Chapter 3 Betrayal unveiled

Charlotte stormed out of the office angrily as the whole place became chaotic and she couldn't take it anymore.

Mira was surprised to see her leaving in such a haste and a frown on her face. She tried to stop Charlie and ask some questions but she was too fast. She got out of the building and boarded a cab.

While she was seated in the taxi she thought about the offer and thought about her man Jeremy, a man she loved so much and wouldn't even dare to betray their love. But things are no longer the same because her mother's life is at stake.

She needed to talk to Jeremy. She needed answers. The growing distance between them had become a chasm she could no longer cross with hope alone.

She arrived at her home and it was around 6:40pm. The streets were bubbling, people walking to and fro and the sun had set and the night was upon them.

She walked hurriedly to her apartment and stood at the door for almost five minutes feeling uneasy because she didn't know how Jeremy would react when she finally opened up to him about the proposal from the billionaire's son.

She inserted the key in the lock and turned it gently trying not to make a sound but the door made a creaking sound as it opened slowly and the smell of lemon cleaner and flora scent filled the room which was a familiar smell.

She walked in and shut the door behind her for sometime. She stood where she was and hoped that all was wrong, this was just her being paranoid so she walked towards the bedroom.

But when she stepped inside the room, her heart skipped as her eyes beheld an incredible sight.

There, on their bed, the bed where they had made promises of forever. Jeremy lay entangled with their neighbor, David. The sheets twisted around their naked bodies like a noose, suffocating Charlotte's last shred of trust.

Guilt was written all over Jeremy's face, his expression was horrific. He couldn't look Charlotte in the eyes.

Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise, a very unpleasant surprise. That was unbelievable. Her husband, the man she had loved and trusted so much, is cheating on her on their matrimonial bed with their male neighbour.

"You son of a bitch!" "You've been fooling me all these time that we've been married." "You're bisexual yet you made me fall for you and you married me and made a fool of me."

Jeremy jumped off the bed, struggling for the sheet to cover himself, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. It seemed like all words were lost. "Charlotte please wait, it's not... this isn't what it looks like!" he stammered, desperation thick in his voice.

But she didn't stay to listen, she didn't want to listen. She turned and bolted, not having any particular plan in mind. Her heels clattered loudly against the hardwood floor as she fled, the sound opposed the Silence that had engulfed her heart.

Charlotte burst into the hallway, slamming the door behind her so hard the frame shook, one would think that she deliberately wanted to knock down the door. She ran blindly, not caring who saw her, not minding where she was going and her safety.

Tears streamed down her face, blurring her environment into objects of many colours and shapes. She was so devastated and nothing mattered to her anymore.

Her mind replayed the scene again and again, from the betrayal to the look on Jeremy's face and then the way David had smirked at the sight of her, like he was saying "I told you I'll win."

Charlotte wondered how she could be dragging her man with another man, it didn't make any sense to her.

Had it all been a lie?

The late nights at the office, the sudden coldness, the excuses that had never quite made sense...

Charlotte stumbled into the street, with her tired legs, She felt so weak and defenceless. She leaned against a lamppost, trying to breathe, trying to think. The cool night air slapped her cheeks, but it wasn't enough to wake her from the nightmare unfolding around her.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Jeremy. Again. She let it ring until it went silent, only for it to buzz once more with a text:

Jeremy: Please, let me explain. It's complicated. I love you.

Love? The word felt like a cruel joke now. She squeezed the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Charlotte?"

A soft voice called out to her. She turned, startled, to find her best friend, Emily, walking toward her, a paper grocery bag in her arms.

Emily's face fell when she saw Charlotte's tear-streaked cheeks and the devastation in her eyes. She dropped the bag on the curb without hesitation and rushed to her.

"What happened?" Emily asked, wrapping her arms around her.

Charlotte choked on a sob. "Jeremy... he was with... David."

Emily stiffened. She pulled back enough to look Charlotte in the eyes. "David from 4B?"

Charlotte nodded miserably.

Emily's mouth pressed into a thin, furious line. "I knew something was off about him."

Charlotte leaned into her friend's shoulder, letting herself be held. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Tears rolled down Charlotte's eyes freely and at first Emily didn't try to stop her, she just let her cry on her shoulder.

"You can't go back there tonight," Emily said finally, her voice firm. "Come stay with me."

Charlotte nodded numbly. It seemed like she had been hoping that Emily said that to her. The thought of stepping back into that apartment, smelling the betrayal in the air, drove her crazy. The last thing she wanted to do at the moment was to see Jeremy nor hear his voice.

As they walked together toward Emily's car, Emily had her right hand wrapped around Emily's back and Charlotte's phone buzzed again. She ignored it. She didn't want more lies, more half-truths from Jeremy as she had to heal from the gaping wound inside her chest.

As they drove both ladies maintained total silence, it was as if they were both mourning someone they loved dearly.

Emily didn't want to speak, not knowing exactly what would hurt Charlie the most at that moment, so she just focused on getting them home. But she reached out once in a while to squeeze Charlie's hands in a way of reassuring her that all will be fine.

By the time they arrived at Emily's apartment, Charlotte's eyes had turned red from crying. She pulled her shoes and fling them to no particular direction, feeling frustrated and exhausted at the same time.

Emily brought a cup of tea and set it before her, believing that it will make Charlie calm a little and then they might be able to start a conversation from that point.

She just wanted to do anything that will make Charlie feel better "I'll be here, okay?" Emily said softly, putting her arms around Charlotte's back and tapping her left arm gently.

Charlotte managed a faint smile of gratitude.

For the first time in what felt like hours, a tiny sliver of warmth broke through her frozen heart. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't completely alone.

But as the clock ticked closer to midnight, a knock sounded at the door.

Charlotte became tense. Emily frowned and stood up cautiously.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Emily whispered, moving toward the door.

Charlotte clutched the throw pillow tightly, her heart pounding.

Emily peered through the peephole, and her mood changed immediately. Charlotte knew something was wrong, maybe her suspicion is correct after all.

"It's him," Emily said and hissed.

Before Charlotte could react, the door shook violently under a heavy bang.

"Charlotte, open the door!" Jeremy's voice shouted from the other side, laced with anger, desperation and something else that made Charlotte's blood run cold.

Emily locked the deadbolt and turned back to Charlotte, her face pale.

"You need to see this," she said, holding up her phone.

Charlotte's hands trembled as she took it.

It was a video timestamped earlier that night.

And what she saw sent cold shivers down to her ribs, her heart froze in an instant.

Because Jeremy's betrayal was only the beginning.

There was something much, much worse.