CHAPTER FOUR

"Hello Hera, how are you doing?" Tia asked her friend as she picked up the call.

"Oh well, you would not know if I jumped off a cliff and died would you?" Hera said sparkly and Tia groaned. She knew that her friend was upset since they had not talked in while. 

"I am sorry Hera. It has really been a while. I am sorry that we have not talked, please forgive me my love," Tia said to her friend, she had a smile on her face. Hera was a friend that was so easy to talk to, even if the day had been long and stressful, Hera made it very easy.

"Well you are forgiven, but that is only because I love you, and you are very lucky that I do," Hera said and Tia laughed. Her words are like a hug, it felt like she was right beside her.

"Of course babe," Tia said.

"So, what is the problem?" Hera asked Tia and she let out a long sigh, it really had been a long long day.

"I don't even know where to start," Tia said with a groan.

"Well there is no better place to start than the very beginning," Hera said.

"We should go out, I need to leave the house and breathe. You know what, I am coming to your place," Tia said and stood up from her chair, she was already going to Hera's place. Their conversation was not one for phones. They needed to see face to face.

"Wait, wait. You are leaving your humble abode? That must mean something huge happened, there is no other explanation," Hera said and Tia sighed. She was not willing to start the discussion on phone, now that she said she was coming to Hera's house, she truly did have to go.

"Well something happened at least," Tia said to Hera, and her friend gasp. She did have the tendency to be very over dramatic, it was in her veins.

"You can not leave me in suspense Tia, you have to tell me every single thing that happened, at least you have to start before you leave," Hera begged and Tia rolled her eyes.

"I am on my way to you house Hera, I promise to tell you everything by the time that I get there," Tia replied her friend as she put on her shoes.

"Okay, I am waiting, so hurry up and get here as soon as possible," Hera said and Tia laughed at how dramatic she could be.

"I am on my way, I am going off the phone now," Tia said before disconnecting the call and moving out of her room. Her parents seemed to not be available and so it was easy for her to leave the house with no issues at all.

She took one of her father's cars together with the driver and told him to take her to Hera's crib.

Hera had moved out of her parent's house after they proposed an arranged marriage for her. Tia always admired her courage and grit.

Tia could not help but think about Lloyd and how attentive he had been to her needs on her way to Hera's house. He was only annoying when she said she did not want anything to do with him. Tia knew that it would he very nice and sweet to have a man that would treasure her everyday like Lloyd did that night. Her memories of the their encounter were coming back slowly and Tia discovered that she liked to savor the memories, and keep them close to her.

"We are here Ma'am," the middle aged driver said and that broke Tia out of her reverie.

"Thank you," Tia said and stepped out of the car. She looked forward to see the housing quarters that looked too mundane, too average to her, but it was what Hera called home and Tia knew that it was home to other people, Tia would have preferred if the other people were not as much as they were, but she respected her friend's decision and she liked the different atmosphere whens she came there. Tia just felt that there were somethings that should be felt only once in a very long while and they included those kind of houses.

Tia went into the building and got to Hera's flat in a few minutes. She knocked on the door and the smiling face of her friend was what she saw on the other end in a few seconds.

"Tia! You are glowing," Hera said as she gave her a hug. Tia was confused as she felt the she looked like she had always done, and that it was odd that Hera would say she was glowing.

"Thank you?" She said, or asked. Tia entered into the house and plopped her self on one of the chairs.

"You're welcome. I thought something was wrong, but it seems by the way you look that everything is right," Hera said to her friend and Tia shook her head.

"I do not know what you are on about Hera, but I am in a bit of a mess," Tia said to Hera who raised up one of her eyebrows.

"Well, tell it to me, that is why I am here, to listen to all of your problems and pretend that I have a solution to it," Hera said ~ Tia laughed.

"So yes, the beginning. I caught William cheating on me," Tia said. She expected Hera to look surprised but there was nothing like surprise on her face.

"Continue your story, why are you looking at me in that manner?" Hera asked and Tia shook her head.

"I thought you would be surprised," Tia said and Hera looked confused for a moment before laughing.

"William is a hoe, I know this and even you know this, you do not just want to admit it, you need to have it rubbed in your face first," Hera said and Tia quietened.

