Blythe Harper bolted out of her sisters flat.
Are you expecting? Megan, emerging from the bathroom, asked, eyebrows raised. Why are you here?
Did anyone ever tell you you cant take other peoples things without asking? Megan snapped, slamming her laptop shut and glaring at Blythe.
Blythe realised it was best to retreat to another room. That night she understood she should leave the flat entirely, because Megan was hunting for a recipe that had nothing to do with her.
At twentythree, Blythe met the love of her life on a Manchester street. A stranger rode up, handed her a white rose on a long stem, and introduced himself.
He looked perfectly ordinary, yet he radiated a quiet charisma and proved to be incredibly caring and attentive.
A month later Blythe confessed she could not imagine life without James Porter. He felt the same, and within another month she moved in with him, swapping her rented studio for his twobed flat.
Six months after that, James proposed.
Hes hes Blythe struggled for words, trying to describe her fiancé to her older sister. I adore him, and he feels the same.
Congratulations, Megan replied flatly.
Blythe ignored the tone. Their relationship had always been a little strained, and after their mothers death Blythe had no close family left but Megan.
Thanks! Only problem is James will be away for three whole months. He wants to earn extra money for the honeymoon, Blythe sighed.
Right, Megans voice remained emotionless. Ill let you know when the weddings set. Youre certainly invited.
Sure.
Blythe had always been gentle, impressionable, fragile; Megan was serious, tough, and fiercely independent. Blythe even feared introducing her sister to James, worrying she might not like him.
James left: Love, its only about 800 miles away. Ill be back on weekends, or you can visit me. They managed to meet only once a month because his work kept him busy. The faster they set up the new house, the sooner he could return. Blythe was willing to wait forevershe earned a modest assistant accountants salary, hardly enough to help their future family.
In the second month of Jamess assignment, strange messages began arrivingfirst texts, then voice notes. A robotic voice warned Blythe not to do anything that might upset it, insisting she should be wary because the wedding could bring terrible trouble.
The voice sent a shiver down Blythes spine. The number was untraceable, and the messages vanished after a few hours. She told no one, though the fear lingered.
One evening she found a voodoolike doll on her doorstep: it had long chestnut hair, a face cut from a photograph, and a large needle piercing its chest, holding a slip of paper with threats identical to those in the messages. Blythes sensitive nature reacted instantly; she called in sick, claiming a fever, and stayed home without telling anyone.
Only James, busy earning money, could have been bothered, but Blythe didnt want to waste his time with nonsense. She assumed someone linked to James was trying to sabotage things.
Once James returns well sort it all out, she told herself, trying to push the dark thoughts away.
Two days later, as she left the courtyard, a motorcyclist swerved dangerously close, almost striking her. He veered at the last second, missing her, but Blythe, startled, slipped on the curb, fell hard, and hit her head on the pavement.
A passerby, despite her protests, called an ambulance. In hospital she was diagnosed with a mild concussion, a few bruisesand a pregnancy.
She refused admission, told no one about the motorbike, and when she got home realized she could no longer return to Jamess flat. Someone was clearly out to get her, and now it was far too risky to endanger the baby she was carrying.
I can stay with you for a few days? she asked, dialing Megan.
What happened? Megan sounded annoyed. Did your boyfriend kick you out?
James is on a work trip and
Oh right, fine. Come over and tell me everything.
Blythe spilled the whole story: the strange messages, the doll, the nearmiss. I dont want to distract James, she sighed. I need to tell him about the baby in a proper wayhe loves everything to be beautiful.
Its not a hostel, Megan retorted, but softened when she saw Blythes exhausted face. Alright, a couple of weeks, no more than that.
James had mentioned a shortterm leave, promising a twoday break soon, so they hoped to resolve everything quickly.
After their mothers death the sisters had sold the family home and split the proceeds. Megan, with a stable job and good salary, took a mortgage; Blythe could only afford a modest studio still under construction. The building should have been completed six months ago, but it still wasnt, leaving Blythe with nowhere else to go.
She tried to stay out of Megans sight, buying groceries, cooking, and keeping the flat tidy, yet she felt her sisters presence always irritated her.
Ten days later her phone froze and died while she desperately searched online for a medication. Megan, can I borrow your laptop? she shouted from the bathroom. The laptop opened to a page about pregnancy terminationthe exact search terms she had typed appeared in the suggestions.
Youre pregnant? Megan looked up in astonishment, then asked, Why are you here?
You ever told anyone not to take someone elses stuff without asking? Megan snapped again, slamming the laptop shut.
Blythe fled the flat at dawn, thinking that in a few days James would be back and she would manage.
She had so much to tell him, including her stay with Megan, which she had kept secret to avoid worrying him.
When James finally returned, his face was stormy. He demanded to know who the father was.
Of course its you! Blythe snapped, horrified. How do you even know?
He stared at her in silence for a minute, then stepped forward, grasping her tightly.
Sorry, I almost lost it when that unknown number messaged me. Im a fool, he whispered, tears spilling.
Blythe cried in relief. When she steadied herself, she recounted the months events to James. His expression shifted from shock to pallor to embarrassment several times.
I’m sorry, he said again after she finished. I should have told you everything from the start.
James admitted that three months before meeting Blythe hed been seeing Megan. She had hinted at marriage, but something held him backjustly so.
I drove Megan to meet you, even asked her to introduce usshes my sister, after allbut she refused, James confessed. I never left, and when I saw you I knew I was in love. It was never about my sister.
A heavy silence fell.
The next day I told Megan we were over and set my sights on you. Everything after that you already know.
Blythe, trembling, called Megan.
Is this true? Did you? Her voice held no tremor.
Did you think you could steal my boyfriend without consequences? Megan replied after a pause. I was pregnant with him once, had an abortion, and now you think youre better?
Blythe stared at the wall, eyes dry.
Within a month and a half James and Blythe married in a modest ceremony, and a daughter was born on schedule. Blythe cut all ties with Megan.
The ordeal taught her that secrets and jealousy can poison even the strongest bonds, but honesty, even when painful, clears the path to peace. In the end, love survived because she chose truth over fear.
