Chapter 2 Betrayed And broken
ANGELICA'S POV
"Breathe, Li. Take deep breaths," Matt placed his hand over my shoulder and massaged them to calm me down.
I noticed Tyler's gaze flickering towards me for a minuscule second and him taking a shaky breath. I hoped he would walk up to me, say hi, or explain why he was late. However, I was wrong. He didn't do anything.
He walked past me like I wasn't even there, and I stood there, shocked.
"That batard!" David cursed under his breath, and I bit my lips.
"Do you guys think that's what's happening?" I wanted to confirm and find just one person who would say that I was overthinking and should confront Tyler because it was becoming hard to believe anything and control my urges not to go there and pull Cindy's hair.
"Dance?" Matt asked me, and I looked at him, unsure what he was trying to do.
"Just relax a bit. If Tyler is innocent, he will come to you, and if he is not -" He trailed off and pulled me to the dance floor, and Madeline and David joined us.
"Matt is right, Li. Just relax for the night. The truth will come out sooner or later. I am sure now that he has brought the girl here, he will reveal the truth himself," Madeline nodded at me.
I looked at David before giving in.
"Okay. Let's have one dance," I raised my hand and placed it over Matt's shoulder, maintaining a respectful distance
Closing my eyes, I let Matt lead me into the dance. We danced in tempo because of our practices for the University's functions.
"You are doing good with your eyes closed," Matt whispered over the music, and I forced a smile.
"Maybe because reality is becoming hard to see?" I whispered back and opened my eyes.
No. This wasn’t supposed to be like this in the first place. I didn't want to wait around like a fool for Tyler to explain what was happening.
I have to strengthen my heart or –
"Aaaaaa! Say yes! Say yes!" I heard loud squeals paired with laughter, exclamations, and happy chuckles, and I turned to look at what was happening when I saw Matt freezing in front of me.
On the stage, Tyler was kneeling in front of Cindy, proposing to her, and I felt my heart dropping in the pit of my stomach.
"How dare he do this to our Li?! I swear -" I saw David moving, but I grabbed his hand to stop him.
I didn't want any drama.
I saw the lines and red flags but could never find the courage to accept them. I really liked Tyler and how he has cared for me all this time. It was a two-year-old relationship, and just like that, he threw it away without giving me an explanation whatsoever.
I had warned him I would bear everything but the lies and betrayal, and that’s exactly what he gave me.
I closed my eyes, blinking back the tears forming in my eyes.
"Li! Hey, where are you going?"
I heard Matt's voice as I turned around to leave. I couldn’t stay to humiliate myself anymore.
"Leave her alone. Don't you know her? She would rather be alone than with anyone and show her weakness. That's how she is," Madeline spoke, and I rushed out before calling Victoria to come and pick me up.
I called her twice and leaned on the tree when she did not pick up.
My heart ached as if someone had stabbed me in the chest multiple times. My emotions, feelings, morals, self-respect, and everything that mattered to me were wounded today.
However, I can't blame anyone for this. I chose this. I let Tyler do this to me. Maybe I liked him too much to believe him unquestioningly.
I wiped the tears furiously, which weren't listening to me, rolling down my cheeks and making me feel even more miserable.
My body was starting to feel the ache that began with my heart. I felt exhausted and anxious at the same time.
This feeling of causing a ruckus, screaming, breaking things, lying on the bed, and crying to ease my emotions was messing and meddling with my brain, and I didn't like any bit of it.
My brain replayed everything that I didn't want to think about. All the good memories between us, the shared smiles, promises, and dreams of the future flashed in front of me like a never-ending movie reel.
Everything made sense now: the late-night study sessions, the partnership for the projects, the trips for the market research, and whatnot. I scoffed at the thoughts.
"Taxi!" I hailed a taxi to the Midnight Club.
I was too sober to handle this. Maybe a shot of vodka and Victoria's scoldings would make me feel better.
I grabbed my hair into a fist, feeling strangely frustrated. How can he do this to me? Was our love not even worth an explanation?
"Miss, are you okay? Do you need me to turn the car to the hospital?" The driver asked, and I shook my head.
"Just drive me to the club, please," I answered.
After paying the taxi fare, I furiously wiped my tears with my handkerchief, forcing a smile on my face.
