The air in Helen's apartment was thick with tension. Anita paced by the window, arms crossed, while Elizabeth sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, her expression etched with concern.
"Helen," Anita said firmly, turning to face her. "You have to listen. These lies—they're not just rumors. There are people talking. People who saw things."
Helen stood by the counter, her fingers nervously gripping a half-empty glass of water. "I've heard them all," she replied quietly. "But not everything being said about Sebastian is true. Some of it—" she paused, struggling for the right words, "—I've seen proof it's false."
Elizabeth leaned forward. "What about the rest? What about the things you haven't seen proof of?"
"That's what's driving me crazy," Helen admitted, her voice cracking. "I don't know what to believe. But I know how I feel about him."
Before either friend could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Helen opened it to find Jennifer, perfectly put together as always, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"We need to talk," she said smoothly, brushing past Helen into the room.
Anita stood up immediately. "You shouldn't be here."
"I'm not here for you," Jennifer snapped. Her eyes locked on Helen. "I'm here because you deserve the truth."
Helen's jaw tightened. "I've heard your truths before, Jennifer. And I know what you're capable of."
Jennifer's expression flickered, but she pressed on. "Sebastian lied to you. He's not who you think he is. He's dangerous. Manipulative. I can prove it."
"Why?" Helen asked, voice low. "Why are you so determined to destroy this?"
Jennifer hesitated. Her usual poise cracked, just for a second. "Because he destroyed someone I loved. Steven deserved better than what happened. And you—" she took a deep breath, eyes gleaming with something new, "—you don't deserve Sebastian."
There it was. The slip. Helen caught it. "You're in love with him."
Jennifer looked away.
"I knew it," Anita whispered. "This isn't just about Steven."
Elizabeth stood slowly. "You've been manipulating Helen. Using her grief, her confusion—just to get what you want."
Jennifer's lips curved into a half-smile. "Maybe I have feelings. Maybe I want revenge. But that doesn't change the truth."
Helen felt her heart pulling in two directions. Sebastian's voice, soft and sincere, echoed in her mind. The way he looked at her, like she was the only thing that mattered. But also, the doubt, the shadows he never fully explained.
She turned to the window, silence falling over the room.
Jennifer stepped closer. "He will break you, Helen. Just like he broke Steven."
But even as Helen stared out into the night, her heart still whispered his name. She loved him… didn't she?
---
Sebastian sat alone in his dimly lit apartment, the shadows on the walls flickering with the movement of the city outside. His phone lay untouched on the coffee table, screen black, though he'd checked it at least a dozen times in the last hour.
Helen hadn't called.
Not even a message.
He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening. The lies were spreading like wildfire, and no matter how hard he tried to defend himself, they clung to him like a second skin.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at nothing. Jennifer.
He should have known she wouldn't stop. He underestimated how deep her thirst for revenge ran—or how far she'd go to get what she wanted. First Steven. Now Helen. And somehow, Jennifer had twisted both situations to make him the villain.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was Helen's silence.
He had fought so hard to keep her. To love her the right way. Gently. Truthfully. But the truth, it seemed, was never enough when the lies were so carefully crafted. And even now, he didn't know which pieces of the past Jennifer had unearthed… or distorted.
A knock sounded at the door.
Sebastian stiffened, a flash of hope rising in his chest—but when he opened it, it wasn't Helen.
It was Marcus, his oldest friend and the only one who knew everything.
"She's hearing things, Seb," Marcus said without preamble, stepping inside. "From Jennifer. From people who think they know you."
Sebastian's face darkened. "And Helen?"
"Still trying to believe in you," Marcus said. "But she's shaken. Jennifer's good. She's turning her grief into poison."
Sebastian turned away, fists clenching at his sides. "I never meant to hurt Steven. It wasn't supposed to go the way it did."
"I know," Marcus replied quietly. "But Jennifer doesn't care about the truth. She's mixing it with just enough lies to make you look guilty. And now she's coming after Helen. I think she wants more than revenge."
Sebastian didn't respond. He didn't need to. He'd seen it in Jennifer's eyes the last time they spoke—the jealousy, the obsession, the twisted affection.
"She wants me," he said finally. "But only because she can't stand the idea of me choosing Helen."
Marcus gave a tight nod. "Exactly. So what are you going to do?"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to find Helen. I'm going to tell her everything. No more silence. No more running. If she's going to doubt me, she'll do it after hearing the whole truth. Not Jennifer's version."
His voice trembled at the end, more from emotion than fear.Because no matter how much love
he had for Helen, he knew love wasn't always enough.Not when doubt had already taken root.