Chapter 1:Heartbreaks And Lies
MIYARA’S POV
Coming here was a mistake.
I stood in front of my fiancé’s half-opened door with blurry vision as he pounded into his boy best friend from behind.
“Yess Finn. Right there. Oh my God, you’re f*****g me so good.” His best friend Adrian’s moans filled the room, mixing with the sound of skin slapping against skin.
Bile rose to my throat. My chest tightened. I couldn’t move, almost as if an invisible force was holding me rooted to the ground to watch the horror in front of me.
The cake with the inscription “happy anniversary to us”, slipped through my fingers and dropped to the floor with a thud, smearing all over my heels and toes.
Their gazes finally snapped to the half-opened door upon hearing the sound.
“Jesus Christ, Miya, what are you doing here?”. Finn said, scrambling up from the bed and covering himself with the blanket. Adrian just threw a smirk my way and pushed himself off from the bed, not bothering to put on pants.
“What am I doing here? That’s what you’re asking me?”, my voice cracked, throat feeling dry.
“Look don’t tell anyone what you saw here today okay I…”
“f**k you to hell Finn.”
I turned to leave but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. “I’m serious. Don’t tell anyone.”
I scoffed. “Seriously? I just caught you cheating and all you care about is your reputation or should I say your sexuality? You’re disgusting”
I yanked my hand from his grip and made my way towards the entrance of his apartment, my heels clicking against the floor.
It all seemed like a dream. Was I dreaming? Definitely not. The asshole had cheated on me with his best friend. And here I was thinking he wanted to wait until I was ready. I was such a fool. I thought I could finally be happy.
I blinked back the tears threatening to fall and made my way outside the house. The clouds looked gray, rain threatening to fall. Great. Now the universe was against me as well.
Pulling out my car key from my bag, I pressed the open button. My black, older Audi A3 roared to life as I slipped in.
I refused to break. I was not letting this get to me.
I said to myself as I pulled out of Finn’s apartment, hand tightening on the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.
I kept replaying the scene in my head. How he looked so unbothered, not a trace of guilt in his tone. And the fucker of a best friend, he had always looked suspicious. Always plastered to his side like glue. At first, I thought it was normal; besides, my best friend was close to me, too, but God, was I wrong.
A stubborn tear slid down my right cheek before I could blink it back. I sniffed, letting out a low chuckle.
The road stretched ahead, trees stretching far on the sides until I pulled up in front of my own apartment. My chest felt heavy and an unfamiliar ache settled deep in my stomach.
By the time I walked out of the car and towards the entrance of the shared apartment with my best friend, the rain had started falling.
For a minute I stood there, rain soaking my dress. The dress I had selected carefully for our anniversary. My mascara and perfectly put makeup dripped down my face. I forced back a sob and made my way towards the house.
My hand rested on the doorknob before I finally punched in the passcode and walked in.
“Heyyy, how did your….”, Isa’s voice trailed off, her eyes raking over my form from top to bottom. Her eyebrows furrowed, lips pressing in a thin line.
“Miya, come here”, she took my wrist and guided me from the door towards the bedroom. She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “ What happened? Why do you look like that?”
“You know what let’s get you out of this dress first. “Come on go change”, she said, pushing me towards the bedroom.
I peeled off the damp clothes from my body, my mind in a haze as I put on a gray sweater and shorts. Finn’s expression kept replaying in my head, and Adrian’s lips curling up in a smirk refused to leave my head.
A creak of the door snapped me out of my racing thoughts. Isa peeked in.
“Can I come in?”
I nodded.
She shut the door with a soft click and moved to sit beside me on the bed, her face etched in worry.
“What happened?”, she asked for the second time, her voice low.
I wiped my eyes with the back of my palm.
“Oh baby, come here”. She pulled me into her arms, the warmth immediately steadying me. Her hand stroked my hair gently as I sobbed into her chest.
“It’s okay…shush. You’re fine.”
