ICE COLD

Chapter Five: Betrayal

Jenna glanced at her phone screen—it was 9 p.m. She had already messaged her mom, who assured her she’d be able to manage her medication tonight. To be safe, Jenna had separated the dosages and placed them neatly by the bedside in her mother’s room.

Her fingers tapped the final button on her keyboard. At last, the Lewis Insurance Holdings marketing strategy was finished.

A notification chimed.

Rachel

“Hey girl, still down for dinner tonight?

Rachel had added her usual string of cute, irresistible emojis. Jenna sighed. As much as she would have loved to go out with Rachel, she had already decided she needed to see Collin tonight.

There were things she needed to talk to him about—the money. And about them. About everything.

She picked up her phone and typed:

"Sorry, Rach. I’m gonna have to skip tonight, please. I have a very important appointment I must attend to."

She hit send, guilt tugging at her chest. She didn’t want Rachel to know the appointment was with Collin, at least not yet. She didn’t want her friend to feel sidelined.

I’ll explain later, she told herself, shutting down her laptop.

She slipped her phone into her purse, took one last glance at her tidy desk, and stepped out into the night. The cool air greeted her with the scent of rain that hadn’t yet fallen. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she walked toward the bus stop tugging closer her chestnut colored coat with buttons the size of a fig.

***** **** *****

The ride to Collin’s neighborhood was quiet but heavy. She sat by the window, head resting against the glass, watching the blur of neon lights and passing cars. With every bump of the road, her thoughts unraveled also.

Collin had been distant lately; missed calls, hurried excuses, vague answers. But she told herself it was stress, work, maybe pressure from.... his family. Not that she knew any.

He wasn’t perfect, but he was hers… wasn’t he?

Making excuses on Collins behalf, was one thing Jenna Owens was excelled in.

Her hand brushed the small gift bag in her purse. Inside was a velvet box with a sleek wristwatch she’d picked out from the gift shop she had stopped at earlier. The sight of it"s glittering gold in the glass case had spoken to her: bold yet refined, timeless but modern, just like him. She imagined the surprise on his face when she handed it to him, the way his lips would curve into that grin she’d fallen for.

She smiled faintly, hope trying to drown the unease brewing in her stomach.

"Tonight will change everything. We’ll talk. We’ll fix it. He’ll see how serious I am." she kept telling herself.

The bus jolted to a stop. Her heart quickened. This was it.

***** ***** *****

The streets near Collin’s place were alive with the usual Friday night hum—music spilling from open bars, laughter echoing in alleyways, the distant roar of engines.

Jenna stepped down from the bus back into the night again, clutching the small gift bag now. The weight of it filled her with fragile hope. She kept telling herself:

Maybe this gesture would bridge the gap between us. Maybe it would remind him how much he meant to me.

She peeked into the bag again and smiled.

“He’ll love it,” she murmured.

By the time she reached the door of his building complex, her palms were damp from unease. She climbed up the stairs, heels clicking softly against the quiet pavement. Collin’s building loomed, familiar yet suddenly intimidating.

She hesitated at the entrance, her breath catching. What if he isn’t home? What if he’s busy? No! You're going in, Jenna. She pushed the thoughts aside and forced herself inside, riding the elevator to the third floor.

The old worn out metallic doors slid open, revealing the hallway that led to his apartment. Her heart pounded so loudly it felt like the entire building could hear it. She adjusted the strap of her bag, straightened her blouse, and walked to his door.

This, was the first time she's visiting Collin unannounced. She wasn't sure how he'd react. Surprised? or greatly annoyed? Perhaps both. Collin placed too much emphasis on his time for someone who does absolutely nothing, but surfed the web all day looking for 'investments'.

Jenna shrugged. "We just have to wait and see his reaction."

She knew the code. Her fingers trembled as she keyed it in. The lock clicked open.

“Hello, babe,” she called softly, stepping into the living room, of a room joined to a kitchen, with one couch, a t.v and a single side stool, could be called so.

The room was empty, except for clothes and underwears scattered across the floor.

Jenna sighed. "The hell Collin... you can't even clean up your own shit..." she started then paused.

She heard something. It sounded...

'No... it can't be,' she thought, her stomach knotting.

Then she heard it again.

At first, she thought it was the television. Maybe an opera drama was ongoing. But no, the sound was too vivid. Sounded too real.

Low, breathy moans. A woman’s voice, muffled but distinct, spilling from behind the bedroom door.

Jenna froze. Her chest constricted painfully, her knees threatening to buckle. Her head spiraled.

No. No, it can’t be. It definitely can't be what I'm thinking.

Her mind readily scrambled for excuses again;

'maybe it is a movie, or maybe he had friends over.'

But then another moan tore through the silence, louder this time.

The gift bag’s handles bit into her palm as she clutched it, her throat dry, her breath shallow. And yet, some stubborn part of her needed proof, needed to see for herself.

With shaking fingers, and trembling breathes she turned the bedroom doorknob. It was unlocked.

The door creaked open. Dim white light spilled across the floor. The moans grew sharper, accompanied by the unmistakable rustle of tangled sheets, the familiar sound of flesh clapping against each other, and thumping.

Jenna’s legs moved on their own, dragging her closer. Each step was torture, her heart pounding in her ears.

And then, there it laid bared before her. The truth she'd been desperately running from.

The sight shattered her.

Collin’s bare back arched over the bed, moving with a rhythm that made her stomach twist. And beneath him, hair splayed across the pillows, legs wrapped tightly around him, gasping and moaning was...

Rachel.

Her best friend.

The same Rachel who sent her smiling emojis just an hour ago. The same Rachel who begged her to come out to dinner tonight.

The gift bag slipped from Jenna’s hand. The wrapped wristwatch hit the floor with a soft, devastating thud.

Neither Collin nor Rachel noticed at first, lost in their own frenzy. Laughter. Gasps. Sheets tangled around and beneath them like vines. Pleasure was neatly spelt across Rachel's face while she f****d her boyfriend shamelessly.

Jenna clutched the doorframe to keep herself upright as tears blurred her vision. Her heart screamed a thousand questions all at once; 'How could you? Why her? Was I never enough?' but her voice failed. She was only able to exclaimed one word:

"Rachel!?"

Collin looked up at last. His eyes widened in horror as he leaped off Rachel guilt etched across his face.

Rachel froze too, her lips parting, her expression paling into shock.

But Jenna didn’t wait for excuses. She didn’t want explanations. The truth lay bare before her, cruel and undeniable.

She stumbled out of the room, found her way to the elevator, her chest heaved in sudden heaviness, her own voice finally echoed what she'd suspected for weeks.

He had been cheating on me. With my best friend.