Chapter 27
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CLAIRE unlocked the door to her new boyfriend’s apartment with the spare key he had given her just last week. She smiled faintly, adjusting her bag strap over her shoulder, humming softly as she stepped into the sitting room.
But the moment her eyes fell on the couch, her smile died.
There he was, her boyfriend of barely two months half-dressed, lips locked with another girl who straddled him without a care. For a second, Claire froze, unable to process what she was seeing. Then the fury struck.
“What the hell is going on here?!” she screamed, her voice sharp enough to slice the room into silence.
The girl on the couch smirked, sliding lazily off him as though nothing had happened. Claire, however, lunged toward her.
“You disgusting thing-” she shouted, ready to throw hands.
But before she could touch her, her boyfriend sprang up, stepping in front of the girl like a shield.
“Stop it, Claire!” he barked, pushing her back.
“Stop it?!” Claire’s voice cracked with rage. “You, you are protecting her? In your house? On your couch p>
“Yes! Because you are making a scene,” he snapped. “You need to leave, Claire p>
Her eyes widened, her chest heaving.
“You are asking me to leave? After this?” She pointed at the girl behind him, who had the nerve to smirk again.
“Yes. Just go.” His tone was flat, final.
The strength drained from her body. Her arms fell uselessly to her sides. Crestfallen, she backed away, her lips trembling as though words would spill, but none came. Then she turned around and left, slamming the door behind her.
By the time she got home, her legs were weak. She prayed her mother wouldn’t be around to hurl another round of insults or lectures. And true to her prayers, the house was quiet.
She staggered up the stairs and into her bedroom, where she collapsed to the floor beside her bed. The tears she expected never came. She had seen enough heartbreak to numb her completely.
Her boyfriend of just two months, two miserable months had already betrayed her.
Her mind drifted to her mother’s sharp words. “This girl, you will never do well. Always late in everything. Always causing mischief.’ Maybe she was right. Maybe she really was cursed with missteps.
Look at Amelia, perfect Amelia who seemed to get everything fine.
But then Claire paused, the bitterness bubbling up into a sudden, sharp laugh.
“Did she really?” she muttered to herself, the laughter growing hollow, almost manic.
She quickly reached for her phone, wiping at her dry eyes. Maybe it was time to do something reckless. She needed to calm her broken heart with a little misdeed.
Vivian sat on her dresser that morning, her laptop open, her eyes struggling to focus on the paragraphs on the
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screen. She tapped her pen against her notebook, whispering lines as though repetition would force them into her memory. The truth was, she had already missed two term papers this semester. Two. And another was coming up tomorrow morning. Missing it was not an option, her grades were already in free fall, and she couldn’t afford another slip.
She sighed, trying to drown her mind in academic focus. But just when she thought she was beginning to get into rhythm, her phone buzzed against the dresser. She picked it up, expecting maybe a reminder or a message from Fiona. But no, it was Claire.
“Hello, Claire p>
“Hi, what’s up?” Claire’s voice was casual, but Vivian caught an undertone, like she already knew something.
“I’m fine, just… busy. Anything?” Vivian balanced the phone against her shoulder and squinted back at her screen.
Claire sighed heavily, the kind of sigh that always signaled drama.
“Well, are you guys hanging out today p>
Vivian froze for a moment. She and Adrian had plans, but she had canceled. Not outright, just a soft ‘not today p>
“Well, we were supposed to, but because I have a term paper tomorrow, I passed p>
“You what?” Claire’s sharp gasp shot straight through Vivian’s ears.
Startled, Vivian straightened.
“What happened? Is anything wrong p>
“Everything is wrong, Vivian. Why would you say that to him p>
“Well, I guess you didn’t hear me properly. I have a p>
“Term paper tomorrow,” Claire cut her off, impatience dripping from her tone. “I heard that correctly p>
Vivian pressed her lips together, exhaling slowly.
“Okay, so I need to read. Look, I already missed two tests, two! I don’t want to make it three p>
“Nobody said you are making it three,” Claire shot back. “All I’m saying is you should have made out that time. It is in the evening, not in the middle of your study hours. Just a few hours. Would you be reading up till then p>
Vivian hesitated, chewing her lip.
“Well, no… but yes, I need to really prepare. This course isn’t that easy, Claire p>
“Oh, please,” Claire scoffed. “It is a few hours. Besides, do you want Adrian to start looking elsewhere since you aren’t being available anymore p>
Vivian’s eyes widened, her pulse quickening.
“Please, please. Adrian that I know wouldn’t. My Adrian wouldn’t p>
A cold laugh came from the other side of the phone.
“You really don’t know him, then. I do… more than you do, you know that, right? Adrian that I know would find some other girl and spend the evening with. His friends are also coming with their girls. What do you want him to do? Stay alone? Seriously p>
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Vivian swallowed, her stomach turning. Doubt crept in, slow and heavy. She hated to admit it, but Claire’s words began to make a disturbing sort of sense.
“Hmm… Adrian better not,” she murmured, more to herself than to Claire.
“Girl, you know what to do,” Claire pressed on. “Stop sulking. Call him immediately after this call, and tell him you will be there tonight. Do that p>
Vivian nodded, even though Claire couldn’t see her. Her mind was spinning with the weight of expectation, guilt, and fear.
“Alright, alright. I will p>
“Good.” Claire’s voice softened into satisfaction. “You won’t spend the whole day reading. Don’t be boring p>
Vivian chuckled nervously.
“I will do that p>
The call ended, leaving a strange silence in the room. Vivian stared at her laptop screen again, but the words now looked like gibberish. Her mind wasn’t here anymore. The thought of Adrian being alone, surrounded by his friends and their girlfriends, clawed at her chest.
‘What if Claire was right? What if he did look elsewhere p>
She sighed, shaking her head. Adrian wasn’t that kind of guy, was he? But Claire had a way of sounding so convincing, so certain, as if she had access to truths no one else did.
Vivian scrolled through her contacts, her finger hovering over Adrian’s name. She hesitated. Should she really do this? She had promised herself today would be different, that she would be disciplined for her studies. That she would take her academics seriously.
But her heart thumped harder at the thought of losing Adrian, of being replaced, of being abandoned.
She closed her eyes, whispered, “Just a few hours won’t hurt p>
Then she tapped the call button.
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Olivia Harris
Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.