Nicole Murphy stood in front of the slightly open door, witnessing the unspeakable things the man and the woman were doing. She wanted to rush forward, pull the man away from the woman, and slap him. But she felt her entire body go numb from the pain in her heart. It was a mixture of betrayal, sadness, and anger.
It was her boyfriend, Kevin Wilson, and Mia Spencer, her cousin. Nicole couldn't believe her cousin and boyfriend would do this to her, especially since they were supposed to get engaged next month.
That afternoon, she received an anonymous message telling her to go to this address to see her boyfriend. Nicole thought it was Kevin trying to surprise her. So, she dressed up and came here, only to realize he was cheating on her—and he did it on a day like this. How dare HE!
"Uh! Kevin, you're so good! I love it!"
"Fuckk! I'm close."
"Come with me, Mia…"
Nicole could hear the moans. Not wanting to watch anymore, she turned to leave but suddenly thought of something. She took out her phone to record a video, then left the villa. She was not in the right state of mind to confront those adulterous people.
Nicole got in the car and called her best friend, Anna. She picked up on the second ring.
"Hello."
"…"
Anna didn't hear a reply, so she began to worry. "Nicole, are you alright? What happened? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Anna suddenly heard sniffling and little sobs, making her even more worried. "Where are you? I'm coming to you—tell me your location."
Finally, Nicole said in a low voice, "Meet me at the Empire Club, and don't forget to dress up."
"WHAT! Bitch, I'm hella worried about you, and you're telling me to dress up to meet you at a nightclub!" Anna screamed through the phone, and Nicole had to take her phone away from her ear to minimize the hearing damage.
"I'll tell you everything later. So, don't ask—just do what I said." With that, she hung up the phone and started driving toward the Empire Club.
One hour later, Anna finally arrived at the Empire Club in her blue mini dress. As she entered the nightclub, the bass was so strong she could feel it in her chest, and she saw people enjoying the dance floor, swinging to the beats of the music. Soon she spotted Nicole at the corner of the bar, sipping on her drink.
Her black bodycon dress, which reached her mid-thigh, made her look gorgeous. Half of her face was covered with her dark brown hair, making it hard to see the expressions on her face. But Anna knew something was wrong.
Anna sat on the chair beside her and ordered a drink for herself. "Give me one Rossini." Then she looked at Nicole, who was still sipping on her Manhattan. Nicole turned to look at her best friend. Her eyes were red from crying. They sat there in silence, and a moment later, the bartender brought the drink. "Enjoy your drink."
"Let's sit there," Anna pointed to a more private area in this noisy place. After settling down on the sofa and taking a sip of her drink, Anna finally asked, "Nicole, tell me what happened?"
"He cheated on me."
"WHAT? How could he do this to you! I told you that bastard was no good for you. Who did he cheat with?"
"Today, while I was working at the office, I received a message from an unknown number telling me to meet my boyfriend at the address they sent. I thought, since today was our two-year dating anniversary, he wanted to surprise me. So, I got ready and went to the address. But there, I got the biggest shock of my life." Nicole took a shaky breath, then started again, "Kevin was fucking Mia Spencer." Nicole showed the video she took to Anna.
After watching it, Anna was so angry that she started to curse. "That bitch! How dare they do this to you? I feel like killing those fuckers." Anna took a sip, then asked, "What are you going to do now?"
"What else? I'll break up with him."
Nicole took her phone back and started typing…
7:18 p.m.
NICOLE: Let's break up...
She sent it to Kevin. After which, she switched off her phone and tossed it in her purse. She didn't know what else she could write other than those three words. She would confront him tomorrow.
Anna looked at her bestie and felt sad for her. She knew how easily Nicole felt lonely and was afraid that Nicole's previous depression would resurface.
"You know what, Nicole? There are plenty of men out there; don't feel sad because of that bastard."
Nicole knew what her best friend was worried about. That's why she came here. She was afraid that if she went home alone, she would have an anxiety attack thinking about what happened earlier. So, her best option was to come and relieve her stress here.
"Hey, let's go dance." Nicole grabbed Anna's hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. Both girls danced to the music, moving their bodies vigorously like there was no tomorrow, not noticing that almost every single man was watching them.
After dancing in three songs, they got tired and returned to their previous spot. Some men came to hit on them, but all of them were turned down and left dejectedly.
"Let me order another drink. What do you want to drink?" Nicole said and called the waiter.
"Some fruit juice. I have to drive you and myself home; I can't get drunk."
The waiter left after taking the order, then came back with the drinks.
"Are you feeling better now? You shouldn't drink anymore; you already had a glass. More alcohol might have a bad effect on you."
"I'm feeling better now. And I ordered a light drink, so it'll be alright. I really need alcohol to relax my mind; otherwise, I'll keep thinking about what Kevin did to me."
"You know what they say, 'The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.' Do you want to give it a try?" Anna asked teasingly, knowing very well that her best friend wouldn't do it.
As she had predicted, Nicole replied disapprovingly, "You know I'm not into premarital sex. I haven't even gotten under Kevin yet; why would I get under someone else to forget him? I'm not that kind of person."
"I know, just joking. But don't you think that's exactly why your cousin got the chance to seduce him?"
"It doesn't matter now. If he was loyal and loved me as he claimed, he wouldn't have cheated on me no matter what." Nicole still couldn't believe Kevin would cheat on her, as she thought of him as a gentleman. How long had he been cheating on her?
"Nowadays, men can't be trusted. It's really hard to find a loyal man who is fully devoted to you. You should take…" Anna's phone rang before she could finish speaking.
Someone said something on the phone, and Anna's face suddenly became pale. "What? I'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up the call and turned to look at Nicole, who was watching her with concern. "Nicole, I'm sorry, I have to go. My mom suddenly fainted, and Dad's not home. The housekeeper called and said they're bringing her to the hospital." Anna looked at her guiltily; she didn't want to abandon her best friend in her difficult time.
"You should go. Do you want me to accompany you?"
"No need. You're pretty much drunk. I'll drop you home on my way to the hospital."
"You don't have to. I can manage; you should go now."
"Okay, but don't drink too much and be careful. I'll go now." With that, Anna left in a hurry, and Nicole's expression turned sad again.
She couldn't help but think about her two-year relationship with Kevin. Had he been cheating on her from the start? But they were always a happy couple. They were even thinking of getting married. A week ago, his family talked to her brother about when and where the engagement ceremony would be held. But now it all seemed like a joke to her; Kevin really was good at fooling people.
Nicole felt something wet on her face. When she touched her face, she realized she was crying again. She wiped her tears and went to the washroom.
After using the toilet, she washed her hands and then looked in the mirror. Her face was slightly red from crying and alcohol, so she splashed some cold water on her face to cool it down.
After tidying herself up, she was walking back to her spot when she tripped on someone's foot.
Why did she feel that the person did it on purpose?
But that was not her concern now, as she stumbled forward and, in order to steady herself, grabbed the arm of the man standing opposite her.