The Billionaire's Secret Obsession

“Iris, it’s not what you think,” my boyfriend now my ex-boyfriend, Mike said. I’m standing in Ural, my hands clutched to my purse. Our favourite restaurant, one that holds so many memories. Three years of anniversaries. Three years of birthdays, Our go to place. And Mike’s mouth is on another woman. Her hands in his hair. His hand on her waist. I didn’t want to cause a scene. So, I leave the place quietly. He followed me once he saw me, calling my name, but I didn’t give him any chance to explain. “Iris, stop running!” I didn’t stop. “I was caught in the moment!” he shouted. I turned around. “And that’s enough for me!”. People were staring and murmuring. I didn’t care. I just want to leave this place. I want to wake up from this terrible nightmare. “Please,” he said, lowering his voice. “Let me explain” he said softly, the way he gets me everytime. But I’m tired of his explanations. “Explain what?” my voice cracked. I didn’t even realize I was crying. “How your tongue slipped into someone else’s mouth?” He flinched. “It was a mistake.” “No,” I said, shaking my head and trembling. “It was a choice.” “Iris, don’t let this mistake destroy all what we’ve built. Don’t let three years go to waste over one stupid moment.” I scoffed. “You threw it away. Not me.” He reach for my hand, and I pulled it back like it burned me. “I trusted you,” I said quietly. “I loved you”, “I gave you everything, Mike. I built something real with you and you burned it for a moment.” “I love you” he said. “If you love me Mike, you wouldn’t do that” That kept him quiet. For a second, I saw desperation in his eyes. “Iris..” “I’m done.” And this time, I didn’t look back. The cab ride home was a blur. I stare at the window, watching the city pass by, strangers laughing, couples holding hands. Trying to understand what just happened in the last minutes, three years, gone. Three years, and his hand were on someone else like I had never existed. When I open the door to my apartment, it was quiet, “Val?” I called faintly. From her bedroom, I heard movement. “Iris? You’re back early.” She walked out, and the moment she saw me, her expression changed. “OMG, What happened babe?” That’s when the tears came. She rushed towards me. “He cheated,” I stammered. Valentina froze. “What?” “I saw him… at Ural. With her.” I said faintly. Her eyes darkened instantly. “I knew it” “Val…” “I never liked him. I told you jokingly, but I knew he wasn’t good for you,” she muttered angrily. I slid down to the couch, covering my face. “Was I not good enough?” She sat beside me. “Don’t you dare say that.” “Then why?” “Because he’s stupid, he’s a fool. He doesn’t deserve you. You deserve better, babe.” I cried harder. Val pulled me closer to her arms, stroking my hair. “Let it out. Cry, even though he isn’t worth it.” “I gave him everything, I believed in him” I whispered. “And now you’ll forget about him” she said firmly. I pulled back slightly. “It hurts.” “I know.” “I feel… stupid” “You are not stupid. You loved him.” “Do you want ice cream?” she asked Despite everything, I laughed weakly. “It won’t fix it.” “It won’t. But it will help.” I wiped my tears. “I hate that I still love him” “That’s just for today, you’ll hate him by tomorrow” she said confidently. “You sound so sure.” “Because this is the best thing that has happened to you” I looked at her like she was crazy. She shrugged. “Trust me. One day you’ll be happy you broke things off with him.” “I doubt that will happen.” I murmured She squeezed my hand. “Iris, you deserve a man that will worship the ground you walk on, the one that will burn the world for you if you said so. Not the one who risks losing you for a random girl.” I just stared at her. “I want to sleep”, I murmured. “Okay, let’s sleep together.” “You don’t have to.” “I want to.” And she did it. Hours later, I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Val had fallen asleep beside me, one arm over my waist. The room was dark, the only light illuminating the room was the nearby street light. Quiet too. But my mind won’t stop replaying was just happened. His hand on her waist. Her fingers in his hair. His mouth on hers. My phone beeped on the nightstand. I froze. My heart immediately went to Mike. He’s been calling non-stop. I slowly reached for it, careful not to wake Val. Unknown number. Maybe he’s using another number. I opened the message. YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN HIM. I tensed. Another message dropped. I SAW WHAT HE DID TONIGHT. My heart started beating faster. Who is this? I typed quickly. The three dots appeared then disappeared. Then appeared again. Another message came in. HE NEVER DESERVED YOU. WHO IS THIS? I typed, I didn’t even realize it was shaking. You shouldn’t cry over him baby. Answer me. Who is this? How did you know what happened? He stopped typing, Then… I’ve been watching you for a very long time, Iris. He used my name. He knows me. My blood ran cold, I sat up slowly. The room felt smaller. I didn’t know what to do. My hands felt cold, I was having goosebumps Val was asleep beside me, rising and falling with her breathing. Peaceful and unbothered. I envied her. I typed again. Stop this prank. It’s not funny Mike. I still want to believe it’s Mike, but deep down I know he isn’t the one. The reply came immediately. Firstly, It’s not Mike and I’m not joking. My chest tightened. How do you know my name? How did you know what happened tonight? Three dots appeared. I know a lot about you, Iris. Like what? I typed. The reply didn’t come immediately this time. It took few seconds. Then… You always tuck your hair behind your left hair when you are nervous. My hand instinctively moved to my hair. I stopped halfway. How did he know about this? How long have you been watching me? Do I know you? How did you get my number? Were you at the restaurant tonight? The reply took longer than expected. That’s a lot of question baby. I swallowed. Then answer one. You asked how long I’ve been watching you. A pause. 2 years, 9 months and 3 days. My stomach dropped. Two years. Nine months. Three days. That wasn’t a random number, it was specific. WHAT?? You’re sick! I typed Another message came in. Don’t be like this, baby. Sleep, Iris. Youneed it. And then… Nothing. I stared at the screen, my reflection staring back at me. The typing bubble disappeared. The profile picture wasn’t there anymore. The number at the top of the screen turned blank I frowned. That’s strange. I tapped the contact, no number displayed. No previous messages. Every single messages were gone. Like they had never been there. No. That’s not possible. I refreshed the screen. Closed the app. Opened it again. Nothing. Just an empty conversation. Then my phone buzzed. A single message. “Did you really think I would leave evidence, baby?” I froze, shaking. Then I saw a shadow passed through my window. Shakingly, I hurried to my window, pulling the curtains back just enough to see the street below. Empty. Just parked cars and streetlight. But the feeling didn’t leave. That someone out there is looking back up at me. I let the curtain fall. I didn’t sleep again that night.