Chapter 1

I was standing in front of the door, breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling.

I thought, 'He's not the person they described. He would never do this to me. He likes me. No, he loves me. They said he cheated on me with another girl. I came here not because I believed them, but because I want to show everyone that they're incorrect about my boyfriend. They specified this hotel's name and this room number, which I'm standing in front of, and that they observed him enter with a girl and enquired briefly about the room number before sending me a message. Even if they are my pals, the things they say about my guy are out of control. I must quit tonight as their friend after opening the door in front of me and proving them wrong.'

I made up my mind and exhaled quickly. I grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open with all my might.

"..."

"I-It's not what you think, I-I can explain..." My boyfriend stuttered to me while nakedly lying on a bed with a girl.

Tears began to fall down my cheeks as I clenched my teeth more in response to what I witnessed.

"It... It isn't." He repeated.

My hands balled into fists.

The other girl's voice was so faint but still audible.

"What kind of sick perverted fuck are you?! You don't even care about your girlfriend! I don't know who you're trying to fool, you're a fucking whore!"

I couldn't take it any longer, so I wiped my tears away and began strolling down the corridor. I walked as quickly as I could. I couldn't stop my tears from streaming down my cheeks no matter how many times I wiped them away. I didn't believe my friends when they said he was cheating on me, but after witnessing it with my own eyes today, I realise how stupid I was. I believe this is what they meant when they said 'blindly in love.' Yeah. I was so head over heels in love with him that I had no idea he was cheating on me. That's how my three years of love ended.

I have no recollection of the first time we kissed. It feels like so long ago now, a lifetime really since he kissed me back with those same soft lips I loved so much. But I know it wasn't that long for him and he has been lying to me about it this whole time.

He was always keeping secrets from me, as though he couldn't trust himself around me, and I was never able to figure out why until the night that everything changed between us. "I love you," is what he told me, when my lips finally touched his.

It was all just one big lie. From the first moment he laid eyes on my smile, until last night in bed when I fell asleep in his arms, he had lied to me. And yet despite what happened in our relationship today, the truth remains that it felt like only yesterday we confessed that we were attracted to each other.

I was running down the corridor when I accidentally collided with someone and fell on the floor. I attempted to stand up on my own by placing both of my hands on the floor, but the guy helped me to stand by holding my hand before I did it on my own.

"Did you get harmed anywhere?" he said once I stood up. I didn't look at him, I simply heard his gruff voice.

I shook my head in response to his question and took my hand away from him, which he is still holding.

I noticed a large empty door-sized window after walking away from him. I ran to it and stood on the edge, seeing the entire city through it, which was brilliant and fuzzy owing to tears in my eyes. I wiped my tears away and looked out the window once more. The city was brightly illuminated by lights from below and stars in the sky above. When I lifted my hand, I noticed the ring on my ring finger. I started crying again when I remembered him handing me this ring. It took me back to the day he gave me this ring.

The flashback begins.

"Did you like it?" He inquired as he placed the ring on my finger.

"I love it!" I said, my eyes welling up with tears.

"Do you want me to take that as a 'yes' for the wedding?"

I struck him and inquired, "We're still in our youth. Don't you think it's a little early?"

"Hahaha. I was only joking. Were you taken seriously?" again laughed and tormented me.

"For a second, I thought you were proposing to me," I said, pouting my lips and making puppy eyes.

"Would you like me to?"

"Enough already with the taunting."

We both burst out laughing and exchanged smiles.

He inquired once more, "I pledge to ask you one day, but only when the timing is right. Okay?" He sounded solemn.

I smiled and nodded at him. He returned my smile and hugged me.

"Thank you," he whispered in my ear, then pressed a kiss on my temple.

The flashback concludes.

Returning to reality,

Enough with the unpleasant emotions. I attempted to take the ring off my finger, but it was too tight to remove. I yanked it again with all my might and finally got it off. I clenched the ring inside the first and thought, 'With this ring on my finger, I've always assumed that someone loves me just as I am. But this ring no longer signifies anything to me.'

