I thought I was just doing my neighbour a favour by interrupting her dinner, but when I watched what was happening from the window, everything changed. What I saw that evening was not just a family quarrel — it was a betrayal that would destroy everything she thought she knew.
You know how they say time flies when you’re not paying attention? That’s exactly how the last five years of my life have flown by since I moved to this quiet neighbourhood. After a difficult divorce, I needed a place where I could just be, where I could find peace in my own company.
I didn’t expect to make any close friends, but then Hazel and her husband Sebastian moved in next door, and everything changed. We hit it off almost instantly. She was one of those rare people who made you feel seen and understood, and you could tell her anything.
Our friendship developed quickly: from casual conversations over the fence to morning coffee dates in our kitchens. Sebastian was always in the background, the kind of guy who never caused any drama. Their marriage seemed perfect, at least at first glance.
But lately, Hazel hadn’t been herself. She had become more nervous, making cryptic comments about how things were ‘getting weird’ at home, especially in her relationship with her mother-in-law, Donna.
Hazel said that Donna was stirring up drama behind the scenes, spreading lies about her and making life unnecessarily difficult. At first, I thought she was exaggerating. After all, things aren’t really that bad, are they? I’ve met Donna a few times, and she seemed like a typical bossy family couple to me, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Then yesterday, Hazel called me with a strange request. Out of the blue, she asked me to interrupt their family dinner.
‘At seven o’clock sharp,’ she said. No other details, just the urgency in her voice that made me agree without asking any questions.
I thought maybe she was just trying to avoid another awkward family moment. But what happened next… well, let’s just say I wasn’t prepared for it.
So, at seven o’clock, I was standing at Hazel’s door. I knocked twice before Sebastian answered with his usual warm smile.
‘Addison! What a surprise. Come in,’ he said, stepping aside to let me pass. But before I could respond, Hazel rushed into the hallway, practically pushing past him. Her hand grabbed mine tightly, and before I knew it, she was dragging me back out onto the street.
‘Hazel,’ I whispered urgently, ‘forget about Donna for a second. Look over there…’
‘Hazel, what’s going on?’ I asked, my heart pounding wildly as she led me across the yard to my own house. ‘Why did you just pull me out of there? You have to explain what’s going on.’
‘Just… come with me,’ Hazel said, her voice low and trembling. ‘You’ll see everything soon, I promise. We have a wonderful view from your window upstairs.’
I followed her, still confused but too curious to refuse. She led me up the stairs to the guest room and opened the door.
We both sat down by the window overlooking the dining room. The view was perfect, just as she had said. I could see right into the kitchen, where Sebastian and Donna were finishing preparing dinner.
‘What are we doing here, Hazel?’ I whispered, breathing heavily. I was nervous and didn’t even know why.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she pointed towards her car. And then I saw Donna leaning over her food, looking around as if trying to make sure no one was watching her. I leaned closer, narrowing my eyes. Was she putting something in the food? Best restaurants nearby
I turned to Hazel, my mind racing. ‘She… She poisoned the food?’ My voice came out in a horrified whisper.
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Hazel shook her head. ‘Not poison, but close. She’s been sabotaging me for months, Addison. She adds too much salt, deliberately burns the food, and then sits there watching everyone complain about how terrible my cooking is.’
My jaw dropped. ‘She did that on purpose? Why?’
‘I don’t know,’ Hazel admitted, her voice thick with disappointment. ‘She wants to make me look incompetent in front of Sebastian. Every time something goes wrong, it’s like she gets some kind of twisted satisfaction out of it.’
I was about to say something when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a movement that made my stomach lurch. I froze, my eyes wide.
‘Hazel,’ I whispered urgently, ‘forget about Donna for a second. Look over there…’
My heart sank as I stared out the window, struggling to believe what I was seeing. There, just inches apart, stood Sebastian and Hazel’s sister, Zoey. His hand touched hers, lingering there for too long. And then it happened. They kissed. And it wasn’t a casual, fleeting kiss, but a long, slow, deliberate one.
My stomach twisted. This wasn’t just a misunderstanding. It was betrayal — raw and real. Hazel was worried about her mother-in-law, Donna, but this? This was something else entirely.
Next to me, Hazel froze, her face draining of colour as she processed what was unfolding right in front of her. Her body trembled as if she could barely control herself.
‘No… no way,’ she whispered, her voice shaking, barely above a breath. ‘Not my sister.’
I pulled her arm, but she pulled away, her gaze fixed on the scene below. The rage boiling inside her was almost palpable. I didn’t dare speak.
