Night to Remember

-Victoria- "Are you ready, girl?" Harper called from the hallway, "5 seconds!" I yelled, putting on my lip gloss, a final touch to my outfit. I picked up my purse from the bed and stormed out of the bedroom, ready to celebrate my best friend's success. Taking the steps down to my friend, I put on my leather jacket, and reaching the hall, we headed out to the restaurant. Today we drink to an important contract Harper signed. She is a proud owner of the party planning company called 'Harper's Miracles,' and the biggest CEO of our city, Carter Remington, just hired her to plan his billion-dollar wedding. It's a great opportunity for her business to reach a high-class society. Something she aimed for from the beginning. I met Harper at the university. We were roommates, two different personalities that surprisingly bonded. She was the life of a part, popular, hot, and desired by every guy, while every girl wanted to be her. Well, that's no surprise. With her long, thick strawberry-blonde hair, body to kill, and heterocromia, who wouldn't be drooling over her? With one ocean blue and the second amber-gold eyes, she was kryptonite to all the guys interested. In contrast, I was a plain blue-eyed, ash-brown-haired, simple young woman from a small town with an average body build. I wasn't the first pick at the parties, more like the invisible one standing in the corner, but one karaoke night, we became inseparable. "I can't believe he's getting married. The hottest guy in the city is marrying a total bitch." Harper whined, checking his photos on the phone. She had the biggest crush on him but denied it every time someone mentioned it, "Well, he's probably in love with her." I commented, earning me the 'Are you kidding me' look in return. "Okay, okay, I didn't say that. She's definitely after his money." I raised my hands in surrender and shut my mouth for the rest of our drive. After twenty minutes of a silent ride, we paid for our cab and walked in a lighter mood toward the restaurant. Entering the restaurant, we were greeted with soft music and a pretty new hostess, Sarah, according to her name tag. "Hello, may I have the name of the reservation?" She asked, smiling. After Harper gave her the name, we followed Sarah to the table to start our night. It's one of the best restaurants in the city. We come here once a month for our girl's nights or when we want to celebrate something important. And tonight we decided to celebrate two goals, although one hasn't happened yet. "So, when will you tell Tom about your plan?" Harper asked right after our server collected the orders. "I was thinking about tomorrow when he's back home from his business trip," I answered, sipping my drink nervously. "You know my opinion about him. Standing your ground and not letting him hold you back would be best. Think about yourself for once." She stated firmly, and I nodded. It's not a secret that Harper doesn't like my husband. Not surprisingly, he feels the same way about my best friend. Harper thinks he's with me for my money, and Tom feels she's trying to sabotage our marriage out of jealousy. I want to keep all of them, so I always leave them in a room with others. "You know I love him and deeply care about you, too, so let me handle this. I know he'll support my plans." Harper nodded at my statement, refraining from further commenting. "Break4Cake, I love it." She beamed in pride at my name's idea, sipping her wine. Since I remember, I have always wanted to open a bakery. I love baking; that's why I chose business administration. I already knew how to bake from the beginning, so it was best to learn how to run a successful business instead, but Tom advised me to delay my plans until receiving my inheritance. My parents won the lottery ten years ago and invested most of the volume. They created trust funds for me and my twin brother Aleksander. At 25, we would both get a significant amount of money. Still, we have two more years, but I'm sure I have enough to start my plan already. "You're not hoping for a discount, aren't you?" I joked, biting my perfectly prepared steak. She snorted in response, and we continued to eat, talking about her dissatisfaction over the 'hottest bachelor' being taken. "I just don't get it. What is he doing with her? Various nice girls are out there ready to worship the ground he walks on, and he chose the skunk?" Harper complained, cutting her chicken with double force. It was fifteen minutes since her mouth wouldn't shut up, constantly talking about him. I massaged my temples in annoyance and sighed. "Will you stop whining already? It's been 'Carter this,' 'Carter that, '" I mocked her, "Just f*****g admit you are in love with him." I raised my voice, feeling a mild headache approaching. Harper dropped her utensils and looked at me with her mouth wide open. She was probably shocked at my boldness. Unable to reply, she closed and opened her mouth a few times. Seeing her stunned expression, I continued my speech. "There's nothing wrong with admitting you have feelings for him. Everyone knows it. It's time to admit it to yourself finally." Finishing my steak, I stared at her, waiting for her reply. She slightly blushed but denied it once again. "I'm not in love with him. It's just sad that a cunning woman bewitches a nice man." Harper composed herself and continued eating. We spent the rest of the meal in silence or talking about my bakery plans, avoiding the topic of Mr. Hot and Handsome. At night's end, I visited the restroom as Harper called for a taxi. Walking through the corridor, near the bathroom door, I heard a woman's moans and deep kissing sounds. Great, another lovey-dovey couple on their romantic date, I thought. Yet I stopped dead in my track once I saw the lovers. There, inches away from the entrance to the ladies' room, a man was pinning a woman to the wall, kissing her as if his life depended on it. Their moans and groans resounded in the dimly lit corridor while their hands roamed their bodies shamelessly. "Take me now, baby. Please." The woman begged as the man sucked her neck. "Later, sweetheart. Now, don't ruin the moment." The man whispered, attacking her lips again. Normally, I wouldn't mind that kind of scene revealing in front of my eyes if the man's voice and his silhouette weren't so familiar. Rooted in my spot, I watched my husband stick his tongue deep down the woman's throat. The betrayal that washed over me was inexpressible. My hands were icy and shaking, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach, and the nausea that made me almost vomit at the sight was enough to cry a river. 'My husband is cheating on me!' Screamed my brain while my heart silently broke into a million pieces. Finding the courage to leave, I carefully stepped back, trying hard not to gain unwanted attention, and retreated to the table, still analyzing the situation I had just encountered. When my wobbly legs dragged me back, Harper was at her phone angrily speaking to someone. I sat back in my seat and stared at her blankly. Once she saw the state I was in, she abruptly ended the call. "Something important came up. Call you back later." She put her phone on the table and looked at me, terrified. "Tori, what's wrong?" She leaned and grabbed my cold-as-ice hands. "Tori, you make me nervous. What happened?" She begged for an explanation, yet I couldn't answer her with a coherent sentence. I turned my gaze at the hall I had just come from and whispered, "Tom." She followed my gaze, but not seeing anyone, she turned back to me. I was still looking at the spot when another tear left my eye as I whispered his name again. Sensing something wrong with my statement, Harper stood and walked into the hall. When her back disappeared completely, I closed my eyes and covered my mouth with my hands to muffle the incoming sobs. I don't know how much time passed, but I saw Harper's red face boiling in anger when I blinked away the tears. Breathing heavily and cursing under her nose, she approached our table and extended her hand to me. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you divorced." With a simple nod, I took her hand and walked out of the damn restaurant with my head held high.