Chapter 69: A Painful Path To Redemption
Sophie’s POV
The phone line went dead with a final click, but I still pressed it to my ear, as if I could somehow reach through the silence and take back everything I’d done. Diane’s words echoed in my head, each one a knife twisting deeper into my chest.
"I pray you die in hell, you backstabbing bitch!"
A sob escaped my lips as I finally lowered the phone. The truth of her words cut through me, sharper than any blade. I had brought this upon myself. Every bit of her hatred was deserved.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I slapped my cheek hard, welcoming the sting. Again. And again. Physical pain was easier to bear than the crushing weight of what I’d done.
I slid down against the wall until I hit the floor, my body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. "You deserve everything she said. You deserve worse." My voice sounded hollow in my empty apartment. "You don’t deserve to live after what you’ve done to her."
How had I fallen so far? How had I let myself betray the one person who had always been there for me? My sister. My protector. The one who had picked me up every time I fell, who had defended me against bullies, who had helped me with homework and heartbreaks and everything in between.
And how had I repaid her? By sleeping with her husband. By continuing the affair even after we’d been caught. By choosing luxury and excitement over loyalty and love.
I dragged myself up from the floor and stumbled to the bookshelf where a framed photograph sat. It was Diane and me at the beach three summers ago, our arms wrapped around each other, faces pressed together as we smiled at the camera. Happy. Connected. Sisters.
My fingers trembled as I traced our faces. "Where did I go wrong, Diane?" I whispered, a fresh wave of tears blurring my vision. "How did I become this person? This terrible sister when you’ve always looked out for me?"
The Diane in the photograph smiled back, frozen in time, unaware of the betrayal that would come. I clutched the frame to my chest, rocking slightly. We’d been inseparable once. She’d been my rock, my confidante, my biggest cheerleader.