THE BETRAYAL

CHAPTER ONE.

Alana rolled her neck this way and that, exhaling deeply as the muscles popped in response. It’d been three weeks since she left the house for a business trip and she was all too excited to come back to Charles.

However, the atmosphere around the house was a gloomy one and she wondered why but when she thought of the surprise she had in store for her boyfriend, she pushed dark thoughts out of her head.

Stepping out of the car, she dragged her suitcase out, as well as the bags of decorations she stopped to get at a supermarket.

One of the mall attendants had assured her that scented candles were sure to bring back the spark of romance in the bedroom. Especially since things had gone a little sour between her and Charles. 

She hoped to surprise him with her arrival and maybe after a few rounds of makeup sex, things would bounce back to normal. 

That was why she reached for sandalwood, jasmine and vanilla, three scents that were known to be alluring. A few packets of red petals would hurt no one, she thought right before she snatched those right off the shelf.

As she stepped into the house, she was met with darkness and turning the lights on, she discovered to her delight that the place was clean spotless. 

It wasn’t unexpected but she was impressed regardless. Quickly, she locked the door and put away her bags so she could begin the decorations. 

By the time she was done, she took a deep bath, turned the lights off and settled in the middle of their king-sized bed with a white lace lingerie. 

Alara could no longer keep her eyes open any longer as exhaustion dragged her under, pulling her into the depths of sleep.

She stirred. Hours had passed since she laid in wait for his presence. Slowly, she woke at a faint sound. Was it ruffling—or shuffling? Was that a break-in?

Alara sat up with great care not to draw attention to herself. She tensed as she listened. Low moans, urgent whispers and a zipping sound.

Then, the door opened.

The next words she heard had her blood freezing in her veins.

“...like this, don’t you?” Kisses. Moans. More kisses.

A low moan met her hearing.

Even sunk deep in slumber, Alara could recognize that voice anywhere. It was the groans of Charles in the throes of pleasure. Those words he used when he was trying to seduce her into bed and get her away from work.

She couldn’t hold the surge of anger when she realized what was going on. Her chest rose and fell with each sharp breath, fists clenched in anger.

The bed dipped with weight as the loud smacking of lips continued.

“CHARLES!” She yelled suddenly, despite her voice cracking like thunder in the silence.

There was a gasp. A thud. A shuffle. Panicked footsteps—hurried and fumbling. 

Somebody flipped the switch on and white lights filled the room to illuminate the decorations she had so painstakingly done. There he was standing by the switch like a deer caught in deerlights.

Charles had not dreamed he’d ever be caught like this. He saw her car in the driveway but discarded suspicions that she was home. All he thought was that it’d been driven home from the airport like before.

“A-Alara?” he stuttered like an idiot. 

Alara’s attention was pinned on the woman sitting at the foot of the bed, her back turned to her. Strawberry blonde, that damned straight posture—who else if not Michelle Austin…

…her secretary. The same one who declined going on the trip because she needed to take care of her ailing mother. 

Alara turned to look at Charles. “What is the meaning of this? I went on a business trip and you couldn’t think of keeping it in your pants for just three weeks?”

He dragged his hands from his hair and down his face, and even had the guts to look guilty. “It’s not as easy as you put it, baby. I’m a man with urges which sometimes get out of control. You were always on one business trip or the other. What would you have had me do?”

Alara wrapped the covers around herself, unable to believe her ears. “Is that your pathetic excuse for cheating on your girlfriend of three years? We planned a future together.”

He approached her but the looks on her face stopped him in his tracks. He turned to his mistress, “Give us a moment, please.”

Without a word, Michelle slipped out of the room, unable to show her face to Alara. 

She didn’t have any iota of shame when she was putting her paws all over her boyfriend like a thirsty whore and…Alara closed her eyes when she could no longer handle the pain that seared through her being. 

“Baby—”

She put up a hand to stop him. “How long has this been going on?”

An exhale and then he tucked his hands into the front of his pants. “Six months.”

Her eyes went round in shock as she quickly did the maths. It had to be around the time of her birthday because that was the first time she introduced them to each other.

“You have been fucking Michelle behind my back for six months, Charles. When were you going to announce the breakup?” She had no control of her bottom lips as it wobbled.

She felt like an oblivious fool.

Charles gazed down at her, noting her white knuckles as she clutched the duvet with a death grip. She was hurt. He wasn’t so bothered. Afterall, she had it coming for her. 

“You were so focused on working and making unreasonable plans for our future, there was no way I could crush those dreams. What kind of person would that make me?”

“Well, now you’ve been caught, what does that make you? A terrible fucking person,” she swore, as the first fat drops of tears slid down her face. She wiped them off angrily. “Go ahead and justify yourself for cheating. Blame it on me and blame it on my job.”

“That’s not it.” He inserted softly, turning on his charm.

“I don’t need to hear any more of your lies. Get out.”

He gave her a long look, then held the doorknob. “You know what? Perhaps you deserve this.”

Alara blinked as her breath caught in her throat. Deserve this?

She stared at him, searching his face for remorse or regret but there was nothing. He meant those words.

“Look, I got tired of having to compete with your career and found someone who puts me first. You’ll get over it in a few days and move on to your job as always.” 

It felt as though Alara was interacting with a stranger. Like the scales had fallen off her eyes and she could truly behold the vain person that stood before her. 

Her fingers curled tighter around the sheets. “What the hell did you just say?”

Charles tilted his head to regard her like she was the one being unreasonable. “You heard me.”

A bitter laugh tumbled out of her, brittle like she felt on the inside. “First you cheat on me with my secretary, and now…now you’re acting like I’m the problem?”

He shrugged slowly as he twisted the knob in his hand in a deliberately manner that made her picture it was her heart being twisted instead.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have if you weren’t so damn difficult and unavailable all the time. I did my best to manage the mismanagement of your time and you’re here being ungrateful. How many men can take that?”

The sheer audacity, Alara thought, her poor heart pounding in her ears. This was cruelty. 

With a deep breath, she pinned him with steely glare. “Get out. Now!”

But Charles only smirked knowing he’d pushed a button and he revelled in that. 

To twist the knife further in, he added, “You know, I think I will.” He pulled the door open, pausing long enough to glance back. “Goodluck finding a fantastical man who is willing to put up with you.”

The door slams and Alara flinches. Silence swallowed the entire room but inside her, a storm of rage swirled. She curled herself back to close her eyes and see if she could give in to sleep. 

However, hours later, her eyes remained wide open as tears poured out of them. Not only could she not fall asleep, the loud moans and wet sounds of flesh slapping against flesh made sure she didn’t.