My pulse hammered in my ears as I turned to him, my voice raw. “What… what is this?”
Ben let out a long, tired breath.
His shoulders sagged. He looked more exhausted than angry.
“It was supposed to be a surprise for you.”
I blinked. My mouth felt dry.
“What?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two plane tickets.
“I saw how hard you’ve been working, how much you do for us,” he said quietly. “Emily helped me put this together. We were going to surprise you tonight.”
His voice was flat.
Defeated.
“But I guess that’s ruined now.”
A wave of guilt crashed into me, so strong I almost staggered under its weight.
I had expected betrayal.
I had built an entire story in my head.
And I was wrong.
My throat burned. I had hurt Emily. I had hurt Ben.
And for what?
I turned and ran outside, my legs moving before my mind could catch up.
Josh and Emily were standing at the edge of the driveway. She had her arms crossed, tears streaking down her face. Josh stood beside her, his anger fading into something else—regret, maybe.
I stopped a few feet away, my chest heaving.
“Emily,” I blurted, breathless.
“I—I made a mistake.”
Her lips pressed together. She wiped at her face, still refusing to look at me. “Yeah.
You did.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
Silence stretched between us.
Josh sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. “Jesus, Beth,” he muttered.
Emily sniffed, finally glancing at me, her expression unreadable.
I wanted to say more, but what could I say that would fix this?
Some mistakes don’t come with easy apologies.
Some lessons come the hard way.
Trust is a fragile thing.
But when given to the right people, it’s the most rewarding gift of all.
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It might inspire them and brighten their day.
Source: amomama