I couldn't shake off that aching feeling in my chest and before my mind could fully register the situation, my legs were pushing me forward and I was running out of the door. The image of the woman wrapping her arm around Xavier remained at the back of my mind the entire time, as if to haunt me.
I found myself standing at the very same spot in the picture I once saw on the screen of my phone. I was standing in the hotel lobby, the sounds of chatter filled the air and my eyes darted around searching for a familiar face in the sea of crowd that surrounded me.
I couldn't see him anywhere and for a moment, I started to believe that maybe I was overthinking it and that maybe that picture wasn't even him to begin with. What's worse, it could even be a doctored image for all I knew.
But I soon realised I wasn't overthinking and that the picture was indeed very real when my eyes landed on a sight I wished I hadn't seen.
Tucked away at the corner of the hotel lobby was a cafe. I watched with wide eyes and disbelief written all over my face as I stared at another woman locking lips with my husband from a distance. My eyes flickered down to see that her hand was casually resting on his thigh and her other hand was slung over his shoulder.
I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach within a split second and my whole world came crumbling down on me, crashing me with the unbearing weight of the harsh reality without a single warning.
Hot tears stung my eyes and a cold chuckle escaped from my parted lips. I marched over without a second thought, closing the distance between us in a couple of seconds.
"So this is the client you were talking about, huh?" I spat, the words that left my mouth were dripping with sarcasm as the few people sitting around whipped their heads around in an instant and watched with anticipation and curiosity burning in their eyes.
I watched as his eyes widened in horror and realisation dawned upon him. In a hurry, he quickly pushed her off him and rushed towards me. His fingers desperately tried to grab onto my arm but I only yanked my arm out of his grasp as I looked up at him with disgust, emotions running wild in my dark eyes.
"Don't touch me!" I demanded as a single tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it off my face.
My eyes glanced over to see the woman sitting in the chair quietly with a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she relished with satisfaction. She stood up and sauntered over to place her hand on his arm in a seductive manner, smugness radiating off every inch of her body as she looked at me to taunt me.
"Xavier, who is she?" She questioned in her high-pitched voice, blinking her eyes innocently. There was a knowing look gleaming in her light green eyes as she tucked a piece of stray blonde hair behind her ear. He barely spared her another glance nor did he acknowledge the woman, he simply pushed her hand off his arm and tried to get closer to me but I stepped back, creating a distance between us once again.
"Yeah, who is she, Xavier Wilder?" I asked, my voice icy and cold.
"You have to trust me…" He pleaded, his voice laced with desperation. "I –"
I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "Trust you?" I tossed his words right back at him. "I literally caught you red-handed," I muttered, my voice cracking towards the end.
"Aurelia, it's not what it seems," he explained, with a flustered look plastered across his face. "I swear I would never do this to you."
A string of other words left his mouth but I couldn't listen to him, I didn't want to listen to a word he said. All that was replaying at the back of my mind was the moment I saw him locking lips with another woman right in front of my eyes and the feeling of betrayal engulfed me entirely.
I scoffed loudly and anger began to boil beneath the surface of my skin. Everything reminded me of the day Blake walked into the house with Stella next to him, bringing me back to that very day.
"It's always not what it seems…" I muttered under my breath with an incredulous look etched onto my face. Something snapped inside of me at that moment. "All you men have the same excuses all the damn time. You are just like my ex!" I blurted out in a moment of impulse and watched as his face darkened visibly within the next second.
"...What did you say?" He questioned with a raised brow, a look of disbelief plastered across his face. There was a brief pause as silence stretched between us and the air crackled with unspoken tension. "Don't compare me to that ex of yours," he demanded through gritted teeth as he clenched his jaw and his dark eyes held mine captive.
I didn't say anything for a while as I looked at him, and my lips trembled with anger.
"Why can't I compare you to him? Did I say something wrong?!"
"Yes, you did!" He yelled, his voice came out much louder than expected, eliciting some gasps from the crowd that formed. I was taken aback, a surprise expression masked my features as I stared up at him.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and I held my tongue, not saying another word. I turned around and ran off. The tears that I once tried so hard to hold back were now streaming down my face endlessly, blurring my vision.
I could barely see where I was going but I didn't care. I continued running and running, until a loud honk pierced through the air the second I stepped onto the road, snapping me back to reality.
But as I snapped my head to look, it was already too late. My eyes widened in fear and a gasp left my lips as the car was already barreling towards me at a high speed.
"Aurelia! Watch out!"