‘This,’ she said, barely controlling her voice, ‘will end tonight.’ Her gaze darted to me, and fierce determination replaced her initial shock. ‘I will not let this go. No way.’
She took her phone out of her pocket and, with trembling fingers, began to photograph what was happening: her mother-in-law sneaking around the kitchen and her husband snuggled up next to Zoe.
‘Hazel, are you sure?’ I asked, even though I knew it was a pointless question. She was far from sure.
‘Absolutely,’ she said, her voice taking on a sharp edge. ‘I’ve put up with too much for too long. They all think I’m blind, that I don’t notice what’s going on around me. Well, today they’ll find out.’
Without wasting a second, she dialled my number and handed me the phone. ‘Stay on the line. You’ll be recording everything.’
Before I could answer, Hazel rushed down the stairs. I watched her, my pulse quickening, the phone pressed tightly to my ear. Her steps were very careful, each one echoing in the quiet house.
Sebastian and Zoe froze when she entered the room. Sebastian recoiled from Zoe like a guilty teenager caught out after curfew, his face turning several shades paler.
‘Hazel?’ he stammered. ‘What are you doing here?’
Hazel’s voice was cold, each word tinged with restrained anger. ‘What am I doing here? No, Sebastian. You’d better ask what you’re doing here.’
Zoe’s eyes widened, panic flashing across her face. She opened her mouth, probably about to spew out excuses, but Hazel cut her off.
‘Zoe, don’t even try,’ Hazel snapped, her voice trembling with rage and heartache. ” You know perfectly well what I saw.”
‘It’s not what it looks like!’ Zoe took a step back, her hands shaking as she defended them. ‘Hazel, I swear, it’s not what you think!’
‘Not what I think?’ Hazel laughed, but it was hollow. ‘Do you think I’m stupid? I saw everything. Addison saw everything. And before you think about lying again, you should know — I recorded everything.’
Sebastian’s face turned ghostly white. ‘Hazel, wait,’ he began, stumbling over his words. ‘This is… complicated.’
‘Complicated?’ Hazel’s voice broke. “You want to talk about complicated? Fine. How about this: your mum has been faking our meals for months, making me look like a fool in front of you, in front of your whole family. And now I walk in here and find you kissing my sister?” Best restaurants nearby
Sebastian opened his mouth, but nothing came out. At that moment, Donna ran out of the kitchen, her face pale and her hands shaking. She must have realised she’d been caught too.
‘Hazel, dear,’ Donna began, her voice trembling, ‘it’s not what you think…’
Hazel didn’t even look at her. ‘Don’t,’ she warned, her voice low and deadly. ‘Just don’t. I know exactly what you’ve been doing. Sabotaging my lunches, spreading lies about me! Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You’ve been doing this for months.’
Donna’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, but Hazel wasn’t finished. “I should have known you were involved too. Trying to make me look like I can’t even eat. What’s the plan, huh? Get me out of here so Sebastian and Zoe can play house?”
‘No!’ Sebastian shouted, reaching out his hands as if he could somehow physically stop what was happening. ‘It’s not like that… Hazel, please, let me explain.’
But Hazel’s eyes were cold, with no trace of the woman who had once adored him. ‘Explain? There’s nothing left to explain. You and me? It’s over between us.’
Sebastian’s face contorted. “What do you mean, “over”?
Hazel looked him straight in the eye. ‘I’m filing for divorce. And Zoe?’ She turned to her sister, whose tear-stained face expressed nothing but regret. ‘You’re dead to me.’
‘Hazel, please,’ Zoe pleaded, her voice breaking, ‘it wasn’t serious! It just… happened.’
‘What happened?’ Hazel’s voice trembled. ‘You’re my sister. You were supposed to cover for me. But instead, you’re here, throwing yourself at my husband?’ Her face hardened, and she sighed deeply. ‘I’m done with both of you.’
Silence fell over the room as Hazel’s words sank in. Sebastian looked as if he wanted to argue, but apparently realised it was pointless.
As I listened on the other end of the line, my heart ached for Hazel. The betrayal she had uncovered in one night was almost unbearable. But she stood her ground, regaining her strength.
Hazel turned on her heel, leaving them both in stunned silence. She didn’t look back.
That night, Hazel’s house remained quiet and dark, but I knew her world had changed forever.
She had regained her power — but the price had been heavy. And as her friend, all I could do was be there for her, to help her pick up the pieces of a life torn apart by betrayal.
