „It was a long time ago, Anka. I regret it every day. But I didn't want to hurt you, so I didn't say anything.”
– „You didn't want to hurt me? So you just decided to live with the lie and pretend nothing happened?”
In that moment, I knew I would never be able to trust him again. He had betrayed me not only as a husband, but with the person I trusted most in the world. It wasn't one betrayal, it was two betrayals that destroyed everything I knew.
Today I sit alone in the same living room that was once full of laughter and joy. Adam moved out, and I stopped answering Agnieszka's calls. My life will never be the same. But I know one thing for sure – it's better to be alone than to be surrounded by people who can't be loyal. I'm fighting to find the strength to start over. But the wounds they inflicted on me will take a long time to heal. Maybe even too long.
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