I SIDED WITH YOUR ENEMY

Chapter 01: Liar!

Chapter 01: Liar!

Liliane:

The evening has just begun, and I feel the fresh breeze of the wind taking over my entire body. The windows are wide open, and the ceiling is as high as that of a skyscraper; I feel a little lonely under this huge room. I should have been warm in my husband’s arms instead.

The clock keeps ticking. I look at it far too often. One minute, then five minutes, and now an hour.

And then came the second hour.

I am sitting at the table; a table specially decorated for tonight. I had everything removed: the sofa, the other tables, and I asked for the most beautiful table for a dinner worthy of our relationship and these three years we have spent together.

Under this warm light, enhanced by the glow coming from the chandeliers decorated with luminous designs as dazzling as real precious stones that sparkle and reflect on the walls.

I have been waiting for him patiently for three hours now.

“Ma’am, may we serve dinner?” the butler asks.

“No, we are waiting for my husband, thank you.”

“He won’t be long,” I whisper, no longer very convinced.

I stand up and walk toward the window. I see the large gate, with no headlights shining through. Everything feels so quiet, so cold.

“Marlon, pick up!” I try calling him again.

“Sorry, but the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable…”

And this is the fifth time in a row.

He knows it very well: these three years are not simply the fulfillment or a simple renewal of our marriage, but rather a kind of victory.

Three years ago, we challenged my father, who had opposed our marriage because Marlon was not good enough for me. During this time, Marlon proved him wrong and became the successful CEO he is today thanks to his technology company.

I am proud of him, and these three years since then deserve special attention. It is the first time, since that confrontation with my father and the promise Marlon made to keep, that we can finally breathe and fully live our love.

“Pierre!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Cover everything, please! Make sure the food is properly preserved. My husband is probably very busy, and then go get some rest. I can take care of the rest.”

“Very well, ma’am. Have a good evening.”

I sigh. Still no message from him.

“Sweetheart, I have a business dinner this afternoon. I promise I’ll be back before dinner.”

Then he kissed me and left that Saturday afternoon, around 3 or 4 p.m.

Now, it is 11 p.m.

The lunch must have gone on forever, I think.

Running a company requires sacrifices, and I accepted them.

I make my way toward the stairs. I resign myself to waiting for him upstairs, in our bed, with only one desire: to see him walk in and reassure me that he is still safe and well. The dinner could be made up for later.

I turn the bedroom handle and...

At the same moment, I receive a message.

I feel my legs lose their strength. I hold tightly onto the door.

It is a message from an unknown number.

“Listen very carefully to what I’m telling you. Stop playing the fool and go immediately to the Le Prestige Hotel. What you discover there will freeze your blood. Do it now or continue lying to yourself.”

What should I do? What could possibly be at the Prestige at this hour?

Does this concern me?

Or does it concern Marlon?

“Marlon!” I call again.

Nothing at all.

“Pierre! Pierre!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Open the gate!”

I rush to the car without wasting another minute.

“If my husband comes back before me, tell him I won’t be long. I have a friend in distress that I need to go see.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

I call his phone again, but still nothing.

Still that damn voicemail.

The light breeze had turned into tiny pieces of ice that made me shiver just from touching them.

With a quick and sudden movement, I call this unknown number, but nothing. It just rings into emptiness.

“Who would have fun making such a horrible joke? And Marlon still isn’t answering, what does this mean? Damn it!”

Thirty minutes later, I park in front of the hotel and immediately get out.

I call this unknown number one more time.

But nothing.

It keeps ringing endlessly.

I enter the lobby when, suddenly, my phone vibrates again.

New notification.

New message.

“Do not go through the reception. He might become suspicious. Go directly upstairs like a guest. Room 30, second floor.”

I felt cold and hot at the same time.

I take the elevator and walk through the hallway quickly, my eyes fixed on the door numbers.

“26, 27...”

“28, 29... 30.”

I finally arrive.

Something intrigues me: it is slightly open, but not wide enough to allow me to see what is happening inside, even less to clearly see who is there.

And then I immediately hear soft, muffled laughter.

“My love, I love you...”

I freeze in place.

It is Marlon’s voice.

“More than your wife, who is my big sister?”

I feel something tearing apart inside my chest.

That voice belongs to Elisa, my little sister.

“Yes, believe me, our marriage has no value in my eyes anymore. I got everything I wanted, and now the two of us can live our love story without any restrictions.”

“You’re crazy, Marlon! And if she found out, what would you do?”

“Don’t worry, Liliane is far too in love with me to suspect anything... Besides, poor thing, she never knew that our three years of marriage, the reason why she cares so much about having dinner tonight, were actually nothing more than a damn meaningless marriage.”

My hand covers my mouth. I hold myself back from screaming and destroying everything.

And that sound I hear...

That kiss.

Her moan...

“You are the one I love, Elisa. With Liliane, we are not truly married.”

“Our marriage is fake, and she knows it herself.”

That I know...

“That... that I... know...”

This is too much!