"I think he is going to propose!"
Alexandra's happiness was palpable as she spoke to her best friend, Riley, on the phone. She held a dress against her body in front of the mirror to see how it looked on her before tossing it into a pile and picking another one. "Why else would he arrange a date at a fancy hotel for our second anniversary?"
"Are you sure?"
Alex's brow furrowed, sensing Riley's hesitance and disbelief at the news, but she let her friend finish.
"We've only heard evil reports about Chad. Even your business is doing badly because of him-"
"Enough." Alex snapped. "Why can't you be happy for me, Riley?"
"Marriage is a lifetime commitment, and I don't think Chad deserves you. I don't like him for you."
Shutting her eyes, Alex took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. Riley's repeated complains about Chad exasperated her.
"Chad loves me and I love him too. If you can't be happy for me and accept my choices, let's not talk for a while." Without waiting for Riley's response, she ended the call and threw her phone on her bed before lying beside it.
This was the first time she had ever yelled at Riley. They had been best friends for five years, ever since college.
Riley was studying to become a surgeon, while Alex had her sights set on becoming an event planner when they met through a study group. They've been inseparable ever since, their disagreements always minor—until now.
Lately, their arguments had become more frequent. And this time, Alex was furious. The growing tension between them all traced back to one person: her boyfriend of two years, Chad.
From the moment Chad and Riley met, they had despised each other. It was exhausting for Alex, who loved them both and desperately wished they could get along. Riley was convinced Chad was bad news, while Chad dismissed Riley as rude and overbearing.
Things escalated when a few of Alex's clients accused Chad of cheating on her. Defending him had put her at odds with them, and as a result, her once-thriving event-planning business had started to suffer.
But to Alex, it was all worth it because tonight, she was getting engaged. This was the moment she had dreamed of for twenty-five years.
Pushing aside her troubled thoughts, she rose to get dressed, carefully selecting her most elegant dress for the occasion. Once ready, she slid into her car and headed to the venue, anticipation coursing through her veins.
Arriving in front of the hotel, Alex's cheeks turned red at the thought of Chad waiting for her on one knee. It was so thrilling that she felt her heart race with anticipation.
Straightening her dress, she entered the hotel and made her way to the room Chad reserved while trying to contain her smile. She stopped before the door, taking a moment to collect herself and not seem too eager before turning the doorknob.
However, the scene that greeted her was like a punch to her lungs, knocking all the air from her. She found it difficult to breathe watching Chad passionately kissing another woman. His hands were all over her.
The chants and cheers coming from Chad's friends in the room, egging them on, sent a sinking feeling over.
The worst part, they noticed her but kept going.
Chad locked eyes with her and smirked, pulling the girl he was kissing tighter and moaning.
"W-What…" she covered her mouth in disbelief as a pang of pain traveled through her chest. She blinked twice, unable to believe what she was seeing. "What's going on?"
Everybody ignored her…including Chad.
Unable to watch anymore, she erupted, grabbing the girl he was kissing by the hair and yanking her away from him.
The girl yelped and Alex finally saw her face. It was Ellen, Chad's girl best friend that he told her not to worry about.
"What the hell-" her voice rose an octave higher, "-is going on here?"
Face red, she gazed at her boyfriend for an explanation, an excuse, anything! She hoped he was drunk and this was a sloppy mistake.
He and Ellen were childhood friends so maybe this was a moment of weakness for them. Sure, Ellen was a bitch who had no respect for her, cheating was just out of the question. She refused to believe Chad would betray her like this.
But the words that came out of his mouth made her stomach drop.
"I won the bet, bitch." He smirked, his eyes dancing with mockery. "Our relationship was all fake."
The disdain in his face sent her reeling backward. It was an emotion he hadn't shown her before.
She glanced around the tense room and saw his friends filming the scene on their phones in amusement.
Letting out a nervous laugh, she asked, "Is this a prank before the proposal? If it is, it is not funny."
Her question was met with a series of sarcastic laughter.
"Proposal? You're more delusional than I thought." Ellen stood between them with a sneer. "Chad," she said, running a finger down his chest. "has always been mine. We made a bet two years ago that if he could date the crazy girl from college, we'd reward him."
Ellen placed her hands on her hips and laughed, "While you guys were dating, he was banging me. Your fake relationship was entertainment for us. Did you really think a star quarterback like him would date a psycho mother killer like y-"
Alex slapped Ellen before she could finish. Her eyes glistened with tears as she gritted out, "You don't know anything about me."
"Chad!" Ellen shrieked, hiding behind him in tears. "Did you see that? What if she hurts me like she hurt her mother? I am scared."
Chad stepped up and glared at Alex. "Don't ever lay a finger on Ellen again. You mean nothing to me. Ellen is the one I love. All our relationship was worth is the new Lamborghini I got from tolerating you." He dangled the new car keys on her face.
That was the final blow. Alex stumbled backward in shock. This was the man of her dreams. The man she was willing to sacrifice everything for. How could he do this to her?
Even bringing up the dark incident from college and throwing it in her face. That, she would not take!
No one had ever humiliated Alex like this in her twenty-five years, especially not someone she had made and supported. Chad was broke when they met, a struggling football player after college. He was good, but he didn't stand out.
Her business had just started then, and she had been the one to pay his way to stardom. To ensure he was scouted and became a professional, she pulled in favors. Now this was how he repaid her. By replacing her with an airhead and a car.
The audacity!
Alex was quiet but she wasn't a pushover. And she definitely wouldn't let two of them and their idiotic friends push her around. The pain and anguish she felt was nothing. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her breakdown.
Suddenly, it was as if something snapped in her. She blinked back her tears and her eyes hardened. "Go to hell." She bunched up her fist and punched him in the face, drawing blood. "That's for wasting my time."
A series of gasps echoed in the room. Her eyes then wandered to the rest guys in the room. "I hope you guys caught that on camera."
Finally, her gaze stopped on the brand-new keys in Chad's hand and a devious thought entered her. Before anyone could react, she snatched the keys from him and bolted to the elevator.
"Alexandra, what do you think you're doing?" Chad called behind her, but she ignored him.
Getting to the elevator, she watched in satisfaction as the door closed before any of them could get to her.
He wanted a Lamborghini? She was going to give it to him in shambles.