NEW YEAR, NEW LIE

Chapter 1

CHANEL’S POV

As I stepped out of the cab, the cool evening breeze caressed my face, refreshing me instantly.; I paid the driver and made my way inside my house with a lot of thoughts on my mind. The house was quiet as usual since it’s just I and my mum who live here; my elder brother has his own house, and my dad, well, he cheated on my mum and now lives with his new mistress and two kids. So my mum has been lonely since then.

Still climbing up the stairs slowly, lost in my thoughts when I heard someone sobbing, and of course I knew it was Mum again. I rushed to her room, which was a few feet away from mine, only to open the door and see her kneeling beside her bed with her head on the bed.

“Mum, not again, please. This is heartbreaking for me,” I said as I went down on my knees, pulling her into my arms and wiping her tears.

“Chanel, you don’t understand, and I pray you never get to understand or experience what your father put me through. It hurts to watch your husband leave you for a younger woman after all we have been through to build a family and raise our children, and now that he’s older, he’s there making babies with that w***e at this age of his. She said crying more.

“But, Mum, you're supposed to have moved on with your life and forgotten him. This didn’t start today," I said, about to start crying too when I heard her say, “Nobody gets used to pain, Chanel. I tried to move past it, but sometimes it’s like it all just happened all over again."

“Mum, it hurts me too. Seeing you this way, you and that man you call your husband, hurts me. I and my brother were the ones all this affected the most. Huh, being in a broken home is nothing to write home about, Mum. It’s sad. It makes me want to never get married. I hate men, but at the same time I want to be loved. This daddy issue has really eaten deep into me.” I said crying.

My mom looked at me and realized I was really broken. She wiped her tears and started patting my back. “Hey, Mama, I’m sorry I made you cry, my beloved daughter. Stop crying, please. I’m fine now,” Mom said, standing up and then pulling me along with her.

We sat on the bed, and I wiped my tears. “I will be in my room. I just got back from work; let me freshen up.” I stood up, making my way to the door when I heard Mom say, “We will be fine, Mama.”

I smiled and nodded.

I walked out of her room, opening mine, and immediately I entered; I fell on my bed, facing flat. I inhaled and exhaled, then faced upwards. I picked up my phone and texted my boyfriend that I was home. I stood up, undressed, and went into my bathroom, turned on the cold water, and lay in my bathtub. God, I’m so happy this year was already coming to an end, and it was the last week of Christmas, and I could hear Christmas songs from a distance. I just pray next year will bring happiness to my doorstep because I’m living a lonely life.

I immediately remembered that I wrote down my New Year wishlist, and I smiled. First on the list was a luxurious New Year cruise tour. Secondly, start my own makeup saloon. Thirdly, make reasonable new friends. Lastly, experience love at its peak.

Well, yeah, I know it’s weird including “experiencing love at its peak” since I have a boyfriend, but I just feel… well, not satisfied and happy. My supposed boyfriend hasn’t touched me not once, and I don’t know if he doesn’t find me attractive or if it’s the way I dress that isn’t appealing.

The sound of my phone ringing knocked me out of my thought. It’s probably going to my boyfriend… or not, because I know he cares less about me and barely calls me. I quickly took a proper bath and hurried out of the bathroom intending to return the call. But when I checked the phone, it was my colleague at work calling. I sighed and called him back.

“Hello, Chanel,” he said.

“Yeah, Troy, I missed your call. Sorry, I was in the bathroom, I said, tapping on the speaker icon as I dried my body with my towel when he said, “You forgot your diary here, and I kept it for you. Just wanted to let you know.

“Oh my God, Troy, thank you so much, and please don’t open it and try to hide it so that Amanda won’t see it. You know her; she’s too nosy.”

“Oh my God, Chanel,” he said, laughing, “you’re so funny, but you’re not wrong; Amanda’s nosiness needs to be studied. Well, bye, take care.

“Okay, till tomorrow,” I said, ending the call and massaging lotion on my body. After I was done, I wore my nightgown and was about to go downstairs for dinner with my mom when my phone rang, and I picked up and saw it was my boyfriend, Harrison. I immediately answered the video call, fuming in anger when I heard him say, “Hey, baby girl, how are you?”

“Really, you saw my text, and now you’re calling whenever you please, right? For real.”

“Don’t worry, I will send a package to you to make you happy,” he said, smiling.

“You’re a jerk. Just because you're rich doesn’t give you the right to use your money to sweep things under the carpet.

“Come on, baby girl, relax; you’re too serious. Come over by the house tomorrow evening after your work closes, okay?” he said, sipping a drink from a glass.

“Where are you exactly? Don’t tell me you’re at a bar.”

“I am here with my friends Ray and Greg; we are hanging out.”

“Goodnight. Please, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t stress me out further, I said, opening my door and heading downstairs.

“Okay, baby, see you tomorrow,” he said and ended the call.