As soon as the door opened, I could hear the loud music blasting, making my head hurt even more. However, maybe this was exactly what I wanted right now. The dim light made it hard to see clearly, and a disco light illuminated the center of the dance floor. It was both colorful and bland.
The smell of sweat, liquor, and everyone's deodorant was strong in the environment.
Whichever way I looked, I only saw couples smooching each other's faces or dancing seductively, probably seducing each other for their afterplans.
Finding Victoria in a place like this would be like finding a needle in a heap of grass. I felt even more frustrated at the thought.
Why was nothing going accordingly today? It was like the entire universe was working against me.
I gritted my teeth and made my way to the bar.
"Can I get six shots of vodka," I ordered before slamming the money on the counter.
"Geez, someone is having a tough night. A bad day at some party, or trying to forget your lover?" The bartender asked as he poured me the shots, and I scoffed.
Of course, he would know what was wrong with me. He probably deals with people like me daily.
"Angelica, is that you?" I heard the familiar voice and turned to look at Victoria, whose hands were hooked with a man. I suppose he was the one she was seeing recently. However, I was too broken to care about her embarrassment.
"Victoria -" My lips trembled, and I turned before drowning another shot.
"Hey, hey, hey. What is wrong with you? You never drink," Victoria said, removing my locks from my face so she could see me clearly.
"When do you think a girl like me drinks to find solace?" I turned to look at her with a scoff.
"That bstard! What did he do?" Victoria immediately held my hands before I saw her shaking her head at the bartender pouring my fifth shot.
"Hey! I paid you!" I slurred slightly before smiling in self-mockery.
"He didn't do anything, Victoria. Tyler could've told me he wanted to end things and didn't feel the same as I did for him. He could've given me any fCking hint! But no! He had to bring his new girlfriend to the party and propose to her in front of everyone," I chuckled at my naivety.
I could see Victoria stiffening around me.
"He what?" Her voice was low and filled with malice.
"He proposed to Cindy, Victoria. That ring was for her. He didn't even look at me. It was like whatever we had between us never existed for him. Everything makes sense now—the way his friends used to look away in guilt. You were right. He was too good to be true. I am sorry for not believing you," I broke out.
Like a child in front of their mother, I broke out and straight-off started crying.
"You shouldn't be sorry, Li. Loving someone isn't a mistake. You just fell in love with the wrong person," Victoria rubbed my back soothingly, and I felt like the biggest jerk for spoiling her night.
"You go. I will be fine after some time,"
"There is no way I am leaving -"
"Please, Victoria. Don't make me feel worse than I already am. I can't spoil your night just because I got dumped. I don't want to feel guilty on top of being betrayed," I gave her a shaky smile, and she sighed before nodding.
"I will be on the dance floor. If you need me, I am just a call away," Victoria said.
I know she went away reluctantly because of me, but I wanted to forget about things for some time, and she was cutting on my liquor.
After what felt like an eternity but was only a few minutes, my tears dried, and I ordered a beer.
"So you have finally calmed?" The bartender commented, and I chuckled dryly.
"Can't waste my tears too much on someone who doesn't deserve it, right?" I said before taking a sip of the beer.
"Well, that's something I would surely agree with," I heard an unfamiliar, cold, deep voice beside me, making me look at the person from the corner of my eyes.
However, I wished I hadn't seen him. My eyes dilated when I saw him.
God. That's how I would describe him. He was like a fcking model.
His chiseled jaws were the first thing that came into my vision before his pointed nose. I noticed how he slowly turned to me before raising his glass and smiling, a smile worth dying for.
His blue eyes were deep like oceans. Even in this dim light, I could see how beautiful he was. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and his upper two buttons were undone. His veiny hands and tattooed fingers made my throat dry in not a very pleasant manner, and I drank another sip of beer.
Don't be reckless, Angelica. I know that the man in front of me is like everything you have ever wanted in your dream boyfriend, but your heart broke like an hour ago.
There is no way a man like him would be single and not dating a model. Even if he was single, he must be a Playboy. And more than that, he won't go for a little above-average girl like you. I told myself before averting my gaze.
"What is a pretty lady like you doing in the clubhouse alone?" His husky voice sounded much closer, and I almost had a heart attack when I saw his face so close.
Then I noticed he was just turning around to get his drink and sighed.
"Drinking to drown my sorrows. You?" I commented casually.
"Looking for my bride," His comment made me give him a once over again.
He was out of his mind, right?