Betrayal

Carolyn and Keith had been seeing each other exclusively for about three weeks when it started. The unfolding of lies, that is.

Before getting to know Keith, Carolyn had never been very trusting of people, men in particular. She had never had a reliable man in her life. Her father left when she was four, her first boyfriend was always busy with "homework," and by that, he meant getting to know other girls a little too well, and as much as she tried talking to her mom, or her friends about it, they were always too busy for her. She became a loner, in a way.

Keith, on the other hand, had a rather privileged life. He was witty, very handsome, and could flirt his way through any problem life threw at him. He had the perfect personality, very outgoing. That is probably why no one saw it coming, not even Carolyn.

Carolyn's suspicions began the week after she moved in with Keith. For the first few days, everything was great, perfect even. Then, Keith changed. It was a slight change at first, not even noticeable to a normal person, but Carolyn noticed. She would not let another man treat her badly.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Carolyn tried to subtly suggest that she was having doubts about whether his long work hours were really spent working. The conversation went something like this:

"Keith, honey?" Carolyn sweetly called from the kitchen, she was cooking dinner, due to the special day that Keith got home while she was still awake.

"Yes, honey?" Keith responded. He seemed less on edge than previously that week. Carolyn couldn't help but wonder if he was having an affair. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, he deserved a chance.

"Dinner's almost ready. I made your favorite!"

"Oh? Spaghetti, did you use my mom's meatball recipe?" Keith asked excitedly.

"Of course, it wouldn't be your favorite without them." Carolyn heard a glimpse of the old Keith, then he walked in the kitchen. His face said it all.

"I'm sorry, babe. I have plans with the guys. I'll make it as quick as I can. I'll be back in two hours, max. You know how the guys get when I cancel on them, I'm sorry I ruined your dinner. I'll be thinking of you the whole time." He stepped closer to her and gave her a quick kiss before grabbing his jacket and leaving. 

Carolyn began thinking. "There's no way he's going out with the guys. He's had an excuse every night this week. Yeah, he seemed a little on edge all week. It could've been his work. Or maybe it was just his fear of getting caught in the act. If I do something, I have to act quickly." She threw on her shoes and ran out the apartment door.

It was about ten minutes later, and Carolyn was following Keith in her car. He made an unexpected stop and hopped out of his car to grab a duffle bag that was hidden among some bushes on the side of the road. "Nooooo, drugs? Money from a drug deal? What the hell could be in that bag? It looked pretty full." Carolyn thought of possibilities. She didn't noticed how close she was to being seen by him. It was a good thing he didn't notice. Keith was in a strange mood tonight.

He threw the duffle bag in his car and continued driving down the road. About 2 miles later, he stoped his car in front of a house. Carolyn parked a few houses back and watched as he stepped out of the car and walked toward the front door, found the key under the mat and walked in the house, without the duffle bag. She waited a few minutes and assessed her options before deciding to go ring the door bell. She took her keys out of the ignition of her car, stowed them in the wheel well and walked toward the house. As she made her way across the yard, she briefly regretted not bringing a jacket with her, as she could see her breath.

When she got to the front door, she angrily rang the door bell about half a dozen times. She heard Keith say, "shit," before he answered the door. "Carolyn? What the hell ae you doing here??? Did you follow me? I demand..." He stopped talking as Carolyn pushed past him and into the house.

"Really? Really, Keith? I trusted you, and you cheated on me? Why? Was I too boring for you?" Carolyn sobbed with rage.

"Oh, Carolyn. I never realized you thought..." Keith tried to explain, but she cut him off.

"Where is she??? I hear the water running, were y'all gonna take a "sexy" shower together??? How could you!?!?" Carolyn started walking toward the sound of the running water and into the bathroom where she saw a woman, lying limp in the bath tub. "Oh my God, Oh my God."

A voice came from behind her, "I really wish you didn't see this." But she didn't process the sound before she passed out.