Heartbreak Anniversary

Brenda Michael packed up her desk a little early that Friday evening. For the past ten minutes, she had checked her watch at least five times, eagerly anticipating tonight.

After waiting three years, it was finally here, the night she would say that life-changing word 'Yes'

Her surprise dinner was by 7:30 pm, but here she was with barely twenty minutes left to get home.

She raced towards her car excitedly and just as she reached, her phone vibrated with a text from her best friend Adina

Adina: "The cake is ready Brenda, I need to run a quick errand, so I won't be there when you pick it up, wishing you goodluck

PS; Do not spare any details, I want to hear all about it when it happens, congratulations boo!"

Brenda smiled excitedly "I can't believe this is finally going to happen finally" she squealed

Of course, today wasn't any other day, this was the third anniversary with her boyfriend Nathan Brady

They'd been dating for three years, and Brenda had kept her relationship a secret from her parents. At twenty-seven years old, they were consistently breathing down her neck to get married, or at least bring someone home.

She could remember the chilling words from her mother that day “Brenda your relentless pursuit of a career is absurd. You’re never going to be anything more than just a wife, the earlier you realize this and stop pursuing your empty dreams, the better it’ll be for you, else you’ll wake up one day and realize that you’ve wasted your life pursuing something you could never have"

Carol’s words still echoed in her mind, haunting her long after that day. That was also the last day Brenda saw her parents. She had grown tired of the familiar faces with apathetic mindsets, that was why when she got the job as a sales executive, she hopped on the first flight and left Lindfield for good.

Eventually, she realized her mother was right, she was becoming lonely and unfulfilled, that was until she met Nathan while trying to secure a top client for her company. Nathan was also a sales agent for a smaller company. He used all his skills to sell himself to Brenda, and before she could realize it, she had already fallen for him.

And now after three years, she had built a great career, and was in line for a promotion, and with all the signs she'd gotten from Nathan, she was confident tonight was going to be the night he'd pop the question

It was rather perfect timing, especially after she received that dreadful call from her parents, informing her that they’d be in the city soon to visit her. She knew that when once she showed them her engagement ring, they wouldn’t pressure her to get married to Roy anymore.

Staring at her reflection in the rearview mirror, she powdered and dolled herself up, ignited the engine, and after making a quick stop at Adina's bakery, drove home

Once she got home, she slipped off her heels and quietly headed to their room.

Nathan had no clue she’d be back home early. When Brenda reminded him of their anniversary, she purposefully told him she would be working late at the office. Nathan reassured her that it was okay and that he had a surprise waiting for her when she got home.

"Surprise?", that was all she needed to confirm that he was going to propose. A surprise proposal on an anniversary night was quite cliché, but if Nathan wasn’t so handsome and a potential husband in her life, she probably would have said no.

She remembered Nathan's words with a smile on her lips and an anniversary cake in her hands.

However, as she got closer to the door, she heard a girl's voice coming from their room

For a moment, Brenda imagined the worst, but then quickly waved the thought.

Walking closer, she was still doubting herself until she heard the girl's voice say "What about your girlfriend? Didn't you say tonight's your anniversary?"

"Who cares about that b* tch? She doesn't know how to please a man, not like you. With you...oh my, I can't get enough of you. She's a workaholic, and after we get married, I'm going to divorce her and take half of her money. Then I'm going to have lots of fun with you"

"You're so naughty!" The girl giggled again

At this point, her doubts completely faded away and shortly after, all she could hear were screams, "F*ck Nathan!

Fuck me like your whore Nathan!"

Slowly she pushed open the door and felt like a knife had just pierced her heart as she saw Nathan in bed with another woman. Her head was spinning from the horrid sight, and in an instant, the cake fell to the ground.

Her boyfriend who frequently declared his love for her, was cheating on her on the night of their anniversary.

Her feet were glued to the ground as the emotions overwhelmed her, breaking her heart one teardrop at a time. Alas she couldn't hold back anymore and the tears started rolling down her cheeks

After watching them for moments, Brenda wiped her tears aggressively and lifted her gaze to reveal an icy cold stare.

