When Trouble Meets Mr. Perfect

"Will you marry me Nancy Lockwood?" I watched my boyfriend getting down on one knee holding out a familiar ring in front of my friend. And she is wearing red. The exact same shade that Morgan told me I look unforgettable in. I put a hand on my chest and put pressure to ease the pain that was making my heart contract. I watch him slide a familiar ring into her dainty finger, and she gasps like she was not expecting it. Tears of joy streamed down from her eyes, and a smile broke into her red lips. This has to be a joke, or maybe she is just helping him with rehearsals. She called me today, saying that Morgan is going to propose to me and I should be here in a red dress. It is an act. I know it is because she is my friend and he is my boyfriend. They are just rehearsing so that he does not mess up the big proposal. Her name must have slipped out by mistake. This is just a rehearsal. But they do not have to pretend anymore. I am here. I smiled and walked towards them with a hammering heart. I tried to put a smile on my face and tapped on Morgan's shoulder to gain his attention, which was on Nancy. He turned his head to look at me, his olive green eyes widening in shock as if he had seen a ghost. "Hi," my voice trembled. I thought he would pull me into his arms and say that he was just waiting for me. But the frown between his brows deepened. "Kristie, what are you doing here?" he asked, and the ache in my chest deepened. Before I could speak anything, I watched Nancy claim his lips in front of me, and he kissed her back like he never kissed me. Nancy looked at me over his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with mockery as she deepened the kiss with my boyfriend. What is happening? The people around me cheered and applauded the act while I stood there in disbelief and in shock. I feel like someone has pulled ground beneath my feet. My knees buckle and I let out a painful gasp. "Won't you congratulate us, Kristie?" Nancy flashed the ring before my eyes, a grin stretched on her mouth. "Kristie, babe, I can explain. It's not what you think..." I raised my hand and slapped him so hard that my palm stung. It was not a rehearsal, it was not a prank, it was not a bad dream. My boyfriend of two years proposed to my friend in front of the world, in front of me. He was betraying me while I was dreaming about our future. They played me, and I was a stupid fool to trust them. She planned it all long before. A lone tear escaped from my eye, my chin wobbling, unable to control a sob that spilled from my mouth. I cannot breathe. "Kristie, let's not create a scene here," he said and grabbed my arm, trying to pull me away from the crowd which witnessed him proposing and getting slapped. I released my hand from his grip and grabbed his collar. "I did everything for you, forgave you when you treated me like s**t and you cheated on me. How could you do that?" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I tried not to break down in front of him. He has hurt me enough. I raised my hand to slap his disgusting face again, but a sudden shove on my chest made me stumble back and fall on my butt. Humiliation burned inside me. He came forward to help me, but she held his hand and he stopped. He freaking stopped. "You think he loved you, Kristie. You were nothing but a side chick to him," Nancy spoke, and I smiled bitterly. I got up and sneered, "So, he needed a side chick because you could not satisfy him?" Her face fell, and at this moment I pity her. What does she think? That he will not hurt her? "Morgan, it's time you show her her real place," she whined like a b***h and hugged my cheater ex like her life was dependent on it. I still wished that he would push her away and say sorry, but he did not. He pulled her close, wiping her fake crocodile tears. My heart contracted in pain. How long has it been going on that he did not think twice to hurt me like this? They are not even guilty of what they did. She schemed against me by bringing me here so that she could degrade me and she succeed. But Morgan... I didn't know he would betray me, after what we have been through. Doesn't my love matter to him at all? "Yes, baby, I will, and she wasn't even a good f**k," he said in a low voice but loud enough for me to hear. A tear slipped from my eyes at his sheer audacity. Something inside me broke at his cruel words. How could he discuss our private life in front of everyone? I wiped my cheek and strode towards them. They cannot break me. I held Nancy's hand and stared deadly into my ex-boyfriend's eyes, whose face was red and my fingers were imprinted over his cheek. "Your begging won't melt my heart, Kristie. Morgan is mine. He has always been," Nancy spoke, and a bitter chuckle left my mouth. Suddenly, a painful cry escaped from her as I twisted her hand behind her back and pulled out the ring from her finger. It was the ring my nono gave me, and like a stupid girl I gave it to him because he needed money for the repair of his Mercedes. But I did not know he would use me like this. Another cry escaped from her mouth as I pushed her away. "What the f**k is wrong with you, Kristie?" Morgan yelled while consoling the love of his life. "You are marrying the man who proposed to you with his ex-girlfriend's ring. Good luck with my unwanted leftovers, Nancy." I turned around and walked away from them. I could hear the laughter from other people. As I walked out, I did not even realize tears were slipping down my cheeks. I should have listened to Daria, my best friend, who warned me again and again not to trust Morgan, but I did not listen to her and pushed her away from me. I slid against the alley wall and sob after sob tore through my chest. I do not know how to survive this. How did it happen? I did everything for him. Dressed the way he preferred, became what he wanted me to be. Forgave him when he slapped me for the first time just because he lost a hefty amount in a poker game. I told myself it was stress. I thought he raised his hand because I had done something to make him angry. And all I got was betrayal and humiliation for loving him. And was she not my friend? Then why? I stayed in the dark alley until a sudden wave of shiver rolled down my spine, goosebumps rising over my body as I felt someone's eyes on me. Someone was watching me. I turned my face, but there was no one. I wiped tears and shot to my feet. What I did not realise was someone had been following my every step.