Chapter 3 Failed Attempts

Anthony's excitement from a few years ago about having Andrea had already vanished the moment he started sleeping with another woman. Now, he felt absolutely nothing for her. He was numb, detached, and utterly indifferent.

Andrea, unaware of the turmoil brewing within him, leaned in closer. She unbuttoned his shirt and kissed him passionately, her affection genuine and uninhibited.

But thirty minutes have passed and Anthony still couldn’t perform. He lay there, motionless, fragile like jelly.

“What’s wrong?” Andrea asked, her voice tinged with confusion. “Don’t you feel anything for me? Why can’t..... you, you know, get it up? Is something wrong?”

Anthony sighed, feeling cornered and humiliated. “Look, Andrea, your sudden demand for sex is stressing me out. That’s why this is happening. Just give it time—it’ll work,” he muttered, cursing her under his breath. The embarrassment weighed on him, his handsome face marred by humiliation.

“How dare you put me in this position?” he snapped inwardly, his frustration boiling over. How could this happen to him, especially in front of Andrea—the woman he had worked so hard to seduce?

"But you always wanted this"

"I said give it time," Anthony snapped in frustration and got up from the bed.

He felt even worse when Andrea reminded him that he had attempted several times to make love to her; those times, he was always strong, but Andrea kept turning him down, and now he has full access. This is happening, not that he cared, but it bruised his ego.

Andrea sat up, confusion etched across her face. She had come to surprise her boyfriend, expecting intimacy and connection, only to be met with disappointment. All the money she had spent earlier at the scan center to track her ovulation felt wasted.

She bent down to pick up her discarded clothes, but something under the bed caught her eye. At first, she thought it was a deflated balloon. But as her hand brushed against it, she froze.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead as realization dawned. In her trembling hand was a used condom filled with Anthony’s semen.

Andrea’s heart raced, her throat tightening as bile rose. Her eyes darted back under the bed, and there they were—two more used condoms, carelessly tossed aside. Freshly used.

“What’s this, Anthony?” she asked, her voice trembling with rage and heartbreak as she shoved the item before his face.

Anthony’s eyes widened. He quickly grabbed the condom from her hand, and his face turned red.

“How did you find that?” he snapped, attempting to sound nonchalant. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ll throw it away.” His voice cracked, betraying his guilt.

Andrea stepped back, her fury reaching its peak. Her palm connected with his face in a sharp slap that echoed through the room. The condom slipped from his hand, falling to the floor.

“How dare you cheat on me!" she demanded, her voice shaking with anger and pain.

Anthony clasped his cheek, stunned. “Did you just slap me?” he growled, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare which could have frightened her, but it doesn't. All she felt was the crushing pain of his betrayal.

Anthony’s expression hardened, and his words cut like knives. “Do you think I’d wait around, Andrea? You keep denying me, so I found someone who doesn’t play games.”

Andrea staggered his cruel words stabbing at her heart. “Who ...was it, Anthony, the ... woman you slept with?” Andrea’s voice broke, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Who was it?” she asked her voice barely a whisper now and dreading the answer. But he still heard her.

Anthony smirked, his tone dripping with venom. “You want to know? Fine. It was Evelyn—your step-sister.”

Andrea’s knees buckled as his words sank in. “You’re lying,” she choked out, her voice filled with disbelief. “Evelyn would never do this to me. You’re lying, you bastard!” Even though Evelyn and her mother despise her, Andrea is sure Evelyn won't descend so low to sleep with her boyfriend.

How wrong she was.

Anthony chuckled darkly. “You’re so naive, Andrea. If you don’t believe me, call her. Go ahead.”

Desperately hoping it was all a lie, Andrea grabbed her phone with shaking hands and dialed Evelyn’s number. The call connected on the second ring.

“Hi, sis! What’s up?” Evelyn’s cheerful voice came through the phone andwas innocen,t like nothing had happened.

Andrea didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Evelyn, I need you to tell me the truth. Is there something going on between you and Anthony?” Her voice cracked as she spoke, she prayed silently in her heart that this was all just a sick joke.

Evelyn's tone shifted, calm yet unapologetic. "I see he told you already. That makes this easier. Yes, Andrea, it's true. Anthony and I have been in love with each other"

"How long has this been going on" Andrea whispered, barely breathing.

"It's been a year now. Now that you know, stay away from him. Anthony is mine."

Andrea gasped, her throat tightening as the tears streamed down her face. "What did you just---"

The call disconnected, leaving her words hanging in the air. Her phone slipped from her trembling hand shattering on the floor as sobs wracked her body.

The pain of betrayal, the sharpness of Evelyn's confession, and Anthony's cruelty tore her apart.

Her world crumbled, piece by piece before her very eyes.