Unpleasant Surprise
Katie sits impatiently on the sofa, checking her phone every five minutes. It's been 2 hours since her boyfriend Ben last spoke to her. Where was he?
Finally, her phone beeped and to her relief, it was a message from Ben. He sent her a selfie from his car. Katie smiled to herself. But suddenly, her smile vanishes. She sits frozen, having just noticed something horrible about Ben’s selfie. Her heart shattered. Did he even realize what he sent her?
Young And In Love
Katie Jackson had been in a relationship with Ben Jones for four years. Katie truly did love Ben, she was positive he was her soulmate; the boy she planned to spend the rest of her life with.
Katie was mature. She knew relationships and love weren't always easy, but this love-stricken girl had no idea what lesson was coming her way.
Birthday Girl
It was to play out like any other birthday. Ben would go to the gym, while Katie met up with her friend for a small celebration. She never liked to make a big deal out of her birthdays so she didn't really mind Ben going off.
At first, everything was normal. Katie woke up to a birthday breakfast by Ben before he packed his gym bag for his daily workout. But soon, things would take a disastrous turn.
Four Years Ago
Katie and Ben first met four years ago during university. After a couple of weeks of awkward smiles and small talk, Ben finally worked up the courage to ask Katie out. A question she couldn't wait to hear.
Katie was like a giddy school girl. And sometimes, Ben was too! Katie truly fell head over heels for Ben. He was different from the other boys, or so she thought.
Blindsided
Katie never had any reason to doubt Ben. He was good to her. Sure, it wasn't always a smooth road, but what relationship was? What mattered was she trusted him.
But little did Katie know, her trust was about to be shattered by a selfie from the "love of her life" and he had no idea what he sent...
Still Going Strong
Four years after their first date and Katie and Ben were still happy together and going strong. The two had moved in together, and even spoke about starting a family!
Katie was delirously happy knowing that Ben was the one for her. He was funny, kind, smart, and loyal. She couldn't have asked for better, but Katie had no idea how wrong she was.
A Perfect Relationship
Throughout their four year relationship, Ben and Katie hardly ever argued. But when they did, instead of sitting in angry silence, they made sure to tell each other about what was on their mind or what was bothering them.
On paper, and in real life, their relationship seemed perfect. Katie certainly thought so. But all good things must come to an end, right?
A Friend In Need
As Ben left for the gym, Katie got ready to hang out with her friend, Lily. She put on some make up and a nice casusal outfit and waited for her to arrive to her house to clebrate her birthday, just the two of them!
Katie had gotten used to having not celebrating her birthday too much. But one thing she hadn't gotten used to yet was living so far away from her family. On her birthday, she always felt their absence more, especially when Ben left her to go to the gym.
Closest Thing To Family
Katie longed to be around family during her birthdays and Ben was the closest thing to it. Sometimes she wondered why he had to go on her birthday but then again, he had been going to the gym everyday since she knew him!
At least she had her good friend Lily to spend the whole day with. And Ben would join them again soon. But soon wouldn't come quick enough.
See You Soon!
Ben got his keys, kissed Katie on the cheek and left. He was planning to go to the gym and then do some last minute shopping in town. Katie was confused as he said this but she didn't say anything incase he was buying her a present. She didn't want to seem ungrateful - but why was he leaving it so late?
She watched Ben drive away, not knowing what exactly he was up to. She had a feeling that something was off, but she assumed it was just paranoia.
Feeling Better
Lilly cheered Katie up with some ice cream and a bottle of wine. Katie was grateful to have her friend by her side. She always knew just how to make any low key birthday fun! She was sure she'd be having a great birthday in no time.
But what she didn't know was that in a matter of hours her own entire world would be turned upside down.
Girls Night In
Katie and Lily had been watching their favorite rom-coms and eating ice cream and snacks for the past two hours. They were having a good time but Katie couldn't stop thinking about Ben. She decided to text him a few times to see if he was ok, but he didn’t reply.
She reassured herself, thinking he was probably busy at the gym, halfway through a workout or something. But she was so wrong.
Intrigue To Concern
Katie sent numerous messages to Ben. What started off as intrigued questions about where he was turned into more concerned questions like was he ok and why wasn't he writing back. It was very unusual for Ben not to reply more or less straight away.
What Katie didn't know was that Ben was much more distracted today than usual. So when she finally heard back from him, it became obvious something was very very wrong.
Where Was He?
As the hour passed, Katie started to worry that something had happened to Ben. He still hadn’t replied to her last text which was sent nearly three hours ago.
She rang him, hoping he would pick up. But he didn’t. Where was he? Was he hurt? Hundreds of questions flooded Katie’s mind but nothing could have prepared her for what was to happen next.
