Collapse, Then Survival
At home, I crumbled on the bathroom floor and called my mother.
My parents arrived with the emergency key. Mom held me while I choked out the story; Dad paced, face flushed.
“I can’t stand what he’s done,” he muttered, hand to his chest.
“Thomas, your blood pressure,” Mom warned, though her eyes were filled with rage and heartbreak too.
Mom helped cancel vendors; Dad handled the finances. I returned the ring through the doorman.
Stephanie had already moved in—her clothes in his closet, her photos on shelves where mine used to be.
Word spread fast. Some friends stood by me; others stayed close to Nathan for business reasons. A few admitted they’d noticed the flirting and said nothing. That hurt almost as much.
Mom tried to bring us to the same table, but dinners ended in silence or shouting. One night, Stephanie snapped,
“You always got everything first. The grades, the job, the apartment. I finally got something before you.”
“My fiancé wasn’t a prize,” I said, shaking. “He was the person I loved.”
“Stephanie Marie Thompson,” Mom said, setting down her fork. “Apologize to your sister.”
“For telling the truth? Nathan loves me now.”
I stood. “I can’t do this, Mom. I’m sorry.”
It was the last dinner we shared with her at the table.
Dad’s health wavered under the stress. Mom seemed to age by months in days.
I sank into darkness—therapy, medication, mistakes at work, a breakdown mid-presentation that cost me a client.
My boss suggested a leave. I knew then I had to leave Boston completely.
Summary: The fallout destroys what’s left of the family, and Rebecca decides to start over.