I wiped the tears with the back of my hand again, a low chuckle escaping my lips.
“Can you believe I caught Finn cheating on me?” My voice came out smaller than I intended.
Isa’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes going wide.
“I’m so sorry honey”, she said, her eyes finding mine. “I never liked the asshole.”
“And the worst part”, I continued, “it was with his best friend. Adrian”
If Isa’s eyes were wide earlier, they were bulging out of the sockets now.
“Oh my f*****g God”, she rose from the bed, her hands on her forehead.
“You’re joking right?”, she turned to me, waiting to hear the part where I was joking but when I didn't say anything, she stopped pacing.
“Listen to me Miyara, that guy doesn’t deserve you. He is a f*****g loser if he can’t keep a girl like you.”
“And if he comes near you again, I swear to f**k I’m going to rearrange his face”, she hissed.
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Jeez…you’re scary”
“Oh baby you don’t know how scary I can get if anyone messes with you”
“Thank you Isabella”, I took her hands in mine, “ I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“See..”, she pulled me to herself for the second time, whispering in my ear “just admit you love me”.
I pulled away, “in your dreams”
She grinned, and for the first time today, I felt lighter. I could breathe. I didn’t feel like I was drowning.
“You know what”, Isa walked toward my wardrobe, then glanced back at me. “f**k him all the way to hell, let’s have some fun tonight.”
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
“ I said the same to him. ‘f**k him to hell’.
Isa burst out into laughter, her short brown hair falling forward. “Now that’s my girl”.
“Remember the new nightclub around campus I told you about?”
“Yes. The one you said people wear masks to..”, I replied, my eyes narrowing at her. Don’t let it be what I’m thinking.
“We’re not crying over any dude in this apartment. Not under my watch”
She rummaged through my clothes, tossing my baggy jackets and sweatpants aside until she pulled out a short silver dress, her eyes shining like she had found gold.
The back was bare and stopped mid-thigh. No way in hell was I wearing that.
“Sooo….this dress right here caught my attention. You’re going to be turning heads in this baby”, she pushed it into my arms, grinning like an i***t.
“I’m not wearing this Isa”, I glared at her.
“Of course you are honey. Now go change. We don’t have all night”.
After countless pleading and begging all to no avail, I found myself at the entrance of Luxel, the nightclub of the century.
Cold bit into my skin. Goose bumps scattered all around my arms. I tugged the dress down for the twentieth time since we got here, but it wouldn’t budge. I was so used to wearing my nanny clothes that dresses like this made me feel exposed and self-conscious.
“Will you stop pulling it down, it looks great as it is”, Isa whispered in my ear over the loud music inside, nudging me at the side.
“I swear to God if you don’t shut up… I’m going to turn back and leave”.
“Okay Miss Prim and Proper”, she teased and I rolled my eyes.
~~~
“More!”, I slammed the empty glass on the counter, glaring at the bartender who had refused to give me more alcohol. Isa was nowhere to be found. Or should I say she abandoned me here and went on one of her s*x escapades?
“No more alcohol for you ma’am”, the bartender said, shaking his head.
Feeling defeated, I walked to a corner and slumped down on a chair, my head spinning.
For some unknown reason, I could feel eyes on me. I might be overthinking or was it because of the alcohol? I swear I could feel eyes on me.
I turned slowly, towards the direction, and there and then, at the far end of the room, a pair of icy blue eyes landed on mine.
He wore a black mask, just like mine. I couldn’t see properly probably due to the alcohol but I could make out a sharp jawline and broad shoulders.
I gulped. His eyes held mine, unblinking.
Almost as if hypnotized, I couldn’t look away either. Heat crept up my cheeks. My chest tightened.
He rose, still holding my gaze, then started walking towards me. My heart almost dropped to the floor. I wish I could disappear. His eyes pinned me down to where I sat, looking like they could strip me bare with the intensity in them. I swallowed hard.