That morning, Amber was busy cleaning up the house because she had an afternoon shift and Emily said she has a morning class. After cleaning up her room and other places, she felt it wouldn’t be right if she doesn’t clean up Emily’s room so she went there to help her arrange and clean up the room.
She was arranging her room when she found a carton containing a black trouser, black jacket and a cap. She picked them out and the same smell as Eddy’s perfume was oozing from it but when she remembered that they had gotten the same perfume because it was in trend, she waved it off and folded it back before putting the carton under the bed carefully and neatly.
As she was using the vacuum cleaner, she remembered that she had bumped into someone wearing an outfit similar to the ones she found in the carton on Eddy’s birthday and her mind could not help but run wild.
“It can’t be, there is no way something like that will happen. I am just having a misunderstanding because they are friends” she told herself and shook the thoughts out of her head.
She had cooked, dressed up for work and was about leaving when Emily came back from school.
“Are you going to work now?” Emily asked as she walked into the house
“Yes. I left some food in the kitchen so you should take care of yourself and also I will be late today since I am working into the night” she informed her
“Oh I see, just let me know if you can’t come home alone, I will come around to escort you” Emily said to her and she scoffed
“It’s not like I am a kid” remarked Amber before she left for her job.
It was earlier that day that she sighted Emily and Eddy at the café but she was not sure they were the one. These puzzles kept bothering her but she was forced to make every cells in her believe that Eddy would never stab her in the back.
After submitting her shift sales’ report to the manager, he told her to go home early because they will be closing the market early.
“Is something wrong?” she asked with a confused look
“Nothing in particular, we just have some maintenance to carry out in the market so we will be closing early for today. I think you are really lucky to go home early today” the manager answered with a smile.
She left work and took a cab home, she had forgotten totally to inform Emily that her shift ended two hours earlier than normal because she was busy with the offer Tom brought for her that day once again. She got to the front door and was punching in the code when she heard laughter and giggles coming out of the room.
“Why is she laughing so hard?” she muttered to herself and entered the house to see no one at the sitting room.
The laughing was coming from her room and it was so loud for a while before it went. She was about leaving for her room when she suddenly started hearing weird sounds coming from her room.
“Did she bring someone over?” she mumbled and tiptoed to her room
The door was left slightly open and wide enough for her to get a glimpse of what was happening inside the room.
“She might come back soon, I should be on my way” a familiar voice said from the room and she paused in shock.
There is no way that voice belong to the person she has in mind, he would never do that, were the worlds cycling in her head but when she finally got to see the person through the door’s crack, It was indeed Eddy.
“Come on! I told you she won’t be clocking out early today so let’s just have another round. It’s not my fault that you are this good in bed” Emily whined and dragged Eddy closer
“You might be the death of me at this rate” Eddy chuckled and they dived in for a kiss.
They were so lost in their world that they didn’t even know that Amber had come into the room. They were busy moaning into each other’s mouth while eating their lips with so much lust and passion.
“You too, am I not dreaming right now, am I?” Amber slowly muttered as she stood there like a lost puppy but they still didn’t hear her
They were brought back by her piercing scream that made them sprang apart like birds that got stones thrown at them.
“Am.. Amb.. Amber!!!” Eddy stammered in shock and Amber couldn’t believe her eyes
“You are back? I thought you said you would be late today, How come you are here this early?” Emily muttered and that only angered Amber so much that she landed her a hot slap
“Is my time of arrival the issue here? What the hell do you both think you are doing?” she screamed in fury
“Amber, wait! I can explain” Eddy said trying to calm her down but she didn’t hesitate to wipe a slap across his face which gave him multiple white spots thanks to the intensity of the slap.
“You can explain? Explain what exactly? That this was a mistake? That you are sorry? That you didn’t plan for this to happen? Shut your mouth! I don’t want to hear anything come out of that filthy mouth” she slammed back as she tried to fight the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
How could they betray her like this? How could they cheat on her while hiding under the umbrella of being friends? She had been suspecting them ever since the day her mother informed her about seeing Eddy around the house and he denied it. They also purposely started using the same perfume to get rid of any evidence or suspicions.
She was an easy target for them because she was always informing one of them that she was about to leave work so they would have split up before she arrives. Her world was already as hard as it is with the struggles she was facing, she couldn’t believe that the people she called her loved ones would also be the one to stab her at the back so painfully like this.
Where did she miss it? What went wrong? What was her offense? What did she do so wrong that made them punish her this way? Was she not enough? Those were the questions that flowed through her head as she stood there with death glare visible on her face.
“You are both so wicked, how could you even think of doing this to me? What exactly was my offense and what did I do wrong?” she cried out, finally releasing the lurking tears.
She turned towards the door helplessly and ran out of the room. Eddy tried running after her but Emily held him back and shook her head.
“That is a bad idea” Emily warned.
Amber head for the door and went out of the apartment. She kept walking and crying at the same time that people on the street wondered what was happening to her. Her entire world had crumbled at that moment, she was barely hanging on to the hope of life while trying hard to make her life work but how is she supposed to cope with new revelation? It was as if her heart was stacked with pins from different angles, the pain was too much for her to bear.
It shouldn’t have been her, she thought. She has always tried to live her life uprightly without causing pains to others. Her life has not been ever rosy but never has she done something to be ashamed of so this backstab was getting to her so much that it shredded her heart. Seeing how her roommate and her boyfriend were making jest of her and insulting her in her absence was too much for her to take.
She staggered as she walked on the street and was forced to take a break on one of the benches on the walk way. She sat there staring into the dark night without knowing what to do. Her phone kept ringing with Eddy’s continuous call but who the hell assured him that she would pick up? She want to shred him into many pieces right now but it’s taking up all the energy within her to restrain herself from doing so.
“What do I do?” she cried out and held her head in pain as she tried to catch up on her runny breath.
She had run deep into the street when she ran out from the house, now she was gasping for air as she tried to cry and breathe at the same time but after sitting on the bench for close to five minutes, she could feel her breathe coming back to normal.
Her phone rang and she checked the screen to see that it was the nurse assigned to her mother at the hospital.
“You have to pay in Miss Amber, I have tried enough” the nurse informed her
“I am sorry about that but can you give me a week more? I haven’t received my salary and I have nowhere to get money from” she pleaded
“I am sorry Miss Amber but I don’t think I can grant you another extension anymore. I have to turn in the reports and I will get yelled at if the numbers doesn’t add up” the nurse responded and she sighed in frustration.
She couldn’t even blame the nurse because she was just doing her job and also she had tried so much for her. She was always patient with her and considerate, if she cannot extend it for her any longer then that means she had really done her best for sure.
She cleaned up her eyes and went to the hospital to check up on her mother who was sleeping by the time she came. She just sat there silently and watched her sleep with pain evident on her face.
“How are you even holding on? I am sure it must have been painful up till now” she muttered and took a towel to clean her up as she tried her best not to cry before her.
She finished cleaning her up and went to visit the nurse, she promised her that she would definitely come and pay the next day before leaving the hospital even though she knew that she won’t get any money from anywhere.
The only option she was left with was the offer from Tom and after thinking to and fro, she decided to just take the offer and face whatever consequence that comes after it.
She picked her phone and dialed Tom’s number, it didn’t ring for long before he picked up
“I will take the offer, I will be the face of your paintings” she declared and Tom couldn’t believe his ears.