Chapter 45
Valerie’s POV
Hours pass. The clock ticks away, each minute feeling like an eternity. I pace, my eyes drifting to the clock every few seconds. But Damian doesn’t arrive. It was past eleven pm now.
My excitement turns to worry, then frustration, and finally, heartbreak. I try calling him, but his lines are unreachable. The ringing tones, followed by voicemail, are the only responses I get.
“What could have happened? Where is he?” I whisper, tears welling up in my eyes.
The carefully prepared dinner grows cold, the candles burning down to stubs. The dress that once made me feel radiant now feels suffocating.
I collapse onto the couch, surrounded by the remnants of my failed expectations. The roses, once a symbol of love, now mock me with their beauty.
As the night wears on, I’m left alone, wondering if Damian will ever show up or even if he would not, he should have said something. My heart kept beating furiously. Could it be that his plane crashed? Or was he involved in a car accident?
These thoughts remained in my head as I dozed off on the sofa.
I wake up to my phone ringtone in the early hours of the morning, my eyes puffy from crying. The time was quarter past five a. m. The memories of last night’s disappointment flood back, and I feel a fresh wave of sadness. An unknown number was calling me but I didn’t pick up. I don’t even want to speak with anyone now.
Why didn’t he show up? Did he ever plan to?
The questions swirl in my mind like a vortex, sucking me down into despair.
I force myself out of bed and begin to tidy up the remnants of last night’s preparations. The dress lies crumpled on the floor, a reminder of my foolishness. I toss it into the closet, shutting the door firmly.
As I clean, my anger grows. How could Damian do this to me? Didn’t our relationship mean anything?
I try calling him again, but his phone remains unreachable. The frustration boils over, and I lash out, sending a text:
“Where were you? Why did you stand me up?”
The words hang in cyberspace, unanswered. No explanation, no apology. Just radio silence.
I received a text few seconds later, which read:
“I saw your fiancee, Damian Richardson, heading into a hotel with another woman, hand in hand. At first, I thought it was you but taking a closer look, I realized that it was someone else. The address is Paradise Hotels and it is Room 512. This is from a friend who cares about you.”
My world crumbled. So, this is the reason why he didn’t show up last night. He was with another woman and kept me waiting! If not, why then did he not come again and he didn’t even leave an apology. My eyes began to sting as tears welled up in them. I must go and confirm this.
Changing from my nightwear into a vintage shirt and denim shorts, I wore a long black jacket on top to protect me from the cold. I ran out, locking my door behind me to board a cab.
“Paradise Hotels. Please be as fast as you can.” I said to the cab driver hastily.
Within thirty minutes, the cab stopped in front of the gigantic building and I swung the door open as I fled inside.
I walked straight upstairs, to find Room 512. As I walked along the hallway, I sighted Room 512, it was the last room in this wing. I arrived at thy room, her hand trembling as I raised it to knock.
No response.
I tried the door, and to my surprise, it swung open.
The scene before me shattered my world. I was shocked by the sight before me. Damian lay on the bed, fast asleep. But he wasn’t alone.
Damian, my fiance was in bed with another woman whom I couldn’t see the face well. They were both naked and his hands were wrapped all over her. The intimate pose cut me like a knife. I walked to the bed, moved her hair aside, lo and behold, it was Claire.
My mind reeled, my vision blurring. The room spun around me as I processed the betrayal.
How could he?
My eyes locked onto Damian’s peaceful face, my heart breaking into a million pieces.
“Claire…Damian…” I whimpered, covering my mouth with my hand as the tears began to flow endlessly. I knew it that they still had something ongoing between them. My chest was very tight and I began to gasp for breaths.
Gasping a few times, I began to sob. My sobs awakened Damian as he squinted to look at me. His gaze was unclear and he was visibly struggling to keep up. Claire turned around to look at the intruder (that was I, obviously). Sighting my figure at the door, she drew Damian closer to her and rubbed his head, smirking at me.
