Samantha woke up suddenly, as if shaken by something she had been trying to ignore. Her body felt cold, and her heart was beating faster, as if she were experiencing the aftermath of a tension that hadn't left her mind in quite some time. She looked at the clock—it was one in the afternoon—and the echoes of the previous night still rang in her head. She decided not to think about what she had seen, but that was easier said than done.
She turned to her side and looked at Alex, who had only returned around six in the morning. Furthermore, she'd heard him stumble several times—he was clearly drunk. For a moment, she wondered whether she should wake him, but she would rather not start the day with an argument.
Samantha could feel the frustration growing inside her, though she tried to keep it hidden. She knew her trust in Alex had been shaken, but she wasn't ready to lose everything they had.
"I just wanted us to be happy..." she thought, blinking as if trying to push the thought away.
She decided to take a quick shower, hoping to reset her thoughts, even if just for a moment. But the water running down her body brought no relief. She kept thinking about what she had seen. About how Alex hadn't pulled away from the model when she touched him in a way that didn't match his promised loyalty. She remembered the model's gaze, full of seduction, and she still felt uneasy—as if there were something about the situation she'd missed.
After a moment, she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. She was beautiful—there was no doubt about that. She had always known she was strong, but now that strength was starting to crack. Furthermore, she'd always tried to be the perfect partner, but how long could a dance last when one of them kept stumbling?
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw that Alex was still asleep. He lay on the bed, his face buried in the pillow, breathing evenly. Samantha felt as though she had stepped into someone else's home. Everything seemed different, distant. She sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched his shoulder, but then a feeling crept in—one she would rather not admit: she wasn't sure if her touch would be welcome anymore.
As soon as Alex woke up, his eyes opened slowly.
"Hey, babe," he said, trying to sit up, his voice still groggy. "I feel terrible. I think I overdid it with the alcohol…"
Samantha nodded, but her heart was no longer as light as before. All the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. Eventually, she gathered the courage to ask:
"What happened last night?" she asked, her voice a mix of concern and hurt. "What did you do after I came home?"
Alex looked at her, puzzled.
"What do you mean?" he said, sounding genuinely surprised. "I was with some people from work. We drank too much, and it knocked me out."
"That girl. The model. I saw you two together." Samantha couldn't hide the tension in her voice, and the way Alex's eyes suddenly pierced her deepened her unease. "You were having a great time at first, then you both disappeared…"
A shadow of discomfort flickered across his face, but he quickly tried to mask it.
"Samantha, don't make a big deal out of this. She was with the group. We were just talking and laughing." His tone sounded convincing, but something in his eyes made her feel like she was part of a complicated lie.
Samantha was silent for a moment, looking at him. Her eyes held everything—anger, sorrow, doubt. She could feel all her buried questions beginning to rise to the surface, no matter how much she wished to suppress them.
"So that's all it was? Just a friendly, professional conversation?" she asked, not fully believing his words but trying to give him one more chance.
"Yes, exactly," he replied with a faint smile. "I'm sorry if I made you worry."
But Samantha wasn't sure if she could truly believe him. That uneasiness in her heart still pulsed, refusing to let her forget.
"I need to go for a walk," she finally said, getting up from the bed and giving him a look that said more than a thousand words. "I need a moment to myself."
*
After leaving the apartment, Samantha felt the weight of that conversation lift off her shoulders, but with each passing minute away from home, more and more questions started flooding her mind. Her legs moved on autopilot, unaware of how deeply wounded she was. She couldn't stop picturing Alex and that model—laughing, talking, as if everything was completely normal.
"He should be talking only to me," she thought, feeling hot tears beginning to gather in her eyes, even though she would rather not let them surface. They had discussed boundaries so many times—what was acceptable and what wasn't. He had always promised her he'd be faithful. But now, after what she had seen, it felt like all that trust had crumbled like a house of cards.
As she passed a few shops, she noticed the air was growing colder. Wrapping her arms around herself, she felt as if she were standing still in time, waiting for something inevitable to happen. She stopped by a small café to catch her breath when her phone started vibrating in her pocket. She glanced at the screen—it was Alex.
Furthermore, she hesitated for a moment, but finally picked up.
"Yes?" – her voice was cold, like she was forcing the air through clenched teeth.
"Samantha…" Alex's voice carried a hint of nervousness. "I can't explain everything over the phone, but… I need to tell you something. I think something happened. I can't explain it, I just suddenly collapsed, but I have these flashes—like I did something wrong."
Samantha closed her eyes, trying not to break into tears.
"What explanation?" – she replied, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible. "What explanation? What are you even saying, Alex? I don't know if I want to hear this. I trusted you, remember? You promised that I'd be the only woman in your life, so what are you talking about now, calling me out of nowhere?"
Silence fell on the line. Alex clearly didn't know how to respond.
"You promised me you'd never do something like this again. I trusted you. I gave you a second chance. You assured me you had grown up, that other women didn't interest you." Her voice cracked with every word. "And you know what? It's not about forgetting yourself or being drunk. It's about you still not being able to take responsibility. Thank you, Alex, for your honesty, but I would rather not talk to you anymore. You ruined my day—just like you ruined my life…"
She was about to end the call, but something in his voice made her hesitate. On the other end of the line, his voice came back, soft and almost trembling.
"Please, don't leave me. I need you. I don't know what I would've done without you in the past…" sounding almost like a child, Alex added, "I'm sorry. Really. I don't even remember that night properly. It's all fragments—I don't even know what exactly I did wrong, but I wanted you to know. I would rather not hide anything from you. I just remember that… my colleague from work took me to her place after I lost consciousness. I don't think anything else happened. I fell asleep, and when I came to, I rushed straight home."
