Chapter 0048
I
With my heart heavy with betrayal, I blurted out, "Are you honestly blaming me right now?" I tilted my head back in a futile attempt to stop the tears from falling. A bitter laugh escaped my lips even as I sobbed. "I just wanted to surprise you, but I'caught you cheating!
Joel sneered and the sound cut through my already shattered heart. "Cheating?" He scoffed. "We never defined our relationship. There were no labels, no commitments. We aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. How can you accuse me of cheating when we were never exclusive?"
I folded my hands over my chest and implored him, "Then what am I to you, Joel? If not your girlfriend, then what?"
My heart shattered into a million pieces as Joel, the man I believed I loved and was hopeful that he might equally be head over heels in love with me, told me to my face that, "We're just friends with benefits, Grace," he declared coldly. "We're simply fuck buddies. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. That's all it
ever was.
It felt like the air was knocked out of me and I instinctively recoiled, taking a step back. "Fuck buddies?" I repeated, my voice hollow with disbelief. I hated the tremor in my voice, the relentless stream of tears that told of my pain. "What about the sweet nothings you whisper to me? What about the promises?"
He didn't even sound remorseful as responded and raised a stern finger. "I never made any promises, Grace," he stated firmly. Then he shrugged callously and dipped his hands into the pocket of his slacks
afterward, "You read too much into our rep. The words I said in the heat of the moment meant
nothing. I thought you were smarter than this."
My heart sank and it felt like my world crumbled around me as his words sank in, I felt utterly alone, hurt and deceived.
"Darling, how have you let your taste degrade so much in my absence? To actually fancy such a stupid woman!" My gaze riveted to the wench on the couch as her shrill voice interrupted, piercing the already tense atmosphere like a cold knife.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
My gaze fixated on the woman sprawled on the couch, her presence was the cause of all of this in the first place. I pointed a trembling finger at her and turned to Joel, "Who is she?" "Who is she?" I asked Joel, pointing a trembling finger at the woman.
Before Joel could respond, she spoke up, her lips tilting to one side in a smirk, "I'm Sandra, the one he truly loves. I was out of town and he's been waiting for me all this while. You're just a fleeting distraction; a toy to pass his time whenever he was bored. Now that I'm back, you should realize your place and leave!
I felt my fists clench on their own accord, each if her words fueling the ache in my chest. Slowly, it morphed into anger. My chest rose and fell; more I stared at her, the more I wanted to tear her apart. "You bitch!" I screamed and flung myself at her. I pulled at her hair and blindly bit into her neck. Her cry of pain reverberated through the room and soothe the ache in my chest a bit.
+ suddenly felt hands on my midriff and then inwa seeing pulled away from her. I slapped at Joel's hands. Get your hands off me, you cheat!"
I thrashed in his arms as he held me up in a strong grip Sandra got on her knees and started to slap me
then she started to scratch at my face until my face stung and I was crying and begging, my face hurting. like it was being pricked with needles. "Please," I cried, "I'm sorry, Joel, Just let me go. Please.
As I cried and picked up my bag fn shame, I felt their gazes on me. "You should've just stuck to time, Grace. Then this wouldn't have happened."
I staggered down the stairs, ignoring the stare of the guard and passersby. My tears blurred my vision as I drove home.
I literally dragged myself from my car to the kitchen where I packed a handful of beers and wine I could find in the kitchen, both alcoholic and non alcoholic, my sobs echoing in the house as tears streamed down my face.
My face still hurt and my gaze was blurry. I shook the bottles my hand could find but they were all empty. My feet wobbled as I went to the kitchen and took more bottles from the fridge.
Sontent of the bottles again I laid on the floor and more sob racked my body when I exhausted Suddenly, I heard someone shout my name. They sounded so much like Sydney. Then she was holding me up and cradling my face.
Even through my blurry gaze, I could see the tiny brown plaster on one side of her forehead. "I'm sorry, the necklace you gave me, I lost it at his place, but I couldn't go back for it." I broke into another fit of tears and she hugged me to her chest again.
She carressed my hair, "It's okay. I'll take you to the hospital first. And then I'll go get your necklace for you," there was a pause then she spoke again, her voice hard and determined, "I will get justice for you."