The words she said to me the last time I called her began to ring in my head; “For the mean time, enjoy Damian while he is still with you. But believe me, you will witness everything that will happen with your two eyes.” So, this is what she meant. I warned Damian and he promised me not to have anything to do with her.
I can’t stay here anymore. This is it. I am done with this god-damned sham of a marriage.
I backed away silently, tears streaming down my face. The door creaked shut, and I vanished into the hallway, my world shattered.
I stumbled through the hotel lobby, tears blurring my vision. I burst into the cool evening air, gasping for breath.
How could Damian betray me like this?
Our memories, our laughter, our whispers all tainted by his infidelity.
I wandered aimlessly, lost in a sea of pain. I finally collapsed onto a bench, surrendering to my anguish.
Why did I trust him?
Why did I love him?
The questions swirled, taunting me.
As the early hours of the morning wore on, my tears dried, replaced by a hollow numbness. I rose from the bench, my eyes sunken, my heart heavy.
Fleeing out of the hotel, I called my friend Tracy and luckily for me, she picked up.
“Tracy…” I started in between sobs.
“Hey, Sweetie, what’s wrong? Why did you call me as early as this?”
“I’ll explain everything later. Please can I come over to your place and stay for some days?” I pleaded.
“Yeah, sure you can. I’ll text you with the address. You sure, you don’t want me to come and pick you up?” She asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Expect me later in the day. Bye.” As I ended the call, I boarded a cab back to my house.
The silence of my apartment enveloped me like a shroud. I dropped onto the couch, surrounded by reminders of our relationship.
I stood, my eyes scanning the now-empty space. It was time to move on. But the ache within me refused to subside.
I began to pack my clothes. I stuffed few clothes into my travelling bag including my toiletries. I am not sure of when I’ll return but the only thing on my mind now is to run away. Away from Damian, Claire, my parents, everyone and everything else.
I was in the car when I received her address. I reached the train station and bought train tickets to Texas. We would be leaving in twenty minutes time. A breath of fresh air at last. Staying away from Los Angeles for a little while won’t be so bad.
**********
Damian’s POV
My eyes slowly opened, grogginess clouding my mind. I was met with an unfamiliar ceiling and a pounding headache. Where was I? I tried to sit up but I felt a very strong pain at the back of my head. I tightened my eyelids and winced in pain.
The room was unfamiliar, obviously not my house. I was alone on the bed with the blankets and duvet scattered all over. The time on the clock above my head was 6:35 am. I was still struggling with being awake and the pain on my head was not helping matters.
“Patrick…” I groaned, calling out to my personal assistant but I got no response. Just then, I realized that I was not at home and Patrick was not here either. Then, where was I?
I made an attempt to sit up again, drawing the duvet away from my body, I figured out that I had no clothes on. My clothes were scattered all over on the floor of the room as I just stared in disbelief. What happened?
Panic set in as I scrambled to sit up. A hotel room. How did I end up here?
I stumbled out of bed, searching for my phone. The screen displayed a barrage of missed calls and texts from Valerie. Guilt and worry overwhelmed me. Memories began to resurface the trip, the planned return, Valerie’s expectations, the text.
Suddenly, flashes of the previous night’s events emerged:
Driving home to see Valerie, receiving that text from a stranger, rushing to the hotel to confirm, finding the dark hotel room and then, nothing.
My mind reeled. What happened? I spotted a note on the nightstand:
“You’re better off without her. Forget Valerie. I finally get to have my way with you again. You are always easy to get. _Claire.”
A chill ran down his spine. Claire? What has she done to me?
Ignoring the pain on my head, I hastily wore my clothes, gathered my belongings and left the hotel room, determined to contact Valerie and explain.
But as I scrolled through my phone, I realized that her messages and calls were still unanswered.
Valerie has seen me.
My heart sank.
Did Valerie think I’d stood her up intentionally? Desperation fueled my pace as I rushed to make things right. I needed to find Valerie, explain and make things right.
I drove to Valerie’s house as fast as I could but to my greatest shock, it was as quiet as a graveyard and the door was locked with a big padlock.
“Damn it! Hell! No!”