REMI #2
“I came back from the States to fix things with my boyfriend. I wanted to tell him how much I love him, and I find, oh God, I can’t even say it, this. I find him in bed with who? My ex from high school, who ghosted me without a word?!”
She stops dead, her eyes lighting up with something cold and vicious as she turns on Sebastian.
“So what… don’t tell me you’ve been gay this whole time?”
Sebastian leans back against the wall, arms crossed tightly over his chest, eyes cast down. He doesn’t answer.
Maddie launches into another furious tirade, closing in on Sebastian like a predator zeroing in on prey, and every instinct in me flares to life.
I thought I knew her. Really knew her. But I’ve never seen her like this: unhinged, seething, completely out of control.
Without thinking, I spring up from the bed and move closer to Sebastian, planting myself firmly between them.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were gay, huh, Sebastian?” she spits. “Why leave me drowning in doubt, in confusion, when you could’ve just been honest?”
“I… I couldn’t,” he stammers, his voice trembling. “I swear, Mads… I hated myself for it. For years. I only told my parents a few days ago and… it went horribly.”
“Oh, so what, now I’m meant to feel sorry for you?” she snaps, voice thick with venom. “You didn’t just lie to me back then, you’ve been lying ever since. And now you show up at my place, act all broken and innocent, and steal my boyfriend right from under me?”
“Maddie…” I cut in gently, doing everything I can to stay calm, for Sebastian’s sake.
“Please. No one stole from anyone. This isn’t some high school drama; it’s real life, and it’s complicated.
I understand that you’re hurt. You’re angry.
But if you just give us a chance to explain, it might make things a little clearer.
I swear to you, none of this happened while we were still together.
We never meant for you to find out like this. We were going to tell you, together.”
“Oh, listen to yourself!” Maddie snaps, her voice sharp with fury. “‘We were planning to tell you’,” she parrots, her tone a cruel, distorted echo of mine that barely even sounds human, let alone like her.
“Tell me, how long has this been going on? How long have you two been making a fool of me in front of our friends? And I, God, I was pathetic, I cried to you, Sebastian! On the phone! I begged for your help!”
Sebastian doesn’t flinch. He takes a steady step toward her, his voice shaking but honest.
“Mads, I swear… when you called to tell me Remi had broken up with you, I didn’t even know he liked me. Not like that.”
But she’s already advancing on him, a bitter, poisonous grin twisting her face, and before she can get any closer, I instinctively close the space between us, positioning myself protectively by Sebastian’s side.
They’re both hurting, God knows, I am too, but Maddie is wild with rage, lashing out, and Sebastian…
he’s still fragile. Still recovering from the trauma of being rejected by his own parents.
And now, standing beside me, I can sense it, that awful trembling beneath the surface. He’s on the verge of breaking.
This needs to end. Right now.
We weren’t ready for Maddie’s arrival. She caught us completely off guard, and I’m scared that the pressure of this moment might push Sebastian into a panic attack we won’t be able to stop.
I extend an arm protectively in front of my boyfriend, catching the flicker of anguish in his eyes.
Every instinct is screaming at me to pull him into my arms, to shield him completely, but instead, I position myself squarely between him and Maddie, anchoring myself like a barrier.
He needs space to breathe, and above all, to feel safe.
Then I turn to her, forcing my voice to stay steady, even as my heart pounds in my chest.
“Maddie, please, just listen. I’m so, so sorry you had to find out like this. But I swear to you, nothing happened between Sebastian and me while you and I were still together. Not a single thing.”
“And you actually expect me to believe that?!” she screams, stepping right into my face. “You weren’t remotely gay when I left, Remi! We were having sex constantly, and you never seemed to have any problems with that! So how the hell did you end up in bed with him?!”
I take a deep breath, summoning every ounce of restraint I’ve got, because just behind me, Sebastian is shaking, silent, pale, and clearly on the edge. The last thing he needs is more trauma, especially not like this.
