Chapter 1
Janet's POV
It was another day waking up by the side of the love of my life. His arms warped around me and the sweet cold pushed us further into each other. To me, it was just a new day to discover new things to live about ourselves as we scaled our different work paths. He was a computer engineer, while I was a therapist.
For ten years, life with him had felt perfect, and my fiancé and I had always been together. We were only ever apart during college while we pursued different degrees, but even at that, we spoke very often through calls and video messages. Once he began seeing someone and when he told me, I got jealous. Regardless, I understood we were both far from each other and he had to satisfy his s****l urges every now and then, plus he said she meant nothing to him and was just there for the s*x every once in a while.
Through his whole tertiary life, I supported him financially. His family had cast him out long ago, labeling him wayward and irresponsible while they poured everything into his brother, who he never liked to talk about, the heir to their family billionaire tech empire. I spent years putting most of my income as a student worker toward his engineering degree, sold my grandmother’s jewelry, picked up endless shifts at a café, even took out loans… all so he could focus on his studies, since his tuition was way more expensive than mine. I found him a decade ago on a bridge, ready to end his life after his family disowned him. I gave him hope, and a future. I believed once he became someone his family would respect, he would bring me into that world and it was working. He was in the final stage of his internship, after which, he would go back to them, with me by his side. In fact, it had even been scheduled for the coming month.
I loved him completely. I would have given up anything for him, because I was certain he felt the same. When he graduated and became a computer engineering intern, it felt like my greatest dream had started to come true. By then, he already engaged me and promised that our marriage would be the first thing we did when he got back to his family.
Still there on the warm bed with him, I couldn't stop smiling at him, and him, at me. We just couldn't have enough of ourselves. He was so sweet and I could only be happy that someone so handsome and kind had come into my life. His family had been fools to abandon him, I thought in my head.
I kept thinking of him, even when I got to work. In fact, our relationship was so sweet and serene that most of the advice I have to the couples who came for therapy and counselling was from my experience with him.
Around noon though, my office door suddenly swung open. I looked up, surprised. It was Steve. My first feeling was happiness as I saw him, but something was off, many things if I were to say. First, this was his work hour, he never left during work hours. Second, he didn't call before coming. If he wanted to see me, he always called me in time. Third, he wasn't looking happy at all. He didn't even mind that I had patients in my office as I was in an active therapy session.
Nevertheless, I was happy by the sight of him and quickly moved to hug him. The response I got wasn't what I expected though. He held out a hand to stop me. “Don’t touch me!” he said, his tone chillingly flat.
I was shocked and took a step back. He looked intense. I had never seen him that way before.
“What’s going on, baby?” I asked softly, aware of the watching eyes around us.
“Who is he?!” He asked me first. This question threw me off guard, I didn't see it coming. Little did I know there was more to come. “Tell me, who gave you the gonorrhoea that you passed to me?!”
“Oh my!”
My heart froze. “What are you talking about?”
“Yes Janet. Don’t play dumb. I got my results today. I've been having issues urinating and I did a test. The only person I’ve been with is you. I haven’t been with anyone else, so who did you get it from?!”
My mind went blank; my vision swam. What was happening? I initially found it funny. Maybe it was this lover's prank, but there was no sign of jokes in his eyes.
“Please can we give you two a moment? We can always come later.” One of the couples said to me, I wanted to tell them to go, but before I could do so, Steve took the words from me.
“No, stay! Watch what a liar and cheater she is!” He said to them, At that point, I couldn't feel more embarrassed.
“Steve please, that isn’t possible. There’s only ever been you,” I insisted. I was a faithful, honest woman to him. He deflowered me when I was 18 and since then, I hadn't been with anyone else.
His jaw clenched, his eyes turning sharp and cruel. “Stop lying. You cheated on me. Just admit and tell me who it is. Is it a clint?” he shouted. “How? You know how much I dislike that guy!” I replied to him. Clint was an annoying neighbour. I really didn't like where this was going.
“Shut up, you b***h!” He yelled at me, the first time he’d ever raised his voice at me since I found him on that bridge years ago.
The accusation cut deeper than anything. I felt nauseous, exposed in front of my patients. My face flushed with humiliation.
My voice shook as I denied it. “I would never. You know me. You know who I am.”
Steve however wasn’t hearing any of it. He took a moment to think. “Maybe this was a mistake” were the next few words that left his mouth. “Maybe I should have stuck with Jessica! She would never do this to me!”
The name first felt strange, then familiar, then it hit me like a slap. Jessica! His college girlfriend. The one he cried over the night they graduated because he had to let her go.
The one he promised me was “in the past.” That same Jessica. Or was I dreaming?
“That Jessica? I thought…” I said, because he slashed into my speech.
“You thought wrong! I never should’ve chosen you after school. I should’ve fought for her.”
“The doctors say this disease you gave me can be treated, but what can not be is the thought that you cheated on me after everything I've been to you! You disgust me and I really have to rethink my future with a cheater like you!” The final slap before he left the office.
Now, there I was, standing in a pool of shame. I had just finished bragging to my clients how much I and my spouse were in love and how we could never do anything to hurt me, only for this to happen, and in their presence.