Opening Up
Katie couldn't pretend anymore. She tried to tell herself she was over-reacting but something in the pit of her stomach was screaming at her. She began to tell Lily what was going on.
Lily was just as perplexed as Katie as to why Ben wasn't replying. She also knew him well. She sent him a message too and this time, it worked.
He Finally Replied
At long last, Ben finally replied to Katie who swiftly picked up her phone the moment she heard it beep. Anxiusly, she opened the message to see what he wrote to her.
She held the phone with both hands, eagerly opening the message. But what she was about to see would tear her world in two.
A Selfie
Katie opened the message from Ben. It was a selfie of him wearing sunglasses in his car. He looked super cute and straight away Katie felt the knot in her stomach unravel and her worry melt away.
But then she looked at the picture a little closer and within a matter of moments, she noticed something strange about Ben’s selfie. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach again.
Despair To Anger
Katie froze. Was this some kind of sick joke Ben was playing on her? Did he even realize what he sent her? She definitely wouldn't have noticed if she didn't take the time to look closer.
It was there, in the reflection of his sunglasses. A slight reflected image that began to pierce her heart, but suddenly, the shock and despair turned into a fiery pit of anger.
Hitting Home
If this was some kind of joke, she didn’t find it funny. Not one bit. Her mind raced as she shouted at the phone.
She showed Lily his selfie. She was angry, livid. How could he do this to her? How could he crush her heart like this? There was no coming back from this. And she'd make sure he knew it.
Showing Her Friend
Wanting to calm down Katie, Lily was quick to defend Ben. Maybe it wasn't what it seemed? But Katie wasn't having it. Lily was soon lost for words too. The two friends looked at each other.
How could he do this? She knew she had to find out the truth. She turned off the television, took a sip of wine, and called him again, hoping he'd pick up. She was ready for war!
Word Of Caution
But before the call could connect, Lily told her to hang up. Lily told her to gather herself first. And made her think it all through. What if it really was as bad as they thought? What would she do?
What if she called him now and asked? He could easily lie. If only there was some way that they could catch him in the act so he couldn't lie his way out of this one...
Feeling Broken
The more they talked about it, the more upset Katie became. She couldn't believe what she saw. Was it really what she thought? Maybe she got it wrong. But images don't lie.
Her friend consoled her as she thought about what else he could have lied about. Her trust in him was shattered. But soon, she wiped her tears and came up with a plan. A plan of epic revenge.
Another Girls Legs
You see in the selfie that Ben took, a pair of legs could be seen in the reflection of his sunglasses, hanging out the window on the passenger side.
But it wasn’t his girlfriend, Katie’s legs. Katie had been with Lily the whole day, away from Ben when the picture was taken. So, the question burned in the two girls minds; who was Ben with?
Deceit And Plans
Katie thought back to all the days Ben went to the gym. Is this what he was doing? It felt like she didn't know him anymore. She really hoped she was wrong about this. But what if she was right?
She and Lily came up with a plan. Instead of a normal audio call, she would put him on video. If this girl was in the car, she'd know it. And she'd know who!
Decided
And if he still refused to tell or show her anything, well then it would be obvious wouldn't it? Lily and Katie decided that if he was so blatantly dishonest with her, then it was time for revenge.
Afterall, she was still in their house, with all of his things. There were a number of ways she could exact revenge. All she needed was a push. It was time for a call.
Calm Before The Storm
Katie gripped onto her cellphone as she waited for Ben to pick up the video call. Lily looked at Katie anxously from the sidelines. She could feel her blood boil, as her bruised heart began to race.
It wasn't long before he answered her call. As soon as his camera turned on, she was ready to unleash her anger and humiliation.
Who Are You With?!
Katie screamed down the phone, “Who's that with you?”. But Ben responded with mere silence. He was taken off guard. "I said who's with you right now Ben. Show me her NOW", she yelled.
“Answer me!” Katie screamed, her eyes welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, I can't tell you,” he replied, his voice as quiet as a mouse. He didn’t even try to deny it. He didn’t even try to come up with an excuse. It was as if he was happy to be caught.
Time For Revenge
Ben abruptly told Katie that he had to go and that he couldn't tell her who was in that car. He hung up and Katie's world caved. She couldn't believe it.
She had never felt so distant with someone. Now there was only one thing to do, revenge. She would follow her plan. She'd make him pay for this. No one could have expected what happened next.
Explanation
Just as Katie had settled her mind on making him pay, she heard someone bust through the door. It was Ben and he had someone else in tow. Katie's sister. He immediately told her everything. He revealed that he was bringing her sister over to celebrate her birthday.
He knew that Katie missed her family so much and hadn't seen her sister in particular for months that he organised this as a special surprise. Katie cried tears of relief when she found out what was really going on. And we're sure he did too!