Rina currently stands alone in the dimly lit bathroom of the restaurant, her reflection gazing back at her through swollen, tear-filled eyes.
The meal she had just consumed was overshadowed by an intense crying session, the remnants of which she was now desperately trying to wash away.
Her hands trembled slightly as she splashed cold water on her face, hoping to remove any traces of her emotional turmoil.
She had made plans to meet Victor at their usual spot after dinner, and the last thing she wanted was to face him with puffy, red eyes that bore the evidence of her heartache.
As she left the bathroom and ventured back into the restaurant, her eyes fell upon an unexpected sight.
Erwin and Helena, two people she knew all too well, were standing just outside the restaurant's entrance.
Their bodies were entwined in an affectionate embrace, their backs turned to Rina, and their voices hushed to a level that made it impossible for her to discern their conversation.
She had spent what felt like an eternity inside the restaurant, and yet, they showed no signs of parting ways.
The sight was like salt in her already wounded heart.
Determined to escape the painful scene, she began to walk slowly towards the nearby café.
However, just as she was about to put some distance between herself and Erwin and Helena, Victor's voice reached her ears, causing her to pause in her tracks.
"Her? So, it's a woman after all," Helena's voice carried over to her.
"Yes, she's a woman, but she's just an old acquaintance and she's not particularly important to me." Victor's response to Helena.
Those words hit Rina like a sharp blade.
It wasn't just the physical pain in her chest..
It was the realization that hearing the truth from Victor's mouth hurt far more than she had anticipated.
All that he had said earlier in the restaurant hadn't seemed enough to wound her entirely, but this confession cut deeper than she could have ever imagined.
What surprised her even more was that Helena appeared to be entirely unaware of Victor's marital status.
He seemed to be going out of his way to avoid mentioning her name in front of her, let alone revealing the truth about their marriage.
As Rina continued to make her way towards the café, lost in her thoughts, her steps faltered briefly.
Unbeknownst to her, she had come dangerously close to a trash bin and bumped into it with a quiet, unintended
"Thughh"
She quickly stepped back and hid, her heart racing in fear that Erwin and Helena might have noticed her presence.
Meanwhile, Victor, who was closer to the entrance, briefly furrowed his brows at the sound of someone colliding with something.
He quickly dismissed it when he saw no one nearby.
However, just as he was about to turn his attention back to Helena, she surprised him by reaching up to hold both of his cheeks and planting a kiss squarely on his lips.
The suddenness of the gesture startled him, and he didn't have a chance to react.
----
Watching this kiss unfold from the sidelines, Rina couldn't help but cover her mouth in shock.
It was painful and heartbreaking, and she realized that she couldn't endure any more of this emotional torment.
Without another thought, she turned and made her way to the café.
She had seen enough of their sweetness for one day, and she couldn't bear to witness any more of Victor's infidelity.
-----++++
Meanwhile...
In the end, Victor decided to go his way to the café where he and Rina had agreed to meet.
He felt a pang of guilt for being late and hoped that she might still be waiting for him.
As he entered the café and scanned the area, his heart sank when he realized that Rina was nowhere to be seen.
He checked his watch; it was already 8:30 p.m., likely too late for her.
He sighed to himself, berating himself for his tardiness.
Who would patiently wait for such a long time?? Surely she had left, frustrated with the prolonged wait.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, his eyes caught sight of a woman tucked away in a corner of the café. It was Rina.
She sat there, engrossed in her phone, her demeanor projecting a sense of loneliness despite the occasional glances she received from people around her.
Victor couldn't help but wonder why others were looking at her.
She was dressed in her usual simple attire, and he struggled to find a reason for the attention she was garnering.
Approaching her cautiously, He blocked the direction of her vision.
Victor noticed the surprise in Rina's eyes when she saw him.
However, her expression quickly turned serious, and she wasted no time in questioning him,
"What took you so long?"
Victor paused momentarily, caught off guard by her directness, but he quickly regained his composure and replied,
"I thought you wouldn't wait for so long and would leave. By the way, why are you still here?"
Rina's tone left no room for ambiguity...
Her displeasure was evident in her expression as she had already discerned the truth, causing her face to adopt a serious demeanor.
Victor raised an eyebrow, suspecting that her annoyance might stem from sheer boredom due to waiting.
He decided to match her seriousness.
"The meeting took longer than expected, and I had some pending files to finish."
Internally, Rina seethed with anger.
"Hah!! she heavily sighed.
She couldn't believe his excuse after witnessing his intimate moment with Helena.
'The hell with those pending files!' she thought.
'He's a complete liar!..
'After indulging himself with Helena and sharing a kiss, he's lying to me now!
' What a thick-skinned guy!! He lied twice, first in front of Helena and now to me?'
"Yeah, yeah," she replied dismissively.
"Sorry, it took longer than I expected. I didn't mean it." Victor said.
"Anyway, are you hungry? We can order desserts, whatever you like," Victor suggested, trying to shift the conversation away from his tardiness.
Rina, however, wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
"I'm already full," she retorted.
"Full of what? Dessert? No, dessert won't suffice... you should eat dinner," Victor insisted.
"Then how about you? Am I the only one who's going to eat?" Rina challenged him.
Though Victor knew he was still full from their earlier dinner date, he agreed, feeling it was the right thing to do.
"Alright, I suppose I'll simply watch you enjoy your meal."
"No, didn't you mention having a busy day at the office earlier? You're likely famished, so come dine with me....Furthermore, you're running late for our meeting, aren't you?" Rina persuades him and makes him guilty, and as she contemplates her choice of his meal.
Victor gazes at her with a deep understanding, struggling to grasp how famished Rina must be at this moment, given that she hadn't eaten dinner.
He feels a twinge of sympathy and ultimately decides to accompany her, acknowledging that she's justified in making him wait for a few hours.
"Alright, let's go to a nearby restaurant," Victor said.
Unbeknownst to him, Rina had an evil plan in mind.
She intended to order an abundance of food and make him eat it all as a form of revenge for secretly hurting her.