LOVE'S SECOND ACT

CHAPTER TWO

“Fred….”, I let out in a ragged breath.

I know I have always had the worst luck in the world, but this took the cake. I just had to run into my boyfriend in a time like this. I opened my mouth and closed it again and again looking like a fish that just got pulled out of the water. I immediately wished that the ground would just open up and swallow me and save me from this terribly sticky situation.

“Elena?” he asked, looking surprised to have met me there.

Of course, he had every right to be surprised. I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. In still could not explain how I got here in the first place.

“Fred….” I called out his name again.

“Elena, what the hell are you doing here?” he asked as he looked at me, surprise and shock swirling in his expression as he took in my appearance. I opened my mouth once again but no words came in as my mind refused to form any reasonable sentence.

“I …. I….. um, I”, I started before the very bane of my existence came to the door. I couldn’t have asked for a worse luck at the time.

“Who is it?” the man whose name I was yet to find out came to the door and stood behind me. He stared straight at Fred whose eyes had widened like saucers and had shock and disbelief written all over his body.

“Can I help you?” the man asked. I could not even say a word as my mind went completely blank. On the inside, I was panicking. I slip up one time and I just had to be caught by my boyfriend the morning after, while I was still so confused and disoriented about the whole situation.

Fred recovered from his shock and after sparing me a look that told me I was in for a long talk, he turned to face the man. That was when I noticed the parcel in his hands.

“Delivery to Mr. Rhodri.” He said in a crisp business-like voice.

“That would be me”, the man who I had now come to know as Mr. Rhodri said, stretching his hand out and receiving the parcel, oblivious to the stare off Fred and I were having. He signed the parcel and gave the tablet back to Fred who immediately collected it, tipping his hat at him.

“Thank you, sir,”, he said before looking down at me and in a low growl said, “Have a good day”. My heart immediately sank to my stomach as I hastily chased after him barefoot.

“Fred, please wait. I can explain” I shouted as I followed him down the hall to the elevator where he stopped and turned to me. His eyes were blazing with scorn for me and he looked so heartbroken and sad.

“What kind of f*****g explanation do you think you possibly have that can change what I just saw? Huh, Elena? What could you possibly say to make me understand what I just witnessed? Huh? f*****g tell me”, he seethed as he looked down at me. I couldn’t form any words as I looked up at him, my eyes begging him to understand me and give me a chance to explain as his eyes looked down on me with visible disdain.

“Please, Fred, it’s not what you think, I promise you. All this is just a big misunderstanding. I don’t know how- “, I started but I was immediately interrupted by his laughter. It was a humorless one that sent chills down my spine. He was mad and it was only a matter of time before he completely lost his cool.

“It’s not what I think? It’s not what I think? Elena, is that the best you could come up with? It’s not what I think? Please tell me, what the f**k am I supposed to think when I find my so-called girlfriend who told me that she was going out with her friends and sister for some drinks coming out of a hotel room with a strange man? Half-naked and with no makeup on? Huh? Please, f*****g tell me, Elena, what the hell am I supposed to think?” he snarled at me.

I was bawling my eyes out at this point. I didn’t know how to explain to him that I was equally as clueless as to why I woke up in a strange bed with a strange man. The last thing I remember was being in a club with my colleagues and my half-sister. I don’t even remember having more than a glass of gin and tonic. I was a lightweight so whenever we went out, I always made sure to drink as little alcohol as possible and volunteer to be the designated chauffeur for the night.

“Fred, please. I swear to you on my mother’s grave, I have no idea how I ended up here, I promise you. You have to believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you, you know that. I love you. Please.” I begged after him as the elevator opened.

“Ha! Interesting. You really expect me to believe that c**k and bull story, do you? Do I look that stupid to you? You know what? I’m done. We are done, you hear me? I do not want to hear from you ever again, do you understand?” he said as he walked into the elevator. I kept shaking my head as I held on to his hand, stopping him from going and standing in the way so that the elevator doors wouldn’t close just yet.

I kept shaking my head continuously as I held on to him. I was bawling my eyes out, shaking my head, pleading with him to understand where I was coming from and at least give me a chance to explain.

“No, Fred, please. You need to believe me when I tell you, I don’t know how I got here or who that man is. Please, you have to believe me. Please, we have been together for two and a half years now, you know I wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt you. Please, you have to believe me. I beg of you.” I sobbed uncontrollably as I struggled with him.

Finally, he was able to pry my hands away from him and slightly pushed me off of him and got me out of the elevator. I quickly regained my balance and went back to stand by the doors again to prevent them from moving again.

“I meant it when I said I am done, Elena. I can’t be with someone who is so loose that she would spread her legs to every tom, d**k and harry just because they can splash a few hundred-dollar bills. Of all the men I could catch you with, it had to be with Mr. Rhodri, the biggest playboy in the whole of the town, how could you do this to me? To us? How can I trust you after seeing what I just saw? How do I know that you haven’t been doing this longer than now and are only owning up to it because you’ve been caught? Huh?” he spat at me. I could only look up at him with eyes blurred with tears as I kept shaking my head.

This had gotten out of hand so fast that I could barely wrap my head around everything that was happening. My head was swirling with unanswered questions and I felt it throb painfully as my heart broke into a million pieces as I watched the love of my life look at me with clear disdain in his eyes. The same eyes that once shone with adoration and love for me now looked at me with hatred and disgust as I took a step back from the intensity of them, the doors taking this opportunity to slowly start closing, sealing my fate as I felt it sever the bond between us. It felt final as his final words just before the doors closed haunted me.

“Good bye, Elena.”