Love x betrayal

chapter 13: Who is Serena

Sadie stumbled out of Jake’s house, her mind spinning with everything she had just endured. The cold, oppressive atmosphere of the place seemed to cling to her, even as she stepped into the crisp night air. She didn’t feel the chill, though; her thoughts were too tangled, too consumed by the fear and confusion that had taken root deep within her.

Jake’s words echoed in her mind, a sinister melody she couldn’t shake. Every step she took felt heavier than the last, as if the truth she had uncovered had physically weighted her down. Her legs moved mechanically, carrying her back toward her grandmother’s house, but her heart and mind were still trapped inside that dark, suffocating room where Jake had confronted her with the twisted realities she hadn’t been ready to face.

He’s lying. Sadie’s inner voice trembled with uncertainty, but she forced herself to hold on to that belief. He has to be lying.

But the seeds of doubt had already been planted, and they were growing faster than she could control. Each time she tried to refute Jake’s words, they only echoed back stronger, feeding into her growing paranoia. By the time she reached the front door of her grandmother’s house, Sadie felt like she was teetering on the edge of something dangerous—something she wasn’t sure she could pull herself back from.

She pushed open the door, the warmth and familiarity of her grandmother’s home doing little to soothe the turmoil inside her. Sadie’s grandmother was sitting in the living room, knitting something delicate and soft-looking, but the usual comfort Sadie found in that simple act was absent tonight.

Her grandmother looked up as Sadie entered, her eyes filled with a mix of concern and weariness. “You’re back,” she said softly, setting her knitting aside. “I was starting to worry.”

Sadie forced a smile, though she knew it didn’t reach her eyes. “Sorry, I lost track of time,” she replied, her voice strained. “I just needed some air.”

Her grandmother’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, as if she could see the storm brewing beneath Sadie’s calm exterior. But, much to Sadie’s relief, she didn’t press the matter. “Alright, dear. Just remember, I’m here if you need to talk.”

Sadie nodded, her throat tight with emotion she couldn’t quite name. “Thanks, Grandma,” she managed to say before retreating to her room.

Once the door was closed behind her, Sadie collapsed onto her bed, her body finally surrendering to the exhaustion she had been holding at bay. She stared at the ceiling, the events of the evening replaying in her mind like a twisted, looping nightmare.

Jake’s voice was the loudest, his mocking tone and cruel words filling every corner of her mind. He had reveled in her fear, taking pleasure in the power he held over her. But it wasn’t just his words that haunted her—it was the truth behind them. The truth that Sadie had been so desperately trying to avoid.

Serena. The name floated to the forefront of her thoughts, bringing with it a fresh wave of confusion and fear. Jake had claimed that Serena wasn’t who she appeared to be—that she had been manipulating Sadie from the start. But could that really be true? Could the one person Sadie had come to trust in this new, hostile environment be hiding something from her?

The thought made her feel sick. Serena had been her lifeline, her only friend in a world that had turned its back on her. To think that Serena could be involved in something so dark, so twisted—it was almost too much to bear.

But Jake had seemed so certain, so confident in his accusations. And while Sadie knew better than to trust him blindly, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some truth buried in his words. After all, Jake had known about her father’s case, about the things her mother had refused to tell her. He had proven that he had access to information she didn’t—information that had shattered the fragile understanding she had of her own life.

Could it really be possible that Serena was involved in all of this? That she had been working with Jake to manipulate her, to use her as a pawn in some larger game? The very thought was enough to make Sadie’s skin crawl.

She couldn’t just ignore this. She couldn’t let herself be blind to the possibility that Serena wasn’t who she seemed. But she also couldn’t accuse her friend without proof—without something concrete to back up the gnawing suspicion that had taken root in her heart.

Sadie sat up, her mind made up. She had to investigate. She had to find out the truth about Serena, no matter how painful it might be. She owed it to herself, and to the small, fragile hope that Serena had nothing to do with Jake’s twisted schemes.

Taking a deep breath, Sadie grabbed her phone and opened the messages she had exchanged with Serena over the past few months. She scrolled through them, searching for anything that might seem off, anything that might indicate that Serena had been hiding something from her.

At first, nothing seemed unusual. The messages were filled with the usual banter, inside jokes, and support that had defined their friendship. But as Sadie dug deeper, she began to notice subtle inconsistencies—small, almost imperceptible shifts in Serena’s tone and language that she had never paid attention to before.

There were moments when Serena had seemed unusually insistent, pushing Sadie to make certain decisions or to go certain places. And then there were the times when Serena had been oddly quiet, almost distant, especially when the topic of Sadie’s father had come up. In hindsight, those silences felt like glaring omissions, like Serena had been hiding something she didn’t want Sadie to know.

Sadie’s heart sank as she uncovered more and more of these small, troubling details. They weren’t definitive proof of anything, but they were enough to fan the flames of her doubt. She needed to know more—she needed to find out if there was any truth to Jake’s claims.

But how? How could she possibly investigate Serena without tipping her off? Without putting herself in even more danger than she was already in?

The thought of confronting Serena directly made Sadie’s blood run cold. If Jake was right—if Serena really was involved in this—then she would be putting herself at risk by revealing her suspicions. But at the same time, Sadie couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. She needed answers, and she needed them soon.

An idea began to form in Sadie’s mind, a plan that was both reckless and terrifying in its implications. But it was the only plan she had, the only way she could think of to get to the bottom of this without exposing herself too much.

She would start by asking questions, by probing gently into Serena’s past and her connections. She would frame it as casual curiosity, as a way to get to know her friend better. And in doing so, she would be able to gauge Serena’s reactions, to see if there was anything in her story that didn’t add up.

If Serena was hiding something, Sadie would find it. And if she wasn’t—if Jake had been lying, or if he had been mistaken—then Sadie could put these doubts to rest and focus on the real threat: Jake and whatever twisted game he was playing.

The plan was risky, but Sadie knew she had no other choice. She couldn’t go on living in this state of constant fear and suspicion. She needed to know the truth, even if that truth ended up shattering her world all over again.

With her resolve steeled, Sadie lay back down, her mind racing with the possibilities of what she might uncover. She knew she wouldn’t get much sleep tonight—not with so much at stake—but that didn’t matter. What mattered was getting to the truth, no matter what it took.

As she closed her eyes, her thoughts drifted back to her father, to the secrets he had taken to his grave and the lies that had surrounded his life. She wondered if, in some twisted way, Jake had been right about one thing: that the only way to truly understand what had happened to her family was to follow the echoes of betrayal wherever they might lead.

And if those echoes led her to Serena—if they revealed a truth too painful to bear—then Sadie would have to find the strength to face it.

As Sadie lay in bed, her mind returned to Jake. She recalled how he had taken pleasure in humiliating her, and now she questioned his intentions. Could someone who had caused her so much pain really be trusted? Was his offer to help her just another way to manipulate her?

The way Jake had mentioned her father, with that smug look, made her uneasy. What if this was just another twisted game? What if he was using her need for answers to control her?

Sadie’s heart sank as she realized she couldn’t trust him. Even if Jake had answers, they would come at a cost she wasn’t sure she was willing to pay. But if she couldn’t trust Jake or Serena, who could she rely on?

The answer was clear: no one but herself. If she wanted the truth, she would have to find it on her own, without letting anyone else pull the strings.

With this resolve, Sadie finally allowed herself to drift off to sleep, knowing she had to be cautious in the days ahead. She would play Jake’s game, but by her own rules.