Isabella's POV
I thought I could keep, like, separate boxes in my head: One for Lila's bed and her wicked smile.
One for Camilla's satin robe and her clinical, filthy "examinations."
One for Noah's desperate hallway kiss.
One for Ethan's quiet confession and the way he looked at me while he poured his seed inside me.
But the shitty boxes were leaking. And the leak smelled like guilt and jasmine and the metallic tang of secrets that were starting to rust.
Claire called me at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday.
I was reluctant to pick, I wasn't cut for any kind of stress that day.
I picked eventually what's family for. Her voice cracked on the first word.
"Bella? Can you come over? I need… I need to talk."
I didn't ask any questions. I just grabbed my car keys.
Claire's apartment was twenty minutes away. It was high-rise, glass walls, gave you a view of the city that made you feel like we're floating above ear else's mess.
She opened the door in yoga pants and an oversized hoodie, her eyes were red, mascara smeared like she'd been crying for hours.
Sh hugged me so tight, I nearly begged to be released.
"Come in," she whispered.
The living room smelled like lavender candles and coffee gone cold.
She led me to the couch, sat down and pulled her knees to her chest.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know who else to tell."
I sat beside her and took her hand in mine. "Tell me what?"
She looked at me, weirdly. Eyes wide, a little scared and guilty.
"I'm sleeping with Uncle Daniel."
The words landed like a canon shot. "How long?" I asked.
"Six months," she whispered. "It started at Christmas. He was helping me with the wedding planning. We were alone in the study one night. He kissed me and I let him. I kissed him back, and then… we couldn't stop.
She stared crying again, quiet, hiccupping sobs.
"He's married," she said, wiping tears that rolled down. "He has kids. And I'm about to get married. But every time I try to end it, I can't. I need him, I need the way he looks at me. Like I'm the only thing that matters."
I squeezed her hand gently. "Okay… so what does he say?"
"He says he loves me. That he'll leave his wife, but he never does that. And I keep going back."
She wiped her eyes airy her sleeve. "I hate myself for it. But when he's inside me… it's the only time I feel alive."
I felt something twist in my chest, sympathy, shame and the fact that I could relate to the way she felt.
"I get it," I said quietly.
She looked at me. "You do?"
I nodded "I'm sleeping with people I shouldn't either."
Her eyes almost popped out from its socket. "Who?"
I took a deep breath. "Lila, Camilla, and Ethan."
Claire stared at me for a long moment. Then burst out laughing.
"I know right, it's unbelievable." I said, laughing too.
"Jesus. We're both fucked up."
"Yeah," I agreed. "We really are."
She rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't know how to stop."
"Me neither." We sat like that for a while, two sisters drowning in the same dark water.
Then dge lifted her head. "I need to see him. One more time to end it. Will you come with me? In case I can't do it alone?"
I looked at her… like what she for real. But she was terrified abd desperate.
And I knew exactly how that felt. "Okay. I'll go with you."
She hugged again, tightly and grateful. "Thank you." She peaked my cheek.
We didn't talk much after that, we just held ourselves in an embrace.
When she pulled out her phone to text Uncle Daniel, I realised that this wasn't her secret anymore.
It was ours.
Claire's POV
I watched Bella leave my apartment to pick up some delivery, looking tense, her steps quick, like she was running form something she couldn't outrun. She was like a whole new person, not just the baby sister I used to know.
I texted Daniel.
I kept staring at my phone till he replied. His reply came in 5 minutes.
I stared at the message. Then I looked at the ring on my finger, the one my fiancé had slid on with so much hope.
I twisted it once. Then I sent another text.
No reply for a minute. And then:
I closed my eyes. And I wondered how much deeper this hole could go before we hit bottom.