"Please Tia, continue your story," Hera said again and Tia sighed. At least she knew that it was not surprising to anyone else, she should really not go back to him as he was not worth it.

"Okay yes, I caught him with someone else. It was very obvious and I was pained, you know that I gave my virginity to him a few months back and he even proposed with a ring, I had thought things would be normal now and that he would love me this time but I was so wrong," Tia said. She could feel he chest hurt from all the pain that she had felt then.

"I went home changed to my shortest dress and went to the club, I had the intentions of moving on, I do not want anything to do with William anymore," Tia continued and Hera nodded.

"And then, I met someone. He was really handsome and nice and I was drunk," Tia continued, she was smiling then. She could not remember everything in details but she was close enough she could get somethings that were going on.

"So I followed him to his hotel room and well I do not remember everything that happened, but I had sex with him, I can remember that much," Tia said and Hera gasped.

"What!" Hera shouted and Tia felt ashamed, she knew that her friend would feel so appalled by what she did. She figured that since Hera was rebelling against her own parents she would be the only one no to judge her.

"I know that it is really bad, but I was not thinking and I was so angry," Tia said, trying to justify her actions.

"Was he handsome?" Hera asked with a smile on her face. Tia looked at her friend with confusion, what had changed, was she not surprised and shocked a few moments ago?

"Well, he was yes. But are you not angry at me? Disgusted?" Tia asked and Hera really looked appalled this time.

"What? No! Why would you think so?" Hera asked

"Well you exclaimed just now and I figured that you were shocked, I cheated on William you see," Tia said to her friend and Hera shook her head.

"That was not it, that was not it at all. I was shocked yes, this is not your style and all, I would not believe that you really had a one night stand. But I am proud of you, very much so, because well, you had a one night stand. You have really always been so uptight and following your family's rules you have not done anything for yourself, so I am happy for you. So what happened next tell me more," Hera said and Tia felt calm, guilt was still eating at her but she was much better than she used to, at least Hera did not view her as dirty because she cheated on William. She called off the relationship after, even if he did not agree.

"Well, I was there throughout the night and when I woke up in the morning, I panicked. I might have said some bad things to Lloyd, he is my one night stand and then I started to go home," Tia said. She was about to continue but she was cut short by Hera.

"So wait, you did not get his number?" Hera asked and Tia rolled her eyes.

"Well he is a one night stand for a reason, and  I was still engaged to William," Tia said.

"Was?" Hera asked and Tia shrugged.

"Long story. I will tell you everything, anyway. So when I was on my way back home, William called me and was apologizing for what happened, he wanted the relationship to continue. I told him that it was not possible at all, and that ending the relationship was for both of us, he did not relent and kept on begging and then I disconnected the call. So when I got home, my father was waiting for me I guess, William had already called him. My father told me that there was no way that I could break up with William," Tia said she was even nore angry as she said it out.

"What the hell? William called your father immediately you had the argument?" Hera asked and Tia nodded.

"You can not marry that man Tia, you will just be a slave in the marriage," Hera said and Tia nodded. She knew that very well, that was the way it would end.

"My father is not giving me a choice and you know that I am dependent on him. You know that he wants me to marry William because of the company because he wants William to take over, he does not trust me, and he does not want my step brothers to take over the company. He values the company far more than he values me. You can imagine that my mother too comes and takes my side during the whole argument, and then tells me to convince my father to put one of my step brothers as the CEO of the company. Everything is so messed up and I do not know what to do," Tia said to her friend who shook her head.

"No offence Tia, but both your parents are messed up, you need to save up and leave that toxic environment," Hera said to Tia who shrugged.

Not so long ago, she would have never imagined thinking about leaving her father's house to stay somewhere with less luxuries. She wanted to marry William before now and she loved him so it seemed she was blind to his excesses.

"I don't know Hera, my problem now is getting my father or William to call off the wedding," Tia said.

"Well I know it is big for you, but maybe with time you can consider it. As for William, you should tell him that you cheated, bastards like that can not take it when someone cheats on them, he will call off the wedding but be ready for some backlash, it will not be easy at all," Hera said and Tia stared at her friend in shock. How did Hera expect her to tell William or her father that she cheated? They would kill skin her alive, but then again, he would most probably not marry her and that was for the best. Maybe the answer to all of her problems was the one night stand she had?