I was excited because we had finally chosen the venue for our wedding. I was planning to tell Peter all about it as soon as I got home from work. As I approached our apartment, though, my heart sank. There were suitcases on the doorstep: MY SUITCASES.”Is this some kind of joke?” I muttered under my breath. I dropped my bags and rushed to the door. It was unlocked. Inside, everything felt eerily quiet. My calls to Peter went straight to voicemail. Panic started to rise. I needed answers. I heard a noise from upstairs and followed it, my mind racing with possibilities. As I reached our bedroom, there she was: Debbie, rifling through our closet. “Debbie, what the hell is going on? Why is my stuff outside?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.She turned to me with a smug smile, noticing the phone in my hand. “Oh, look who’s here! Chelsea darling, I see you’re trying to reach Peter. Well, good luck with that because he’s done with you. He’s moving to another house without you, and the wedding is canceled.”I felt like the ground had disappeared beneath my feet. “Canceled? What are you talking about? Where is Peter?” Debbie crossed her arms, looking triumphant. “He doesn’t want to see you. You’re not welcome here anymore.””I don’t believe you,” I said, staring at Debbie, who still looked as smug as ever. My heart pounded as I stumbled out of the apartment. I had to find Peter and get some answers. I drove to his parents’ house, hoping against hope that this was all some terrible misunderstanding. As I pulled up to the house, I saw Peter’s car in the driveway. I felt a surge of relief. At least he was here. I ran to the door and burst in without knocking.”Peter! Peter, where are you?” I called out desperately. From the living room, I heard voices. I walked in to find Peter sitting on the couch with another woman next to him. My heart sank further when I recognized her: Jennifer, the daughter of Debbie’s best friend, Moira. Debbie always wanted Peter to be with Jennifer, not me. “Peter, what is going on?” I demanded, my voice breaking. He looked up at me with cold eyes. “You cheated on me, Chelsea. I have the pictures to prove it.”My mind went blank. “What? I never cheated on you! What pictures?” Peter stood up, thrusting a set of photos at me. The pictures showed me with a man I had never seen or met in my entire life. I was dumbfounded. How could this be possible? “Peter, these pictures are fake. I don’t know this man. You have to believe me. You know I’d never do that to you,” I pleaded. Jennifer stayed silent, but I could see the satisfaction in her eyes. Peter shook his head. “I can’t trust you anymore, Chelsea. IT’S OVER!”Peter’s words cut through me like a knife. “Peter, this is insane! You know me better than this. How could you let some fake photos destroy everything we’ve built?””You’ve tainted your character, Chelsea,” he spat, his voice full of disgust. “You’ve been fooling me for God knows how long. I don’t even know who you are anymore.” I could feel the fury and sorrow bubbling up inside me.
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