She had been too naive. For years she had believed every lie that came out of her sweet-talking boyfriend

At that moment, she cleared her throat and said "Really Nathan, on our anniversary?"

Immediately he heard her voice, Nathan crawled over and hurriedly covered himself,

"Brenda! Wh-what are you doing here? Why are you home so early?" Nathan asked in shock, wrapping the duvet around his waist as he got out of bed

"How could you?" She asked, still trying to process the shock. It felt as if a worm was eating its way through her brain as Nathan’s moans replayed in her head

 "We were supposed to get married. How could you do this to me?", Brenda asked, sobbing quietly

Nathan hurried towards her and grabbed her hands eagerly "Brenda it isn't what it looks like honey, I promise"

He quickly tried to embrace her, but Brenda pushed him away angrily "Yeah? Cause it looks like you're a f*cking cheat!" She yelled, and clenched her fists, her heart beating furiously

It wasn't enough that he had already been caught cheating, how could he try to insult her by lying to her face about it?

"Brenda honey, calm down. I know you're mad, but we can work through this, let's talk about it" Nathan said hoping that Brenda would grant his request with passion

However, Brenda ignored his attempts and kept muttering softly to herself 'You're so stupid Brenda, this is all your fault, how could you let him do this to you?'

"How long?" She suddenly asked, glaring at him. Under the crystal chandelier lights, Nathan could see the boiling rage in her deep blue eyes and stumbled back a few steps. They said hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and clearly, he could see it in Brenda's eyes tonight.

"How long?!" She snapped angrily, and still Nathan couldn’t answer. He had spent the past two years living rent-free under her roof, having her cater to most of his bills, despite his insufferable attitude, she still stuck with him

He could not insult her more by answering that question. He felt a hint of guilt, slightly surprised by her reaction. This wasn't the Brenda he knew; she was always kind and gentle and would never raise her voice at him

Suddenly, she chuckled lightly "Of course", then shifted her gaze to the woman on the bed

"Is this what you've been doing every time you said you couldn't go to work? Bring this tramp into our bed?",

"And all the late nights you said you had to work late, then came back home and held me? Were you out with her the whole time?" Brenda said painfully, struggling to compose herself as all the lies Nathan told her unveiled in her mind

“Hey, you better watch who you're f*cking talking to! Maybe if you knew how to take care of your man and make him feel like one, you could have kept him" Ava yelled, leaning against the headboard

Brenda shifted her gaze towards her and flashed her a grim smile. The last thing she wanted was to fight over a man who was boldly cheating and lying, despite working tirelessly to pay most of his bills and even sponsor what was supposed to be their wedding.

She felt a sudden pang of sadness as she turned towards her boyfriend, smiled painfully, and said "Goodbye Nathan, I hope it was worth it”, turned to leave and then suddenly stopped at the door “I want you out of my house by the time I'm back", she said, then walked out

Brenda fought hard to hold herself together. Despite the pain, she didn’t want to give Nathan and the girl the satisfaction of seeing her cry bitterly.

Outside the bedroom, she collapsed on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Even though she was angry with Nathan, she couldn't deny her true feelings. She truly loved him and wanted a future together.

She thought that catching the man she loved in bed with another woman was the most hurtful thing, but as she waited by the door for Nathan to come after her, all she heard was Ava's voice saying "Come back to bed baby", and the fading sound of Nathan's footsteps closing the door.

She was wrong; that was the most painful thing she had ever felt - hearing the literal footsteps of the man she loved walk away from her, realizing that Nathan chose Ava over her.

Not wanting to drown in sadness, she hurried out of the house and drove without thinking to the only place she had never been to, and never imagined she’d find herself in

As she walked into the bar, her mere presence captured some attention. She was like a stranger in a foreign land, completely out of place. However, despite her sullen look, she was still the most beautiful lady there.

She flashed them a fake practiced smile, and as she walked past him, he was instantly captivated by her. His heart slowed as her auburn curls swayed graciously making her way to the barstool.

She sat down and immediately ordered a vodka tonic, completely unaware of the mysterious man who couldn't take his eyes off her

Staring at her, he looked like a top runway model

His deep black eyes glued to her as he tilted his head slightly towards her as if noticing her for the first time, and was smitten.