Chapter 2
1430 Words
Eric stopped but did not turn to her. His gaze fell to the shoes. He turned with a tight smile, “I had a visitor earlier, a potential partner in a project I am working on. She said the sneakers were new and hurting her feet, so I gave her my sandals.”
“Aah, probably who Mrs. S heard,” Sophia nodded. It was not new for partners and some clients to meet at Eric’s apartment, so she didn't think much of that.
“Mrs. S?”
“Yeah. I met her by the elevator, and she thought I was already here,” Sophia shook her head. She sat down and reached for the magazine there. She had left it a few days ago when she was there.
“Oh,” Eric smiled, rubbing the back of his head. “Probably. Let me get dressed so we get out of here.”
Sophia was already immersed in the gossip of a celebrity. After a few minutes, she thought she heard Eric talking to someone. Groaning, she placed the magazine down and walked to the bedroom, “babe! Don’t tell me you are on a call right now!” She pushed the door open and walked in, only to stop with a frown on her face. “Emily?”
“Ah, babe, it’s not what you think!” Eric seemed to be having a panic attack as his eyes moved from Emily to Sophia.
Sophia’s eyes were fixed on her best friend, taking in her damp hair and the flush on her cheeks. “Em? What are you doing inside Eric’s room?”
Emily glanced at Eric before turning to Sophia. “You might as well know. Eric and I have been seeing each other.”
The silence in the room was so loud. Sophia felt as though someone poured cold water all over her body. She shook her head, trying to clear the ringing in her ears. Sophia's breath caught in her throat, and her entire body went numb.
She blinked, trying to focus on the two people who meant the world to her. “I am sorry, what did you say?”
Emily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “exactly what you heard.”
Tears welled up in Sophia’s eyes as she watched her boyfriend, the person she had trusted with her heart, betray her in the most heart-wrenching way. Emily, her best friend, had betrayed her equally.
Sophia felt anger welling up inside her, replacing the initial shock. Her voice trembled as she confronted the two people who had meant the world to her. "How could you both do this to me?" she choked out.
Eric walked towards her, his face paling as he realized the depth of his betrayal. "Soph, it's not what it looks like," he stammered, struggling to explain.
On the other hand, Emily seemed unapologetic, a wicked smirk curling at the corners of her mouth. "Sophia, you're overreacting. We're just having some fun. You should loosen up. If you had given him what he needed, he wouldn’t have looked for me," she said, her words laced with contempt.
Sophia angrily rubbed at the fallen tears, her voice trembling with pain and anger. "Fun? Fun at the expense of my feelings and trust? You've both betrayed me in the worst way possible. We promised to wait, Eric! You told me you were ok with that."
Eric reached out, trying to touch her, but she pulled away, her heart too wounded to bear the sight of his touch. "Soph, I'm so sorry," he said, but his apology sounded feeble.
Emily's smirk only grew wider. "Sorry, but not sorry," she taunted, the venom in her words piercing Sophia's heart.
Without saying a word, Sophia turned and ran out. She collected her bag and put on her shoes before bolting for the door.
“Soph, wait!” Eric called as he tried to follow her.
“Let her go!” Emily’s voice followed.
Sophia did not wait to see if Eric was following her or not. Not waiting for the elevator, Sophia opted for the stairs.
Pushing the entrance doors open, she stumbled outside. Sophia tried to take deep breaths, but she felt as if she was suffocating inside. She knew people looked at her funny, but she didn’t care. Reaching for her light scarf around her neck, she pulled it off, throwing it on the ground.
The breathing was rapid, the tears falling in rivers.
“Sophia?”
Sophia turned to the soft voice calling her name.
“What’s wrong, doll?” Mrs Smith was walking towards her. “I changed my mind of going further and decided to come back. Why are you crying? Is Eric ok?”
Sophia shook her head, unsure what to say to the older woman. “I-I need to get out of here!” she hiccuped.
“I can’t let you go like this, doll,” Mrs Smith reached for her arm, but Sophia pulled back.
“No. I can’t-I can’t go in there!” Sophia turned and started walking away.
“Soph, wait!” Eric’s voice made Sophia increase her pace. She was bumping into people as she half jogged half walked, but she did not slow down. Her hand was grabbed from behind, halting her efforts to get away. “Just wait a second!”
“What is there to wait for, Eric?” Sophia turned to him.
“Let’s go and talk inside,” Eric tried to pull her, but Sophia shook his hand off.
She shook her head, “No. I am not going to the apartment where you have your wh0re!”
“Emily is your friend!” Eric’s eyes flashed with anger at the name Sophia used for her.
“And the last time I checked, you were my boyfriend, but that did not stop you from screwing her, right?” Sophia crossed her arms and glared at him. “What? Nothing to say?”
“This isn’t the place to do this, Soph,” Eric ran a frustrated hand through his tousled hair.
Sophia swallowed hard. She loved his hair and would always run her fingers through it when they sat on the sofa in his apartment and talked or watched movies. She was the one who encouraged him to grow it.
“What do you want to tell me, Eric?” Sophia asked him. “What I saw in your apartment was a figment of my imagination? That my best friend is not up there right now, in the room I share with you? That she did not tell me that you guys have been screwing behind my back? Is that what you want to tell me?”
“Soph-”
“Don’t Soph me! Are you going to tell me all this is one sick joke?” She challenged him.
Eric kept quiet, the muscle on his jaw twitching as he gritted his teeth.
Sophia scoffed and shook her head, “Two days before our anniversary. How long has this been going on?”
“Long enough,” Emily’s voice came from behind Eric. She was standing with her hands crossed a smirk on her face.
“I told you to go and let me deal with her!” Eric turned to Emily, anger clouding his face.
Emily just glared at Eric but did not show any movement of leaving.
“I am leaving,” Sophia replied. She couldn’t look at Emily and didn't want to pounce on her. This girl knew what Eric meant to her. She knew about all her plans for the future. She also knew that today was the day that they were going to celebrate their anniversary because Eric wouldn’t be around for the official day. And yet, there she stood with hatred in her eyes as she glared at Sophia. It made her wonder why, but this was not the time she would ask.
“Good! At least now Eric doesn’t have to lie about the business trips and late-night client meetings. Honestly, it was getting annoying,” Emily smiled.
“Emily!” Eric shouted her name.
“What?” Emily had no remorse on her face. She seemed to be enjoying the pain she was causing Sophia.
Sophia could feel her heart splintering into many more pieces. All she could do was look at Eric before turning on her heels and walking away.
“Soph!” Eric called her. “Sophia!”
But Sophia kept walking to where she had no idea.
- Writer
