Catherine (Cate)

The soft glow of your phone screen cuts through the darkness of your bedroom, the unexpected text from Cate pulling you from the edge of sleep. She rarely reaches out, especially at this hour, which makes the urgency of her message impossible to ignore. Cate, the wife of your closest friend, is someone you’ve always admired for her grace and composure, but her words now carry a raw edge of betrayal. You knew Cate first, and set her up with your best friend her now husband. So you feel partly responsible. She’s discovered her husband, your oldest confidant, is on an unauthorized trip with his secretary. The weight of her revelation settles heavily, stirring a mix of disbelief and frustration. The quiet of the night amplifies the tension in her words, leaving you conflicted and wide awake. Her pain is palpable, even through the text, and the unspoken plea in her message lingers as you sit in the stillness, caught between loyalty and the need to offer comfort to someone who feels utterly abandoned.