Bittersweet Chocolate

GLENDA'S POV

I approached my room with trepidation, fearing what sight awaited me on the other side of the door. The image already forming in my mind was gut-wrenching. I hoped it wasn't what I was thinking but I'd be foolish to believe otherwise.

"You like it, yeah? You like how I hit it right? Damn, you feel so mighty good. The best I've had in days!" I heard the male voice, a voice I recognized all too well. It was Brian, my boyfriend.

The Brian I had left everything for. The same Brian I had abandoned my family for. The Brian I worked my ass off while he did nothing but lived off the paltry sum I earned at the cafe.

I peeled the door open as quietly as I had come in. At any time, I could recognize the naked male figure who had his back to me with slender white legs wrapped around his waist.

My mouth was left agape, my hands began trembling, and my eyes blurred with tears at the sight before me. I couldn't watch it anymore.

"Brian?" I whispered as I trembled back into the living room. I could barely hear myself speak and I didn't think he heard me either, but he did.

He rushed into the living room, tugging at his boxers as he tried to put them on.

"Glenda, it's not what you think." He tried to explain.

I raised my tear-brimmed eyes to him. My lips quivered with sobs.

"She's just a friend. She doesn't mean anything to me." He said lamely.

I felt rage instantly consume me. Did he think I was a fool? Did he think he was talking to a child? Did I look that stupid to him?

"How about I go say hello to your friend," I said, getting up to head for the room.

The lady emerges from the room before I can rise from the sofa. She had a shawl wrapped around her head to hide her face. The sight of her jabbed at my soul. I wanted to claw at her and rip her to pieces for her shameless act.

As I charged towards her, I felt a restraint around my waist and a force pull me back and toss me roughly back against the sofa.

"Leave, I'll call you," Brian said to her over his shoulder, his eyes intent on me, daring me to do what I had in mind.

"You'll call her? Who is she to you Brian, that you protect her?" I asked as shock consumed me. Filled with rage, I raised my hand to hit him but he caught my hand mid-air and flung it away from him.

He was no longer calm nor did he try to explain himself any further. His eyes stared at me resentfully as he crossed his arm over his chest, clenching and unclenching his jaw like he was trying to control his anger.

He was angry? Was he supposed to be the angry one? I just caught him cheating! Yet he was giving me berating looks for reacting. I couldn't believe he was mad. He was in the wrong yet he was mad at me.

I suddenly felt weak, my shoulder slumped and I began to shake with sobs. I slapped at his chest in a bid to vent.

"How could you? How could you Brian?" I sobbed bitterly as my hands made repeated contact with his chest and arms across his chest.

"Oh come off it! Stop this nonsense!" He bellowed at me and violently pushed me away from him, knocking me to the ground.

From my ground position, I looked up at him in shock. Tears blurred my vision, my heart shrunk with deep pain. This was all nonsense to him? My lips trembled with sobs as I tried to speak.

"Nonsense? This is nonsense to you Brian? I left my family for you. I gave you my all! I dedicated the past year of my life to you. I …"

"Glenda, I didn't ask you to give me your life or whatever you said." He rudely interrupted me.

I was pained and my pain stirred nothing in him. It made me wonder if this was the man I fell in love with. Has he always been this cold and heartless?

My eyes began to blur again. "But you never refused my nonsense, instead you took it all, and you enjoyed every moment of my foregoing. I worked my ass off for you, and gave you every penny I earned, you never said it was nonsense then, did you?" I asked him as new tears rolled down my face.

He chuckled. "We both enjoyed every moment of it or didn't you?"

His words left me speechless. I opened my mouth to speak but words failed me.

"And don't you even begin to brag about the peanuts you earned? We were barely getting by. I was sick of the miserable dinner you brought home every day from that stupid cafe." He said ungratefully, his voice laced with irritation.

I couldn't believe love blinded me so much that I never saw Brian for who he was. A monster!

"Listen, we both enjoyed it while it lasted, but it's gotten boring. I've been bored for a while now and I think it's good you found out about this, it makes it easier for us. I think we should move on, you know, go our separate ways. Let's break up." He said so casually and indifferently like it was an everyday conversation.

I felt like I died all over again. I had just caught him cheating and instead of apologizing to me, he was breaking up with me. I shut my eyes tightly. Maybe this was all a dream.

Disappointment stood, cheering at me when I opened my eyes. I wasn't dreaming. It was all real. Brian was doing this to me.

"You should leave." He added with disdain in his voice.

I shook my head at his lack of remorse or pity. I didn't even want his pity. I became angry at how foolish I was to believe that he loved me.

"You'll pay for this Brian," I said with a shaky voice, trying to sound confident.

"Oh please get going already!" He shot at me with irritation.

I was broken. Brian had broken me. With a broken heart, a despairing spirit, and trepidation, I boarded a bus heading back home.