Trust and poison (CNF)

‎Maybe I should've kept it to myself. ‎Maybe I should've shut it out, or even told my lover. My darling Paul. A man who never questioned my shortcomings. I should've told him everything, but I chose to run to my best friend. ‎I chose to run to that friend, who became a sister to me. ‎I chose to run to that one friend, whom I trusted with my life. That friend, whom I could give up anything for her happiness. That friend, whom I never thought would ever harbor the thoughts of hurting me. ‎I chose to run to Irene, and the backlash became my undoing. ** ** ** ‎"Irene, I need to talk to you. I can't swallow this any longer." I said over the phone to my best friend. ‎She must've sensed the panic in my voice, because within the next few minutes, she was at my door. ‎ ‎"Jane, what's going on? Did you have a fight with Paul?" ‎ ‎I shook my head in response. If only a fight with Paul was the problem, I wouldn't have been this scared, and frustrated. ‎ ‎"So if it's not Paul, what's the matter then? You're scaring me. Did someone hurt you?" ‎ ‎"I saw Micah today." ‎ ‎"You saw Micah? Micah... As in, your ex?" I nodded slowly. "So what happened? What does that have to do with you?" ‎ ‎"We had a conversation. He apologized for his wrongs, and he explained his situation. All these time, I was mad at him for running away, but he was dealing with his own battles too." I narrated, and sobbed. ‎Irene held me in her arms till the tears stopped pouring. "Jane, just to be clear.... You're not going back to him. Are you?" ‎ ‎"Why would you think that? I only feel sorry for him. That's all." Irene gave me a suspicious look. The look that said {I know you're hiding something.} "Okay... Maybe, my heart skipped when he spoke, but that was just it." ‎ ‎"Jane, you can't be with Paul, and still want your ex." I was quick to rebuke her. In my defense, I never wanted Micah. I loved Paul, and he was the one for me. ‎ ‎ ‎Some months later, Paul had his birthday party. Everything was going well, and the party was full with people. His friends, my friends, and friends of friends. By then, I had already forgotten about Micah, and the fleeting moments when I felt pity for his situation. To me, Irene had forgotten about it too, as she never said a word again since that day. I never knew she had her own plans. ‎That day was supposed to be my happiest day. I was supposed to be engaged to the man I've spent three years loving and cherishing. ‎ ‎When everyone chanted "say yes" after Paul had gone down on one knee, I knew it was only right that I accepted this proposal. I said "yes" , and just as he was about to slip the ring through my finger, Irene decided to butt in. ‎ ‎"Jane, are you sure about this? Do you even love Paul? I mean.... You were just telling me that you wanted your ex back... How can you accept Paul's proposal when your heart still remains with your ex?" ‎ ‎"Irene, what are you doing?" Paul asked her, the smile fading from his face. At that moment, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. ‎ ‎"Paul, let's just say that I'm saving you from a lifetime mistake." ‎ ‎Paul turned towards me. "Is this true? Did you meet with your ex?" ‎ ‎"I did, but it wasn't even like that... I..." I stuttered, but Paul cut me off. ‎ ‎"You've been seeing your ex, and you didn't think to inform me?" ‎ ‎"Babe, it wasn't like that..." I tried to explain, but Paul stood up and walked out from the room. I tried to run after him, but Irene stood in the way. "Irene, what are you doing? Move!!!" ‎ ‎"Jane, darling. You're never going to be with Paul. Do you know why? I loved him first before he saw you, and now, I want him." ‎ ‎I was dumbfounded. "Irene..." I could only whisper her name, but she didn't bulge. "I never thought you'd do me like this." ‎ ‎"There's a lot that you've not thought of, my darling. But for now, you should stop thinking of a future with Paul, because there won't be one. He's going to love me, and I'll be by his side because I love him. You can kiss the devil, for all I care." ‎ ‎With that, she walked away, leaving me devastated, and confused. So many thoughts ran through my head at once. ‎Why would Irene do this to me? ‎Why would she destroy the beautiful thing I had going on? ‎Why did I open up to her in the first place? ‎ ‎There was a lot of unanswered questions. I couldn't fathom why my best friend, who meant the whole world to me, would want the one thing I had. It was too hard to believe, but it was too real not to believe. I had lost the man I cherished and loved for three years. All because of a little irrelevant secret that I told my supposed best friend. ‎  *This image was generated using chatgpt* ‎I trusted Irene, but she betrayed me. It was a betrayal, worse than poison. A betrayal that I would never forget in a lifetime. ‎