Falling For Mr. Tyson

A Watching Eye

Chloe

Sprawled on the bed was Dalton - my fiancé, the man I had trusted with my entire life. His naked back was turned toward me, his body moving in a frantic, desperate rhythm as he buried himself inside a woman whose face I couldn't even see. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they had a third person standing in the room.

My own eyes weren't lying to me. The cruel reality slammed into my chest like a physical blow. Dalton wasn't watching a movie nor was he watching porn. He was living it.

"You like that, huh?" Dalton's breathless, arrogant voice grunted out, his shoulders tensing as he thrust deeper.

"Yes! Oh god, yes!" the woman cried out, her loud piercing voice echoing off the walls. "I'm so close. Faster... do it faster!"

I didn't even notice the tears pooling in my eyes until they spilled down my hot cheeks, blurring the horrific scene in front of me.

"How could you?" The words were barely a whisper, yet they seemed to shatter the heavy silence in the room.

Instantly the movements on the bed halted. Dalton's head snapped toward the doorway, his eyes widening with shock. The woman beside him let out a sharp gasp, frantically scrambling to yank the custom silk duvet over herself as Dalton scrambled away, his face pale.

"Chloe, wait - listen to me," he stammered as he grabbed a pair of boxers off the floor. "This is not what it looks like."

"Then what does it look like, Dalton?!" I shrieked, the tears blinding me as my voice cracked with a terrifying mixture of rage and agony. "Tell me! Explain to me exactly why I find you with someone else in your bed, in our home!"

"Chloe, stop screaming, you're going to make the neighbors call security!" he hissed, stepping toward me with his hands raised. "Just sit down and let me explain-"

"Explain?!" I let out a crazed breathless laugh. "I just walked in here to celebrate the biggest career win of my life and I find you destroying everything we built! How dare you tell me to be quiet!"

"Chloe, please, just let me talk to you-"

Smack!

The force of my palm connecting with his cheek echoed like a gunshot through the room. My hand stung violently but it was nothing compared to the absolute fire burning in my chest. "Don't you dare touch me! Don't you dare even speak to me!"

The shock on Dalton's face rapidly dissolved into ugly defensive anger. He gripped his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he stepped right up into my face, his voice rising to match mine.

"You want to know why? You're never here! It's always work, work, work with you! I'm sick of playing second fiddle to blueprints and fabric samples! I'm practically living alone while you're out playing corporate designer! I needed someone who actually noticed I existed!"

I stared at him, completely choked by the sheer audacity of his words.

On the bed, the red-haired woman was already frantically pulling her clothes on. "Yeah, look, I did not sign up for a domestic crisis. I don't have time for this drama," she muttered, grabbing her purse and brushing past me into the hallway, the front door clicking shut behind her.

"So you're blaming your betrayal on me?!" I yelled back, stepping closer. "Because I work hard to build a future for us, you decide to throw it all away? You're a pathetic coward, Dalton!"

"I am not a coward!" he shouted, his chest practically pressing against mine. "I was lonely! If you were actually a real fiancée instead of a workaholic ghost, this wouldn't have happened!"

"You know what? I'm done."

Dalton blinked, his defensive walls instantly crumbling back into panic.

"What? Chloe, stop being dramatic, we can talk through this-"

"No, we can't. Look at me, Dalton. We are finished."

With violently shaking fingers I reached down and ripped the diamond engagement ring off my left hand. I didn't care that it represented years of memories. I threw it directly at him. It struck his shoulder and clattered pathetically onto the hardwood floor, rolling into the shadows.

I turned on my heel and walked out of the bedroom.

"Chloe! Chloe, get back here!" Dalton yelled, his footsteps heavy as he chased me to the entryway. "You can't just throw a ring at me and walk away! Let's talk about this!"

After picking my bag, I slammed the apartment door shut behind me, completely deaf to his shouts.

Once I burst through the front doors of the building and hit the sidewalk I completely broke down. The tears came fast and violent, blurring the neon lights of the city as I forced my legs to keep moving. Passersby threw pitying glances my way but I didn't care. Let them stare. How could you give someone your entire heart, think you were building a beautiful future with them, only for it to vanish in a single afternoon?

A bitter thought pierced through my grief. Maybe Dalton was right. Maybe I was too consumed by work and neglected him. But as quickly as the guilt flared, rage replaced it. No matter how busy I was I would never have buried myself in another person's bed. It didn't matter whose fault it was anymore. I was done. I needed to take a hard, permanent stop on relationships. Love was a design flaw I couldn't afford.

Right on cue, a violent crack of thunder rippled across the sky followed instantly by a torrential downpour.

"Oh, no," I muttered, shielding my face as the freezing rain soaked through my blouse. I didn't have an umbrella and I didn't have a car. I had never bothered to learn how to drive because Dalton had always driven me everywhere. Standing under the icy sky a wave of regret washed over me. I shouldn't have relied on him so much. I shouldn't have let him be my only anchor.

Desperate for shelter I scanned the dark street. Through the thick sheets of rain a warm amber light caught my eye just a block away. A local resto-bar. I bolted through the storm and pushed through the heavy wooden doors.

The sudden warmth of the indoor air hit me, accompanied by the low hum of chattering voices and soft acoustic music. I kept my head down, navigating the dim room until I found a secluded corner booth. Sliding onto the leather seat I reached into my bag, pulled out a small face towel and began wiping the excess water from my wet brunette hair.

"Rough night out there, huh?"

I looked up to find a waiter standing by the booth with a sympathetic smile, offering me a clean paper napkin.

"You could say that," I managed to croak, pressing the napkin to my tearstained cheeks.

"Can I get you something warm to take the chill off? Or maybe a bite to eat?" he asked gently.

"Just a drink please," I replied. "Whatever is strong and sour."

"One Whiskey Sour, coming right up," he nodded, stepping away.

Just then a musician walked onto the small wooden stage, adjusting his acoustic guitar before speaking into the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone. I want to play a classic love song for you all tonight."

The first few chords drifted through the air and my chest physically collapsed. I recognized the melody instantly. It was Dalton's and my song. The very song we had danced to the night he proposed.

Fresh tears spilled down my cold skin. Images of our shared memories flashed behind my eyelids - Sunday mornings, shared coffees, promises whispered in the dark - all of them completely poisoned now.

The waiter returned, quietly setting the lowball glass on the table. The second he turned around I picked it up and gulped a massive swallow. The sharp sour liquor burned its way down my throat but I welcomed the sting. It was better than the numbness.

As the music filled the room a strange sensation prickled against the back of my neck. It felt like someone was staring at me from the shadows. I shifted uncomfortably, blinking through my tears as I scanned the dim bar. But the room was dark and everyone seemed wrapped up in their own conversations.

"It's just your mind playing tricks on you, Chloe," I told myself, staring back down at my drink. "You're just losing it."

When the song finally ended the crowd erupted into applause. I clapped along with them, my hands trembling.

Looking out the window I noticed the rain had finally come down to a gentle drizzle. I stood up, left a twenty-dollar bill on the table and slid out of the booth.

As I walked out into the cool night my mind shifted to a new panic. I silently prayed I would make it back to our shared apartment before Nina got home from the squad night out.