I tried to toss it away, but someone drew me back inside the hotel and away from the window, wrapping their hands over my chest as if to protect me from some harm. The hands that enveloped me were so powerful and muscular that I felt it when I tried to break free and felt that person's chest against my back as well. I couldn't feel my feet on the ground because they were flying above the floor while he held me. How can he be so much taller? I couldn't even stand on my own two feet on the ground.

After sobbing uncontrollably, I said in a broken voice, "Let go!... Let me go..."

"I won't let you die," he muttered as I struggled in his hands. His voice was strong and commanding.

Is he a moron? Who's going to die? Me? Argh! Just as I am.

"Let go," I yelled once more.

He didn't pay attention to what I was saying. Is he hard of hearing? I couldn't see his face since he was holding me from behind.

"If I let you go, you'll jump," he said again, his voice hoarse.

He's a complete lunatic.

I yelled, "I didn't come all the way up here to jump!... Let me go!!"

He loosened his grip and asked, "Really?"

Even after he lightened his grip, I couldn't get away from him because he has a solid physique. "Yes!" I exclaimed.

I fell to the ground as soon as he let go of me since I was struggling to get free from his clutches. I became enraged and wanted to vent to him. When I turned to... What happened to him? I took a look around. Where's he? He's gone missing. I was taken aback. How could a tall man like him vanish like that? Weird.

I stepped to the elevator and punched the bottom floor button. It took a long time for the elevator car to arrive at my floor. I exhaled a sigh. It's finally here. I entered the empty elevator and when I lifted my hand to press the button, I noticed my hand and remembered the ring finger being empty. Where's the ring I removed from my hand? What happened to it? I checked my bag, which I was carrying to keep my wallet and phone, but it wasn't there. I suddenly realised I was holding it in my palm. Maybe I dropped it somewhere when that guy grabbed me. The elevator door closed when I tried to exit the floor where I was. I pressed it again, but it was ineffective. It made its way to the ground floor anyhow.

Urgh! Now I have to return to this floor from the ground floor. Sh*t!

The elevator door on the ground floor, where the reception located, opened. When I attempted to press the number of the floor from which I had come, a man in a tux blocked the elevator door from closing by keeping his hand in between the door and the floor. I believed he wanted to come, but he kept asking me things like, "Who are you? What exactly are you doing here?"

Why is he interrogating me in this manner? Who is he to interrogate me? He doesn't even appear to be an officer. I ignored him and pushed the button once more.

He entered the elevator and motioned for me to exit.

"I've got to get to the top floor."

"You're not supposed to go up, Ma'am. There has been an incident here. What are you doing here, please answer my questions? Are you here to meet someone?"

I brushed him aside and clicked the button.

He halted the elevator by resting his feet on the door and ordering, "Mam, Please get out of the elevator."

"How come I have to?"

He grabbed my elbow like an officer would a burglar and hauled me out of the elevator.

"Stop squeezing me like that! I'm not a thief."

I no longer require that ring. Anyway, I tried throwing it out to get rid of it. It's now gone missing.

I tried to wiggle my hand free from his grasp while responding, "Okay. I'm not going to go to the top floor. Leave me alone. Let go of my hand!"

He let go of my hand and inquired, "Mam, Is it okay if I check your bag right here?"

"Check my bag? I'm already on the verge of my boyfriend cheating on me. Do not force me to beat you with the bag you requested me to examine. I wasn't joking, either." And looked at him.

"May I just have a peek at your ID, ma'am?"

"Are you going to leave me after that?"

He gave a nod.

I took out my identification and showed it to him. He took it from me and examined it before saying, "Heloisa Alves dos Santos, Johansson University, Faculty of Philosophy, Science, and Literature, junior What is a student doing in such a place?"

"Did you not hear me before? I went to check on my boyfriend and discovered he was cheating on me. Is that all you need to know, or do you want to know more? And, why are you asking me so many questions? Are you an officer?"

He gave my ID back and said, "Okay. You may leave at this time. Could I ask you one more question?"

"Argh!!! You're not finished yet. What exactly is it?"

"Did you happen to notice somebody up there with the red stone?"

"If you don't leave me now, the only red thing that will appear is your blood. Do you still want to see anything in red?"

He extended his hand to the exit, as if releasing me.

"Many thanks!" I chuckled and walked out the door.

What a strange individual!

I walked to the hotel's entrance and exited the building. What a fu*cking day it was!