Chapter 2
1293 Words
“Why, Damon? What are you afraid Chloe will tell me that you haven’t?”
Tiana’s question hung between them.
Damon sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the phone in her hand. Chloe’s name was still flashing across the screen, and neither of them seemed willing to move.
“Give me the phone, Tiana.”
She shook her head. “Answer my question first.”
“Please, sweetheart. You’re making this worse than it is.”
Tiana stared at him in disbelief. “Worse than what, Damon? I saw her message. I saw your reply. What exactly am I supposed to think?”
The phone stopped ringing.
For one brief second, Tiana hoped that would be the end of it. Perhaps Chloe would send another message explaining everything. Perhaps Damon would finally look her in the eyes and tell her the truth.
Instead, another notification appeared.
Chloe: Why aren’t you answering me? Is Tiana awake?
Tiana’s fingers tightened around the phone.
She turned the screen toward Damon.
“Is that why you didn’t want me to answer? Because she needs to know whether I’m awake before she can talk to you?”
Damon stood up.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Then make it simple for me!”
Her voice cracked, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I’ve been lying here wondering what I’ve done wrong. I thought you were tired of me. I thought maybe I wasn’t giving you enough attention. I’ve been apologizing for asking you to spend time with me, Damon!”
He took a step toward her.
“Baby, please—”
“Don’t call me that!”
The words came out louder than she intended.
Damon stopped.
Tiana had never spoken to him like that before. Even during their worst arguments, she had always softened when he called her by one of their affectionate names. Now, hearing him say it only made her feel foolish.
“How long?” she whispered.
He looked away.
“How long have you been seeing Chloe?”
“Tiana, I made a mistake.”
She let out a broken laugh.
“A mistake? You don’t accidentally send someone messages about meeting at a hotel. You don’t accidentally tell another woman you’ll find a way to leave your girlfriend at home.”
Damon rubbed his forehead.
“We’ve been having problems lately.”
Tiana went completely still.
“Problems?”
“You know things haven’t been the same between us.”
“So you decided to sleep with my best friend instead of talking to me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to!”
Her voice echoed through the bedroom.
For months, Tiana had defended Damon whenever her friends asked whether their relationship was still going well. She had told Chloe everything, including the nights she cried because Damon seemed distant.
She had trusted her best friend with the most vulnerable parts of her relationship.
And Chloe had used that trust to get closer to Damon.
Tiana lowered herself onto the bed, unable to keep standing.
“Did you bring her here?” she asked quietly.
Damon frowned. “What?”
“Has Chloe ever been in this bedroom with you when I wasn’t around?”
He didn’t answer.
Tiana covered her mouth as another wave of tears came.
“Oh my God.”
“Nothing happened here.”
She looked up sharply. “How am I supposed to believe anything you say?”
Damon knelt in front of her and reached for her hands.
“Look at me, baby.”
She pulled away.
“I love you, Tiana. Whatever happened with Chloe, it doesn’t change that.”
“Then why did you do it?”
He opened his mouth, but she saw the hesitation before he spoke.
That hesitation hurt more than any explanation could have.
“Was she worth it?” Tiana asked. “Was my best friend worth risking everything we have?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Damon looked down at the floor.
“I don’t know.”
Tiana stared at him, feeling as though she were looking at a stranger wearing the face of the man she loved.
She remembered their first date, when Damon had arrived nearly an hour late because traffic on the Lekki-Epe Expressway had been terrible. He had apologized with flowers and taken her to dinner. She remembered how he had held her hand across the table and told her he wanted to build a future with her.
She remembered believing every word.
Now she wondered whether she had been the only one who believed in that future.
“Get out,” she whispered.
Damon looked up. “Tiana—”
“I said get out of this bedroom.”
“This is my home too.”
The moment he said it, both of them fell silent.
Tiana slowly wiped her face.
“You’re right. It is your home too. But right now, I can’t bear to share a bed with you.”
Damon looked at her for a long moment before standing.
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
She pointed toward the door.
“The sofa. You can figure out the rest tomorrow.”
He hesitated as though expecting her to change her mind. When she didn’t, he picked up his pillow and walked out.
The bedroom door closed softly behind him.
Tiana sat alone, staring at the space where he had been lying only minutes earlier.
Then her phone began ringing.
It was Chloe.
Tiana watched the screen until the call nearly ended. She wanted to ignore it, block the number, and pretend Chloe had never been part of her life.
But she needed to hear what her best friend would say.
She answered.
“Hello?”
“Tiana!” Chloe’s voice sounded unusually bright, then quickly changed. “Girl, why are you still awake?”
Tiana closed her eyes.
“Why were you messaging Damon about meeting at a hotel?”
Silence.
“Chloe, I’m waiting.”
“Listen, Tiana. I can explain.”
Tiana’s heart sank. Those were the same words Damon had used.
“How long?”
“It’s complicated.”
“No, it isn’t. You’re my best friend, Chloe. You sat in my house and watched me love that man. You hugged me. You asked me about my relationship. And all that time, you were meeting him behind my back.”
Chloe began to cry.
“I’m sorry.”
Tiana pressed a hand against her chest, trying to steady her breathing.
“Did you ever feel guilty when I told you how much I loved him?”
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“But you did it anyway.”
Chloe said nothing.
Tiana swallowed hard.
“Don’t call me again tonight.”
“Tiana, please—”
She ended the call.
For several minutes, she sat motionless, listening to the distant traffic outside her window.
Then she heard Damon speaking in the living room.
His voice was low, but one sentence carried clearly through the partly open bedroom door.
“I told you not to call while she’s awake.”
Tiana froze.
Damon had told Chloe not to call while she was awake.
Not because he was sorry.
Not because he wanted to protect Tiana.
But because he didn’t want to get caught.
She stood slowly and moved toward the door.
Damon continued speaking.
“No, Chloe. I can’t keep doing this tonight. She knows about the messages now.”
Tiana covered her mouth.
Then Damon said something that made her blood run cold.
“And if Tiana finds out what happened that night, she’ll never forgive either of us.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD