Selene's pov~
I did not sleep the whole night, I cried instead replaying everything from the dinner to the club in my head over and over.
At first I was in denial, I thought I would jolt awake and everything would be a dream but it wasn't. Then I got angry, angry at the both of them for making a fool out of me. Angry at myself for not noticing earlier, for wasting eight years of my life with someone who did not hesitate to make me feel like a burden.
I walked up to the mirror and took a good look at myself, I was not unfit, I was just really healthy. I had currves in all the right places and while my stomach wasn't necessarily flat, it wasn't bulging either, it was normal for my stature.
I was going to make them regret it.
I checked out of my hostel room and made took a taxi back to the restaurant to pick up my car. Then I made my way to our - my apartment. From the door of my apartment, I could hear voices inside.
I recognized the voices, they were Ian and Cassie's voices. I leaned closer to the door to make out what they were trying to say.
"You think she's coming back?" Cassie asked.
"If she does, I'll just chase her out. She loves me too much, she wouldn't dare chase me out." Ian replied.
"And if she does?"
I heard Ian scoff, "Trust me, baby. She wouldn't. I told you she wouldn't come here last night and she didn't."
I punched in the passcode and opened the door to the apartment. Their faces flew to the door and out eyes connected.
Cassie was on his laps, wearing nothing but lingerie while Ian was in a short. I swallowed a lump in my throat, resisting the urge to scream, to ask them why they did what they did.
They both looked at me with disdain, like I should have been scared of them even though they were veazen enough to come back to my apartment.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked, trying to mask the hurt in my voice.
Cassie looked at Ian and he chuckled, removing her from him. He rose to his feet and came closer to me but I put my arm out as a gesture for him to stay where he was.
"I asked what you're doing in my house."
"Selene, baby. It's our house." Ian responded and I felt the urge to scream at his face.
He dared to look so smug when he was the one who cheated. He dared to cal me baby when his side piece was right behind him. He dared to act like he hadn't destroyed an eight year relationship the previous night.
"It's my house." My voice laced with disgust. "Get out."
"Selene, we got this place together." He argued.
"I paid the mortgage, Ian. I paid the rent. I got the furniture. I paid for everything here." I stepped closer to him, "Get your bitch out of my house."
With that, I stepped into the room, passing by Cassie without sparing her a glance and I made my way to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water.
Ian came after me, "We're not leaving. It's my house too. Would you really be able to sleep at night knowing you kicked me out?"
I lost it.
"I assume you slept perfectly well after cheating on me with my best friend." I yelled at him.
"Oh, come on, Selene. Is this really what this is about?" He shot me a dirty look. "You're jealous of Cassie?"
"Jealous?" I laughed in disbelief, "Jealous? Really, Ian? You fucking cheated on me."
"And so what?" He yelled. "And so fucking what?"
I heard Cassie sneer from behind him.
"I do not want to be tied down to one woman for the rest of my life. Not especially one like you." Ian said.
"Because I'm defective?" I repeated his words from the previous day.
"Yes, but you're also boring, you nag a lot and you're too plain looking."
My gaze fell on Cassie who was snickering at the living room. I felt a mix of anger and embarrassment, anger because she became a completely different person from my best friend in less than 24 hours and embarrassment because Ian didn't have a problem insulting me in front of her.
"Get out, Ian." I said, tears falling from my face.
" You know what?" He shot back, " I'm leaving. You can keep the stupid house. I will let you keep that."
Bullshit. It's my house.
He walked away to his room and brought out a suitcase, I guessed he'd already packed his things. For someone who wanted to keep the house, he sure wasn't that serious about it. My eyes didn't overlook the PS5 I had given him the previous night, he held it in his hands as he told Cassie to dress up so they could leave.
"Drop the PS5." I told him and he shot me a glare.
"Listen to me while I'm being nice, Selene. Don't cross the line. I'll take whatever belongs to me."
Cassie dressed up and they both made their way out of the apartment. As soon as the door shut close, I slumped onto the floor, crying my eyes out.
