Chapter 2

ROSE’S POV

I stared at the scene before me in disbelief, watching my supposed fiancé exchange the marital vows with a woman whose face I couldn’t properly see.

Standing by a corner at the extreme end of the hall with a thick black veil over my face, tears rolled down my eyes while I waited patiently for the wedding rituals to be over.

I still couldn’t believe my eyes. Jake was my fiancé until three days ago!

I had recently returned from France a few days ago and to my ultimate surprise, I heard news of him getting married just three days after he suddenly called off our engagement. Why in the world would he do such a thing to me? I really hope to find out soon.

Soon enough, I found my chance to speak with him when he was heading towards the restroom.

And for a while, there was an unending silence between us and the air was obviously tensed as well. Something about him had changed. He just stood there staring at me with an emotionless aura, like he wasn’t the love of my life a few days ago. He was completely different and gave off an air of indifference as he turned around to walk away. But my questions came tumbling after him that he had no choice but to turn back at me.

“Jake, what’s going on and why?” I asked softly, taking two steps closer.

But he scoffed and raked his hands through his hair before responding to my questions. And well, his answer did break my heart, even though it might be false. “Rose, I never for once loved you, you were only a game to me and I got bored of playing. Isn’t that enough to explain this break up?” He asked coldly, arching his eyebrows at me.

“You spent five years gaming? Ha!” And despite myself, I couldn’t help but scoff, “you think I would believe this crap? Don’t you dare lie to my face! T-that’s a big lie,” my voice grew softer as tears clouded my vision once again but I stepped even closer to him. “Jake, you are in love with me… you love me,” I reached out my hands to hold his right hand.

“It’s over between us,” he blurted out, yanking his hand away from mine. Jake who used to become weak at even a glimpse of tears in my eyes, was suddenly immune to my tears now so much that it doesn’t seem to move him again. But I still couldn’t believe this new reality…

“How could you do such a thing to me? First, you called off our engagement and now you got married after three days? You were cheating all along right? Just tell me this is a dream.” I spluttered out through choking hot tears.

While I bowed my head and cried, I suddenly heard Jake call out to someone. “Honey!”

I raised my teary gaze only to see him walking over to a young woman having long black curls and dressed in a lovely white bridal dress. I stared at the woman with horrified bewilderment.

My lips parted open slightly as I tried to say her name, but words seemed to fail me at this point.

W-why… why’s Jake holding onto my best friend and calling her honey? Selena, why are you here?

The more I stared at her, the more shocked and doubtful I became.

“R-Rose,” she started in a cracked, shaky voice. “I…I…” she stuttered nervously. But tears filled my eyes as I silently watched her, my heart breaking to unimaginable pieces as the pain from her betrayal clawed mercilessly at it. Was this really the Selena I know?

“I didn’t, I really didn’t…” she was saying when I reached over her side in a fit of blinded rage and interrupted her with a resounding slap that threw her off balance as more tears poured down my eyes.

“Rose!” Jake yelled at me in a shocked voice as he tried to help Selena up. “How dare you hit my wife? What the hell is wrong with you? What if someone had seen this?” He thundered and I stared at him with disbelief in my eyes. He was defending her? This was strange and new… and even more infuriating to witness…

However, I wiped the tears that rolled off my cheeks and glared at him. “I don’t care. You should have thought about that before you decided to hurt me like this.” I took a few steps forward to Selena, and she stepped backward with tears glistening in her eyes while she held onto her cheek with a hand.

In the past, in a different scenario, I would have tried to console her and wipe her tears but not ever again would I do that. She was worse than a scheming bitch to me right now than I would ever have imagined.

"I am so sorry, Rose. It...It was never my intention." She said through teary eyes and severe blinking of her lashes.

"Selena, so you could do such a thing to me?!" My voice was bitter and laced with doubt as my cloudy eyes locked against hers.

"Despite all I've done for you all these years, you betrayed me in the most horrific manner ever? Ha!" Tears of obvious pain ran down my cheeks as I talked but it didn't matter. "When others made fun of you, it was I who stood by you, cared for you, and protected you, more as a sister than even a best friend, but look how you pay me back. When no one wanted to associate with you, I was there with you and supported you through your pain. But... But..." My voice broke down into distraught sobs.

"Rose," Selena sobbed, trying to take some steps closer to me but Jake held onto her tightly, like his life depended on it. Just how did he suddenly change? "I swear I didn't know," she cried.

"You didn't know?" I gazed at her through teary eyes that flashed with sudden pain and hatred. "Don't you dare tell me that crap!" I screamed.

"Rose please, I really didn't know. You have to believe me." Her hands clasped together in desperate plea. But I just couldn't believe her.

"I can't believe this! This... this is what I get in return after everything? I told you about my man, my life, and my plans. But you went behind me to date and even dared to marry him? Oh, how stupid of me to have ever considered you a friend. You're so evil and I'm never going to forgive you for this."

I paused and silently looked at her from head to toe, then I leaned over to whisper behind her left ear. “I’m not giving up on Jake, so think twice before you go into this competition with me and baby, we would see who’s going to end up with the loser tag.” I leaned back and scoffed, dusted her wedding dress shoulder pad before I walked off, not sparing them another glance.

So much for being a best-friend, you sly bitch…

The moment I took a turn down another hallway, my phone beeped and I glanced at it to see it’s a message from an unknown individual.

‘What do you want me to do to him?’

I stopped in my strides, scoffing as I stared into space.

“Dear best-friend, you’re so done for.” I murmured.