The Price of Betrayal

Anita’s POV “Just one final touch and I’ll be done. All that’s left is the eyelashes,” I assured my customer, who had been here for over an hour to get her makeup done. Today is a special day for me, and I have to close early to make preparations. “You’re blushing real bad. What’s the occasion?” Precious paused for a bit and asked when she saw me smiling sheepishly. Precious is a staff member in my beauty shop, also my best friend and gist partner. We literally talk about anything and everything. “It’s no big deal. Our wedding anniversary is today,” I said. “Really? Is it two years already? How time flies! That’s a huge one, Anita. You shouldn’t even be at work today.” Precious patted me on the back and gave a large grin as she spoke. “But why the sad face? What’s the matter?” she asked. I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment and responded, “It’s a special day for me, but I don’t think the feeling is mutual. Alex never remembers our anniversary. I’m always the one doing most of the preparations. I guess he’s always very busy with work,” I responded, not believing a single word I said. Precious pouted her mouth, her eyes rolling up as she said, “Too busy not to remember your anniversary? What kind of man is that?” She forced a smile out, even if it wasn’t genuine. “Hope you recall he didn’t remember your birthday last year, and the year before also? If he continues like this, I’m certain another man who cherishes you more will snatch you from him,” she said jokingly, and we both laughed about it. “I’m finally done. I guess I might need to leave here early today to make preparations for our anniversary,” I suggested. “That’ll be a great idea, lover girl,” Precious said as she winked at me with a broad smile on her face. “On second thought, I feel I should wait till you’re done so we can close the studio together. It’s not like I’m so thrilled about the anniversary anyway.” “You must be joking, Anita. I need you to leave now so you can make preparations for tonight. It’s your special day—you aren’t even supposed to be at work today,” Precious added. “If you say so, then. But truth be told, I don’t have anything in mind for today. The previous anniversaries were always a disappointment, so what makes this any different? He never remembers, and I’m always the one bringing gifts. Well, I understand that being the CEO of a reputable car brand like Duncan Motors can be so hectic.” “Hmmm, if you say so. But if you ask me, that shouldn’t be an excuse for him to miss his anniversary. Anyway, let’s hope this year will be different. Go home and prepare something special for him before he gets back,” Precious added. “Yeah, I will do so in a bit, but there’s one more thing I haven’t mentioned. For a couple of months now, it feels like Alex has been absentminded. He gets back home late and barely talks to me. I understand the nature of his job can be so hectic, especially now that the company is facing a major lawsuit, but I don’t think that’s enough reason to change towards me.” “That’s really strange, Anita, very strange. Men can be so annoying at times. You’re a good person, Anita, and every man would definitely want to be with you. I just hope Alex notices that before another man snatches you from him—you know I keep saying that,” she said jokingly as we both giggled. A wide smile crossed my face as I responded, “I’m a married woman, remember?” A vein popped out of my neck as I thought about what she said. Precious might be joking about it, but with the way Alex has been treating me lately, I feel more like a side chick than a wife. “Remember when I was hospitalized three months ago?” I asked as I tapped my lap continuously. “Yes, I do. You slipped while cooking and ended up slamming your face on the ground—at least that’s what you told me,” she said. “Well, I lied about that. I didn’t fall down; I was beaten. He came in a little drunk that night, and we got into an argument. It escalated, and he ended up beating me. I couldn’t say a word to anyone—I don’t want this marriage to fail,” I said as tears dripped down my face. “Oh my! Are you for real?” Precious asked, with a sad look plastered on her face. “That isn’t the only time, but he apologized and promised it was never going to happen again,” I said. I saw the corners of her mouth shift to one side, like she was certain that experience might repeat itself again. “Please just try to take care of yourself and don’t let him control you. Always stand your ground. Anyway, it’s getting late, Anita. Stop stalling and go prepare for today. Make sure you wear something hot tonight—I want to hear stories of how sweet the d**k is,” she winked at me as we both laughed out loud. Precious is a friend I cherish the most—she’s jovial, friendly, and also very playful. “C’mon, don’t be silly. We still have customers around,” I replied as we all laughed. “Okay then, make sure you lock the salon properly. This is a very busy area, and we must be security conscious.” “Yeah, boss, it isn’t my first time locking the salon, remember? Stop stalling and go get that ‘D,’ baby.” I stuck my nose in the air and responded, “I’m going already, silly girl.” A slight shiver ran down my spine as I packed my bags—I wondered why I was stalling as well. I left the beauty shop and headed straight home. The initial plan was to get some food items from the market first, but I just wasn’t feeling like it at that moment. Since I knew he probably wasn’t going to remember, I decided to go home first before taking any steps. As I approached the house, I spotted Alex’s SUV parked in front of our apartment from afar. “Why is his car here at this time of the day? I hope he’s fine. Could he be sick? Or could he be preparing a surprise for me as well?” Cold feet set in as several thoughts ran through my head. I was so used to getting home first that my subconscious mind forgot to knock. My hands went into my bag for the key, and I unlocked the door before I remembered I was supposed to knock since someone was already home. As I entered, all the lights were switched off, and he had drawn all the curtains. “Could this be a surprise? Did Alex really remember our anniversary today?” I couldn’t contain the joy within, so I pulled off my clothes, leaving only the pink lingerie I wore underneath. I walked up the stairs toward our bedroom to surprise him with my sexy body, but as I got closer, I began hearing noises from the room. “Harder, baby. Hit me harder, baby.” I couldn’t believe my ears, so I ran toward the door and opened it with force. “Your p**** is so tight, baby, just like I like it. Ride me faster, baby—faster, faster—I’m almost there.” I froze at that moment, watching my husband and his mistress making love on my matrimonial bed. They were so into it that they didn’t even hear the door open. I couldn’t stand the sight of that anymore, and I shouted, “How dare you, Alex?” Immediately, they both jumped up, trying to cover each other with the duvet. “How could you do this to me, Alex?” “It’s not what you think, Anita. Trust me.” “Trust you? Are you for real?” My fingers curled into a fist as I spoke. “I can explain. Just give me a minute to explain myself,” Alex kept on ranting. “What could you possibly say that would calm me down at this very moment?” I pulled the blanket away from their bodies to get a good look at the lady. “Of course, it’s you, Linda. You finally sneaked your way into my husband’s lap.” I always knew this was going to happen because I caught them flirting months back, which my husband bluntly denied. Linda is a wealthy entrepreneur who plans on investing in my husband’s car brand to save it from folding. They’ve been having several meetings recently, but I always thought it was strictly business. “You have the guts to sleep with this slut on our matrimonial bed today of all days? I guess this is your anniversary gift for me,” I said as tears rolled down my cheeks. Sadness clouded his features as he felt very guilty that he got caught today of all days. Although he wasn’t remorseful about cheating, he felt guilty that he had to hurt me today of all days. “I’m really sorry you had to find out this way, but it’s a good thing you found out. I’ve been looking for a way to tell you about our relationship. I guess this is perfect timing to speak,” his expression hardened as he spoke. My face went blank as I tried to understand the whole situation—it really came as a shock to me. “Did you just say ‘your relationship’? Has this been going on for a long time?” My mouth fell open as I heard him speak. “We’ve been together for over nine months now. I’m sure you might have noticed that I’ve been absentminded for a while. I’m sorry for breaking your heart this way, but I found a better person than you. I’m in love with her.” “This has been going on for nine months under my nose? OMG, you’re so stupid, Anita.” My mouth snapped shut as my thoughts went wild. Before I could go further, I heard four simple words I never thought I would ever hear. It struck me to the bones. “Let’s get a divorce.”