It was unbelievable. I had spent eight years with someone like that. And Cassie, she didn't seem at all like how I remembered her to be. Her version this morning and last night was something I've never seen. I had never noticed that she had a side like that to her.
I had decided earlier that morning that I would make them regret it but I didn't know what I could do for that to happen. I was already dreading work on Monday. I thought of calling for a sick day but my boss already saw me.
"I could quit," I murmured to myself but quickly decided against it. It would make my years of hard work go down the drain. I had done nothing wrong, I wasn't the one who was supposed to bow my head in shame.
I would go to the office on Monday and hold my head high, like I was supposed to, like I always did. But for now, I would cry, eat ice cream and watch sad movies.
~~
I took to my seat on Monday morning, waiting for when the office would erupt in whispers. Everyone at work knew Ian and I were engaged and to be married in a few months so I imagine they would be surprised when they notice that he had shifted gears to the best friend instead.
I was determined not to let whatever uproar to come disrupt my work. But there was something I had completely forgotten. Mr Evans, my boss who had seen me at the club and escorted me to an hotel.
He must think I'm pathetic, crying over a cheat.
Except during meetings, our paths never crossed so I imagined I would not be seeing him for a while. I was working on a file when I heard murmurs. I looked up from my desk to see what the uproar was about and there they were, Ian and Cassie, hand in hand, walking into the office.
It was my bright idea for the three of us to interview for the same department and now I was deeply regretting my actions. Now I would be seeing them everyday.
I slumped back into my chair, trying to avoid the gazes I felt lingering on me. The murmurs got louder as I tried to focus on my work but it wasn't working. The situation was totally getting to me, I thought I was better. I thought I was over it, I thought I didn't miss him because I knew my worth. I could never take back a cheater.
But despite all that, despite all that he said to me, I still wondered, why me? What did I do wrong? What could I have done better? Was I so undesirable? Why did I have to get cheated on?
I knew that the problem wasn't with me but with him, but I still couldn't help but have those thoughts. The feeling that I wasn't enough for someone who meant the world to me.
Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I held it in, crying in the office would cause a different kind of embarrassment for me. The murmurs seemed to get louder and I could feel the stares, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I wanted to get out of that situation.
I closed my eyes, hoping that they would all just shut up and let it go.
"What's going on here?"
I opened my eyes to find Mr Evans walking in. He looked displeased.
The murmurs quickly quieted down. Ian and Cassie also took their respective seats, not wanting to incur his wrath.
Our department manager, Mr Rudolf, stepped forward.
"Good morning, sir. Pleasant surprise to see you here."
Mr Evans ignored him and looked around, his gaze landing on me. I flinched and tried covering myself with my computer but it was too late, he was already walking towards me.
He got to my table and I tried looking away but I was met with my coworkers' stares. I immediately shot my face forward and I saw that Mr Evans was already on one knee.
I heard a gasp from behind me and I knew how misleading that pose was.
Mr Evans studied my legs for a while, then dipped his hands into his pocket and brought out two band aids, a disinfectant and cotton swabs.
"Sir.... What are you doing?" I asked, feeling the weight of the stares in the office.
"You're injured." He said, still staring at my knee. "You should learn to take care of yourself, Selene."
There it was again. The softness which he used to call my name, it was soothing but also very uncomfortable.
He poured disinfectant on the cotton swab and he cleaned my bruise with it, I flinched, realizing I didn't treat it at all. It was the bruise I got while I tried to run after Ian as he was leaving the restaurant. Mr Evans cleaned the bruise gently and applied band aid to my two knees.
"There." He lifted his eyes to meet mine, smiling. "Now you won't be in pain again."
"Thank you." I muttered.
I was thanking him for both the band aid and his presence. Even though it was for a moment, he had successfully stopped the murmurs but thanks to him, I was still being stared at.
"No problem." He got to his feet and made his way to the exit of our department. Before he walked out the door, he turned his head and smirked, "Oh, and Selene. You owe me lunch."
He shut the door behind him and disappeared.