His Betrayal
916 Words
My naive thoughts were quickly shattered a year later.
It was an ordinary night when my phone suddenly buzzed with a strange message, urging me to go to the club Adrian frequented. I tried calling him, but his phone went unanswered. Anxiety gnawed at me; I imagined something could be wrong, so I grabbed my coat and hurried out.
The club was alive with its usual energy, the music thumping and lights flashing. But in the dim lighting, I couldn't spot Adrian anywhere. I wandered through the crowd, feeling increasingly uneasy. Just as I was about to dismiss the message as a prank and leave, three strange men surrounded me. Their eyes were predatory, and their grins malicious. Their hands began to reach out to touch me. Fear swept through me; I struggled and screamed, but I couldn't break away from them.
In that moment of desperation, a sharp voice cut through the chaos. "Stop it! How dare you touch her!" A girl appeared at the corner, with two club security guards behind her. "Eleanor, Adrian is waiting for you."
It was the first time I met Selena. The men hesitated, grumbling under their breath. "We were just playing," one of them muttered. Another sneered, "Adrian's woman again?" before they reluctantly backed off.
The men slunk away, muttering about Adrian’s name. I thanked Selena, still shaking from the encounter, and asked her where Adrian was. Her expression was complex. "He's not here," she finally said, avoiding my gaze.
"But the message asked me to come here. And you just said—"
"I lied to scare them off," she explained, "As for the message, it was probably just a prank. You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe."
Confused and disoriented, I left the club, Selena's words echoing in my mind. Why had she lied? And how did she know me and that I was Adrian's girlfriend? The men’s parting words—"Adrian's woman again?"—repeated in my head. Had other women been involved with Adrian?
Back home, as I mulled over these thoughts, my phone buzzed with a new message. Hesitantly, I opened it. It was a picture of Adrian, unmistakably him, sleeping in a bed. The background looked like a hotel room, and a stray strand of blonde hair was visible in the corner of the frame.
My breath caught in my throat, my hands trembling. "No, this can’t be happening," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper. I tried calling Adrian again, but there was still no answer. My heart ached with the weight of realization. "Was everything just a lie?" I spent the night in a torment of sleeplessness, tears, and unanswered questions.
The next day, I confronted Adrian, a mixture of anger and heartbreak bubbling inside me. "Where were you last night?"
He looked surprised, then slightly annoyed. "I was at home, asleep," he replied casually. "I must've left my phone on silent."
"Don't lie to me," I said, pulling out my phone and showing him the photo. His face changed, a flicker of something—fear, guilt?—crossing his eyes.
We argued, voices rising. For the first time, we had a real fight. "If it wasn’t for Selena," I shouted, "I could have been in real danger last night! And you are with other women!"
Adrian's reaction was immediate. "Selena?" he repeated, a look of panic flitting across his face. "Babe, listen to me. Whatever she said, don't trust her! There's nothing between us. She's just—"
I cut him off, "Just what?" My voice was cold and distant. "Just another one of your flings?" Everything suddenly became clear in my mind. Probably, the blonde woman who sent me the message originally wanted to provoke and frame me, but I was saved by Selena. The funny thing is, judging from Adrian's reaction, Selena is also one of his flings.
"Is that it, Adrian? How many more are there?" The words tasted bitter on my tongue.
He flinched, various complex expressions flashing across his face. Then his demeanor changed, hardening with a hint of irritation. "Eleanor, please stop making trouble," he said, "I'm Adrian Finch, the sole heir of FT Enterprise. Do you really expect me to have only one woman in my life?"
His words struck me like a slap. The cold, dismissive tone, the arrogance—it was a side of him I'd never fully seen before. My vision blurred with tears. How foolish I had been, thinking he was the one who could save me from the dark.
Adrian must have sensed he had gone too far because he quickly soften his tone. "Look, I'm sorry," he murmured, reaching out to touch my arm. "You know I care about you. Let's not fight over something so stupid. Go home and rest. There's a big seminar next month with Dr. Wells, the one working on that technology your father was interested in. I'll make sure you get in."
He knew exactly how to manipulate me, using my ambitions and my father's legacy. I felt trapped—I couldn't risk displeasing Adrian.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry," I whispered, the words almost choking me. "I was just scared. I didn’t mean to quarrel with you."
Adrian smiled, relieved. He kissed my forehead with satisfaction.
From that time on, I stayed in his private villa, and I stopped asking about his affairs with other women. I became a sensible girlfriend once more.
- Writer