Samantha stayed quiet for a moment, feeling the tension rising in her chest. A part of her wanted to listen and try to understand, but another part of her found his words so hollow—like everything that had happened was just some twisted dream, not a painful reality.
She didn't believe he had simply fallen asleep in her apartment…
"You can't fix what you did with words. You're irresponsible for letting yourself get to that point," she replied coldly. "She didn't drag you there by force, Alex."
Before he could respond, she hung up. She stood still for a moment, taking a deep breath, not knowing what to do next. Her mind was racing with thoughts she couldn't silence. Part of her wanted to believe it was all a misunderstanding, that Alex hadn't meant to hurt her—but was that enough? Could their relationship survive what had just happened?
She felt a mix of anger and sorrow rising inside her, blending with uncertainty. What was she supposed to do now? Could she ever trust him again?
When she returned to the apartment, Alex was already up. He stood in the kitchen, making coffee, but his posture was uncertain. He looked pale—like a wreck of a man. But Samantha didn't feel even a shred of sympathy.
"I need time," she said, stepping into the kitchen. "I would rather not hear your explanations right now. We'll talk about it later, but right now, I need to be alone. You disappointed me."
Alex nodded and then walked out of the room, leaving her by herself.
Samantha felt her heart pounding. She knew this wasn't the end. She knew something was coming that she wasn't ready to face—but deep down, she also knew there was no turning back.
The future was uncertain, and her feelings were torn to pieces. How was she supposed to deal with all of this? Time held the answers—but did she even want to know them?
*
Samantha didn't know what to do with herself.Days had passed since her conversation with Alex, stretching endlessly, as if time itself had frozen in place. The streetlights outside cast long shadows across her room, and the silence that filled the apartment was unbearable.
Alex hadn't shown up for two days, despite having tried every day before to convince her that everything would be okay—that he had done nothing wrong. Fear had started to grow in her heart, a fear that maybe he had betrayed her after all. She was torn—she loved him, but she couldn't forget that he had irresponsibly ended up in another woman's apartment. She kept seeing the look in that model's eyes—full of confidence, like she had just won something, like Alex was just another conquest she was unable to resist taking.
That evening, when Samantha walked into the kitchen, she noticed a note on the table—from Alex. She stepped toward it with purpose, unfolded the paper, and her eyes quickly scanned the words.
"Samantha, I know what I did is unforgivable. I don't expect you to forget what happened, but please — give me a chance to prove I've changed. I didn't cheat on you—I would never do that, not in my right mind. I understand how deeply I hurt you with my reckless behavior, especially after you trusted me, and I want to show you that you can count on me. I need you in my life. I'm waiting for you at our place.Yours, Alex."
Samantha's heart started to race, and her hands began to tremble. She felt completely lost.
The feeling of being unmoored crushed her even more. She stared at the note, then looked out the window, as if hoping the answer might come from the dark night that surrounded her. Only one question echoed in her mind—Is this really what I want? Should I keep blaming myself every day for trusting a womanizer? For falling in love with him despite his flaws?
Before she headed to their "place," she was still unsure of her decision. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the moments they had shared. They were full of joy, but they had also gone through many difficult times—challenges they never saw coming. And it was always about other women. And though she loved Alex with all her heart, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was no space for anything real, anything lasting, in this relationship.
She had fooled herself into thinking a man like him would change after getting married…
Eventually, she stood in front of the door. She took a deep breath and knocked.
When the door opened, what surprised her wasn't just that Alex was actually there—but that he looked… different. Gone was the calm, composed Alex she knew. In his place stood a man whose face was full of emotion, and whose hands trembled as if he had no control over what he felt.
"Samantha, please come in…" he said, his voice shaky, as though afraid he wouldn't get another chance.
Samantha stepped inside but didn't sit down right away. Instead, she looked around the room, trying to understand what had changed. The walls looked almost transformed—it was clear Alex had spent hours trying to rearrange everything, as if he wanted the entire place to reflect something new. But none of it mattered if he hadn't changed.
"Samantha…" he began again, this time with more tension in his voice."I know nothing I say can make you forget what happened. I have a messy past… there were always other women. But I need to tell you that what I did was the biggest mistake of my life. I'm sorry I got drunk and let myself be taken to that woman's apartment. I was... truly unaware of what I was doing."He swallowed hard and looked her in the eyes."I'm sorry. Please don't leave. Please — give me one more chance to prove I've changed. I'm empty without you. I know I failed you as a man—but I can be better. If you just let me. I'll explain everything. I'll talk to that model, the one who took care of me, and I'll prove to you nothing happened between us!"
Samantha stared at him for a moment, waiting for more. She waited for the words strong enough to erase all her doubts.
"Alex…" she started, her voice quiet and unsure."Do you really want me to believe you? That everything's going to be okay?"
"Yes," he said firmly."I know I don't deserve your trust, but I need you. I love you. I don't want to lose you."
Samantha looked into his eyes and suddenly felt her heartbreaking. She couldn't reject his words.
"Then why haven't you talked to her yet?" she asked finally."Are you really telling me nothing happened between you two? Because I saw how fascinated you were with her at the party, Alex."
The evening passed in silence as Alex and Samantha sat across from each other. They didn't speak. It was a silence filled with unspoken words. And even though Samantha wanted to believe that everything could be fixed, that he had done nothing wrong, deep down, she no longer knew whether their relationship could truly be rebuilt. She was tired of his constant betrayals—the ones that had happened even before the wedding, which she had foolishly overlooked just to give him a chance.
Time would bring the answers. But what if those answers were too painful to accept?