My Jealous Stepbrother
NO MORE SECRETS

With a mixture of fear and excitement, I approached the door and slowly opened it. But it wasn't Ryan on the other side. Instead, I met Emily. She abruptly entered the house, which took me by surprise. Her unexpected presence made me step back to let her into my house. "Emily?"

She took a deep sigh before she began to speak, her face was full of anguish and her words rushed from her lips. "Let me explain! It wasn't my fault, he blackmailed me! I... I swear I didn't mean to do it," she implored between sobs, tears welling up in her eyes.

My eyes met hers, searching for the truth in her gaze. I had known Emily for years, had shared laughter and secrets with her, but now everything seemed to be in question.

"Em, I'm not understanding you, who blackmailed you?" I asked, my voice full of disbelief. I still didn't quite understand what was going on. I just hoped it wasn't what I was thinking. "The stalker," Emily said as she seemed to calm down a bit at my words, but I was not at all calm. My eyes widened at her words.

"The stalker? Wait...," No, this couldn't be real. Emily knew all along? "You know who it is!" I screamed in desperation even though I already knew the answer, I couldn't believe it. I knew all this time and she never told me? Even when I was suffering so much because of him!

The shock of her confession echoed in my mind. And then when she had said she didn't want to do it despite the blackmail, what exactly had she done? Was Emily helping the stalker? Was that why she knew so much about me?

"What did you do? Tell me exactly what you did," I demanded of Emily, feeling the desperation rise in me as I watched her bite her lips nervously.

She avoided my gaze and her prolonged silence only added to my anguish. I needed answers, I needed to know the truth. I couldn't take any more secrets or uncertainty.

"Emily, please," I pleaded, my voice trembling. This all hurt, I couldn't believe in her anymore, even though she was my best friend. But I still needed to hear it come out clearly from her mouth. "If you really care, if you were ever my friend, I need you to tell me the truth. I can't go on living in the dark, in the midst of these accusations and threats, what did you do?"

Finally, Emily exhaled deeply and looked up at me. Her eyes were full of regret and remorse. "Samantha, I swear I didn't mean to hurt you," she said in a barely audible whisper. "I was the one who sent those pictures to the stalker, and I was the one who told him everything that was going on between you and Ryan."

Hearing it clearly was worse than I thought.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She moved closer to me, desperately seeking my understanding but I pulled away, I didn't want to be near her. "I was afraid, Sam. Afraid that you would judge me, that you would walk away from me. But I never meant to hurt you, I swear. I was trapped, I didn't know how to escape that situation," she confessed, tears running down her cheeks. Her words came out haltingly, trying to explain the fear that had kept her silent.

My heart was torn between disappointment and compassion. It hurt me to see her suffer but it hurt more that Emily had given in to blackmail, I didn't understand how she could do something like that to me.

"Who is the stalker?" I asked, full of curiosity and anxiety to know the truth. My mind was filled with suspicion and more questions than answers.

Emily seemed to hesitate for a moment, her eyes avoiding contact with mine. Finally, she took a deep breath and answered in a shaky voice, "The stalker is ... Zack."

My eyes widened in surprise at his revelation. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Zack, my trusted friend, the person I had placed my faith and support in all this time? It was inconceivable.

"It can't be," I muttered, desperately searching for some logical explanation for what I was hearing. "Zack can't be the stalker. He's been by my side all this time, helping me discover the truth."

"Sam, he is the stalker. I'm not lying to you with that, he...he wants to take revenge on Ryan and he's been doing all this-"

"Revenge on Ryan? What are you talking about!"

"Sam, pay attention to me for a moment!"

"I am!"

"Zack wants to take revenge on Ryan for a past problem, but I have no idea what exactly happened between them!"

Zack was the one who'd been stalking me?

"This is a lot to take in. I need time to process it," I replied, struggling to keep my composure. "You'd better leave," I said in a breathy voice, struggling to contain my emotions. Her words had hurt me deeply and I needed time to process everything.

"But I-" she began, her voice shaky and full of anguish.

"Get out!" I exclaimed, interrupting her firmly. "I don't want to see you here anymore, Emily. I need to be alone so I can understand everything that has happened."

Emily was silent for a moment, her tear-filled eyes reflecting her pain and regret. She nodded slowly and turned to leave, her figure fading into the distance.

I closed the door behind her and dropped to the floor, overwhelmed by the mix of emotions that swept through me. I felt deep betrayal, but also grief at the loss of a friend who had been a part of my life for so long. With tears in my eyes, I got up from the floor and headed for my room. I grabbed my phone and dialed Ryan's number again but the line on the other end never answered.

How did all this happen? What had I done wrong?