Her Billionaire Escape Plan

Tamara Good morning, baby,” I mumbled,squinting my eyes He moved closer and pressed a warm kiss to my forehead head, grinning from ear to ear “How was your night?” he asked with a deep voice I found so hot He slid his feet into his slippers,walking away from me to the wardrobe,his abs and broad shoulders were covered in a minute by a white T-shirt he slipped on So I have all of this to myself… forever, I whispered under my breath. What?, sneaking a smirk on his face “Nothing” I shook my head “Alright,let me go make you breakfast, baby.” “Okay,” I chuckled, still drowsy. I reached for my shirt , scrolling through my texts and doing my usual morning social-media check. Then a soft notification beep echoed from Cole’s phone. I ignored the first one. Then another. And another. Three messages with the same name. Curiosity tugged at me. I picked up his phone, unlocking it quickly My eyes widened. I sat upright in bed immediately I opened it , scrolling through the messages with trembling fingers. With every swipe, my heart skipped a bit and tension rose between me Sneaky texts, Nudes,Secret meet-ups, Plans,Dates. Money transfers. Marriage conversations. Tears stung my eyes. The room spun,it was like a knife was choked into my chest. I slipped my feet into my slippers, threw on the T-shirt and shorts, and staggered my footsteps into the kitchen Is this the same man I’ve loved since college? The man I planned forever with? The man I trusted more than anyone?,I asked a million questions to myself per minute My heart cracked all over again. I took shaky steps back to him and held out the phone. “What’s this?” I asked, breathless, my voice stern but breaking underneath. He snatched the phone quickly. “It’s not what you think, babe.” “Not what I think?”, I laughed sarcastically “So explain this ‘babe’? The dates? The nude pictures? The money you sent her? The plans of marriage? What does all of that mean? Are these hallucinations or am I blind?” I raised my voice My eyes were red,with a tightened fist and sharp looks that could kill “You know what? I’m done. I’m leaving. I can’t deal with this.” I turned to walk away but he grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry, babe. She’s not important. Don’t let her ruin us.” “Let her?” I pulled my arm away from him. “She didn’t do this. You did.” I snorted,pointing my right index finger at him,struggling to keep my tears inside I’ve loved you all my life, since college,” he replied in a brazy tone “Why did you even check my phone “, hun,now you’ve seen what you can’t take,he said retracting his steps away I froze. Of all the things he could worry about… that’s what he chose? “I’ve always warned you not to check my devices,” he continued, shaking his head . “You don’t listen, do you?” My jaw dropped slightly. Struggling to even find the words but he constantly interrupted . “It’s really not that deep,” he went on, almost dismissive. “It’s not serious. Everything there is a lie. I love only you… and you know that.”he turned giving me a piercing look I just stood there, staring at him in disbelief like I didn’t even recognize the man in front of me. The man I thought I knew. The man I trusted. The man who was now more angry about me finding out than about what he had done. “So that’s what you’re worried about?” I finally whispered. “Not the cheating. Not the lies. Not the nudes. But the fact that I checked your phone?”you must be very unserious ,the tears finally dropped Cole I had the best night of my life with Tamara, and honestly… I’ve loved her since college. My mind went aback to our final year in college She went on a date with another guy and called it a mistake though she swore that nothing happened,I couldn’t trust her anymore . Harmless or not, something in me shifted after that. My attention drifted. I was no longer fully in the relationship. I still acted like I was. Feigning affection, emotions, promises but deep down, I was checked out. Still, I stayed. Because we had been together too long. Because everyone in her circle knew me. The idea of leaving felt like I was doing something terribly wrong. So I asked her to marry a few months back. Then came the conference. Where I met Jane , a beautiful, wild, funny woman. My type in every wrong way. We started talking… too much, too often. She sent random pictures which I secret lusted over And out of lust, stupidity, and the thrill, I joked about marrying her. I wasn’t serious. At least that’s what I told myself. I was just having fun. I got out of bed that morning feeling tired . I leaned down and kissed Tamara’s forehead softly. “Good morning,” I said, my voice still deep from sleep. I slipped on my slippers ,threw on some clothes and headed to the kitchen to make her breakfast I started mixing dough, humming softly, trying to shake off the guilt and pretend everything was fine. That’s when I heard footsteps. When I turned, Tamara was standing there, eyes red, shiny with tears she was trying to hide. My heart skipped. “What’s wrong?” I asked coming closer to her She didn’t say a word. She just handed me my phone. Dammit. My stomach dropped to my feet I knew instantly I’d messed up. “What’s this?” she whispered, voice shaking. “You’ve been sneaking around behind my back?” Anger flared inside me not because I was innocent, but because I’d been caught. “I warned you,” I snapped. “Don’t touch my devices. Now you’ve seen it.” “She’s just a friend,” I added quickly. Tamara’s voice broke. “A friend that sends you nudes? A friend you call ‘babe’?” I clenched my jaw. “It’s not serious,” I muttered. “Believe whatever you want. It’s you I love. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here.” “You liar!” she cried. “Instead of apologizing, you’re justifying it? What is wrong with you?” “You!” I exploded before stopping myself. “You! Ever since you went on that date in college with another guy, we were never the same. That messed me up. I wanted you to feel what I felt… and I went too far.” Tamara stared at me disappointed “Cole, I told you he was just a friend. Nothing happened. And now, more than ever, I know you’re not interested in this relationship anymore.” She walked toward the bedroom. “Wait Tamara, wait,” I begged, following her. “No, please. I’m sorry. Please.” But every step she took away from me felt final. “Don’t touch me,” she whispered. She picked up her bags slowly, her hands trembling Then she slid off the engagement ring I gave her and placed it gently on the table. “It’s over.” The words echoed inside my head Goodbye. Her voice re-played over and over as she walked to the door without looking back. My heart tore into a thousand pieces I fell onto the chair, head in my hands, drowning in the thoughts.I loved her but love wasn’t enough,she was special to me but I let list take over. And for the first time, I realized what I had truly lost.