When Sadie, Lori, and their husbands head out for a weekend getaway to celebrate a birthday, Lori’s husband, Ben, hints to Sadie that he’s keeping a secret. Sadie wrestles with the decision of whether to keep his secret or tell her best friend—wondering if some secrets are better left unsaid.
Sadie and I have been best friends since high school, growing up and evolving side-by-side. To my family, Lori was like another daughter.
“Will Lori be joining us for dinner tonight?” my mother would ask, almost every evening.
Our bond deepened over the years, and so did our lives; we even ended up marrying two best friends, Benjamin and Keith. Oddly enough, I always thought I’d end up with Ben. But in the end, it was Keith who stole my heart, and Lori found her soulmate in Benjamin.
Being part of each other’s lives at every stage, we served as each other’s maids of honor, forever weaving our lives tighter together. Now, the four of us do nearly everything as a group—from birthdays to holiday getaways. So, for Keith’s birthday, we rented a cozy chalet for a small celebration away from home.
“Sadie, you handle the booking; Ben and I will take care of the food,” Lori had said as we planned the trip. It was perfect—a weekend retreat with no responsibilities and plenty of laughs.
When the day came, we arrived at the chalet early, bringing enough food to feed an army, even though we’d only be staying a couple of nights. After settling in and raising a glass to Keith, we began celebrating. As the evening wore on, Benjamin, having indulged a bit, wandered out onto the balcony with me.
“You know, Sadie,” he slurred slightly, “I’ve been working on a surprise for Lori. But you can’t tell her.”
My curiosity piqued, I pressed him to continue.
“It’s been tough keeping this under wraps… hiding bottles and all.”
“Bottles?” I asked, confused.
“Oh, you know,” he muttered, before drifting off, the alcohol starting to take hold.
Knowing how sensitive Lori was about alcohol—given her father’s struggles with it—this talk of “bottles” left me uneasy. Lori and Ben rarely drank outside of social gatherings, so I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. I spent the rest of the night torn, debating whether I should mention it to Lori.
When Keith and I finally retired for the night, I brought it up.
“Do you think Ben was serious?” I asked.