“Maddie, you and I ended things quite a while ago, and, as I’ve been trying to explain since you got here, whatever’s going on between me and Sebastian only began after that.
I get that this situation is messy and painful, and I’m not pretending otherwise. But I swear to you, neither of us planned this. We didn’t go looking for it, it just… happened.”
“Happened?” she spits. “That’s your excuse?
What a convenient word for this shit show!
You both betrayed me. Don’t dress it up as something noble!
Let me tell you what really happened, Remi: you didn’t just fall into bed with a guy, you were manipulated!
Seduced by that snake! I know Sebastian’s game, I was his first victim! ”
“Maddie…” Sebastian whispers. I turn to check on him, reaching for his hand, and he gives it to me without a moment’s hesitation.
“How… how can you say that?” he breathes. “I cared about you, Maddie. I still do. I never wanted to hurt you. Not ever.”
“Shut up! Just shut up, Sebastian!” she shouts, her voice cracking with fury. “I trusted you. And you used me, first to hide your precious little secret, then to steal the only good thing I had left in my life: the man I loved!”
“Maddie, please,” I cut in, keeping my tone firm but as gentle as I can manage, “this isn’t Sebastian’s fault.
I was the one who fell for him first, and he resisted it with everything he had.
I know this is hard to hear, but maybe it’s better you know now.
You deserve someone who truly loves you, Maddie.
And I care about you, but I’m not that person. ”
“Don’t give me that crap!” she explodes. “You were mine, Remi, until he came crawling in. We had plans. A future. And you threw it all away for him?! Oh, I know how good Sebastian is at acting all sweet and helpless… I just hope he’s improved in bed since I last had the misfortune of finding out.”
“That’s enough!” I snap, my hand clenching tighter around Sebastian’s.
He’s trembling beside me, his skin chalk-white.
“Don’t you dare speak about him like that.
This is my house, and you came here uninvited.
I get that you’re angry, but you’ve gone too far.
This discussion is over for now. We’ll resume when you’ve calmed down. "
Maddie grits her teeth, her beautiful face twisted in rage, then spins on her heel and storms out of the room.
“No!” Sebastian cries, dropping my hand and stumbling after her onto the landing. “Mads, wait, please…”
His eyes are brimming with tears, his legs barely holding him upright.
“Don’t leave like this. Please. Just let us talk calmly. Then you can say whatever you want. Just… give us a chance to explain.”
He reaches out, placing a trembling hand on her arm.
“Don’t touch me!” she screams, yanking herself away.
“Maddie…” he pleads again, gently trying to hold her back.
But before I can reach him, before I can stop it, she explodes.
“I’ll never forgive you. Do you hear me? Never!”
And then the world shifts.
Time slows, everything stretching into a nightmare blur, as Maddie shoves him hard .
Sebastian stumbles backward. His arms flail, his eyes wide with disbelief, and then he falls.
I lunge forward, heart in my throat, but it’s too late.
He crashes down the stairs, hitting the steps with a sickening series of thuds before landing in a lifeless heap at the bottom.
The sound is burned into me. I can’t breathe.
I tear down the stairs, panic crashing over me like a wave. When I reach him, he’s unconscious. Motionless.
I drop to my knees beside him, hands trembling, vision blurred with tears. My instincts scream to hold him, but I don’t move him. I can’t risk it.
Somehow, through the fog, my mind takes over. I fumble for my phone, fingers numb, and manage to call emergency services. My voice breaks as I give them the address.
I've never been this scared in my life.
But I can't lose control. Not now. He needs me. And God, I need him.
I stay beside him, whispering his name, clutching his hand as if that alone could keep him tethered to me. His skin is warm, but he doesn’t stir.
Somewhere behind me, I think I hear the front door open, Maddie running. But I don’t turn around.
She no longer matters.
The only thing that matters is lying right here, fragile and still, hand in mine.
For the first time since my father died, I pray.
Not with words. Just raw, desperate pleading from the deepest part of me.
Please… don’t take him. Please. Let him stay. Let him stay with me…