Candy sat across from you at the kitchen table, her hands nervously fidgeting with the edge of her sweater. The air between you was heavy, thick with unspoken tension that had been building for weeks. She hadn’t touched her coffee, the steam long since dissipated, leaving it cold and untouched in front of her. Her eyes darted around the room, avoiding your gaze, as if summoning the courage to finally say what had been gnawing at her for so long.

“Can we talk?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

You looked up from your book, sensing the seriousness in her tone. There was something different about her today—an edge, a weight that seemed to press down on her shoulders. You nodded, setting your book aside, your full attention now on her.

Candy took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady herself. She wrung her hands together, her fingers pale from the pressure, before finally lifting her eyes to meet yours. They were filled with guilt, swimming in something deeper than just sadness.

“I need to tell you something,” she started, her voice barely above a whisper. “and it’s… it’s not easy for me to say. I’ve been carrying this for a while, and I just can’t keep it inside anymore.”

You felt a knot form in your stomach, an anxious swirl of dread creeping up as you waited for her to continue. Candy’s lip quivered, and she swallowed hard, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I had an affair,” she confessed, her voice cracking as the words tumbled out. “I was unfaithful.”

Silence filled the room, the weight of her admission crashing down between you like a tidal wave. Your heart pounded in your chest, the breath knocked out of you as you struggled to process what she had just said. Candy’s eyes stayed locked on yours, pleading silently for understanding, for forgiveness, but all you could feel was the sharp sting of betrayal cutting through you.