Larry’s ultimatum to Bethany read more
A Silence That Screamed
The night carried a strange stillness—the kind that felt loud even without sound. Streetlights glowed faintly as Larry pulled into the driveway, his thoughts heavier than his steps. What Sharra had told him replayed in his mind like a warning he could no longer ignore.
Neighbors. Watching. Reporting.
His life reduced to whispers and surveillance.
When the door shut behind him with a dull thud, the air shifted.
This wasn’t just another argument.
This was the confrontation that could end everything.
No More Avoiding the Truth
Larry didn’t take off his jacket. He didn’t sit down.
“Bethany… we need to talk. Right now.”
Bethany turned too quickly, a smile already in place.
“Hey! You’re home early. You won’t believe the day I had—”
“Stop.” His voice was low, controlled. “Don’t change the subject. Not tonight.”
Her smile faltered.
“Larry, why are you coming at me like this? At least let me finish.”
“I’ve been letting you finish for months,” he said, stepping closer. “Tonight, you’re going to listen.”
The Neighbors Know Too Much
Bethany folded her arms, laughing nervously.
“Wow. Okay. Is this about Sharra again?”
Larry’s jaw tightened.
“Don’t say her name like that.”
She tilted her head.
“Like what? I just asked a question.”
“I know about the neighbors.”
The pause was brief—but deadly.
“What neighbors?” she asked.
“Don’t insult my intelligence,” Larry snapped. “I know you paid people to watch me. To watch Sharra.”
Bethany scoffed.
“That’s ridiculous. Who filled your head with that nonsense?”
“She did,” he said calmly. “But she didn’t have to convince me. I felt it.”
Protection or Control
Bethany’s voice sharpened.
“Oh, so now feelings are facts?”
“When patterns repeat,” Larry replied, “they stop being coincidences.”
She stepped back, playing wounded.
“After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?”
“This isn’t about repayment,” he said. “This is about boundaries. And you crossed every one.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I was protecting us. Protecting my marriage.”
“No,” Larry said firmly. “You were controlling it.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to feel replaced,” she whispered. “Every time you leave, every time her name comes up, I feel myself disappearing.”
“So you turned my life into a surveillance show,” he shot back. “Instead of talking to me.”
The Line in the Sand
Tears spilled freely now.
“You pushed me to this! You stopped choosing me!”
“I stopped choosing the chaos,” Larry replied.
Her face hardened.
“So I’m the villain now? The crazy wife?”
“If the shoe fits.”
She stepped forward.
“Say that again.”
“You paid strangers to monitor my life,” he said coldly. “Say it out loud and tell me it sounds normal.”
Her voice shook.
“I just wanted the truth.”
“Truth doesn’t come from spying,” Larry said. “It comes from trust. And you destroyed that.”
Peace or Goodbye
Bethany’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“So that’s it? You’re done with me?”
“What you did opened my eyes,” Larry said.
She grabbed his arm.
“Please… we can fix this. I’ll stop.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“This time I mean it!”
“You meant it every time.”
She sobbed.
“I was scared of losing you.”
“And now you are.”
Silence.
Larry looked straight at her.
“This ends now. No more spying. No more lies. No more games.”
“And if I mess up?” she whispered.
“If you ever do this again,” he said quietly, “I’m gone.”
Her breath hitched.
“Gone where?”
“Back to Sharra.”
“You’d choose her over your wife?”
“I’d choose peace over madness.”
Bethany stared at him, stunned.
“You wouldn’t actually leave… would you?”
Larry didn’t blink.
“Test me.”
The room fell silent—no tears left to hide behind, no excuses left to use.
Bethany stood frozen, realizing this wasn’t a threat she could cry away.
And Larry felt something unfamiliar settle in his chest.
Calm.
Because this moment wasn’t just about walking away—
it was about taking his life back.
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