The Billionaire's Obsessed Concubine

Chapter 6 - Cruel

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Tyler

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I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing. I reach for it and quickly mute it so it doesn’t wake Lia. I look at the caller ID, and it’s my mom. Lia looks so peaceful lying in my arms, and I reach for her face, softly removing some strands of hair that are now sticking to it.

I take a moment, just mesmerized by her beauty; I never get used to it, and I don’t think I ever will. Her skin is so soft, her plump pink lips a little parted, tempting me to give them a peck, and I want to lie here like this forever. I’ve been in love with Lia since I met her, but she was in love with Aiden, so a friendship was the only option left.

Now that I think about it, that whole relationship with Nicole was me trying to distract myself from the one I really wanted — only for that bastard to break her heart. Lia loved him, and I would have done anything to trade places with him.

As we grew older, my feelings for her became stronger, and it was even harder to hide them, but I knew I had to. Aiden was my best friend, and it would have made things awkward between Lia and me, especially since she didn’t feel the same way about me. I didn’t want to burden her like that.

When I had to move back home, I was glad, even though I knew I would see her again, I wouldn’t have to see them together all the time. I decided to focus on my relationship with Kim; she didn’t deserve only half of me. She deserved all of me. I was never able to shake Lia off, but I loved Kim, and I made sure she knew she was loved.

I have to get up and call my mother back. It could be Kiara. So after softly shifting Lia to the bed, careful not to wake her, I get off the bed. I grab my sweatpants from the closet and put them on, and I take my phone and head out to make the call.

I want to wake up like this every day.

I think to myself, giving Lia one more look before stepping out of the room. My mother picks up on the first ring and tells me it was Kiara who called. I ask to speak to her, and she calls her and gives the phone over to her.

“How's daddy's big girl? Are you okay?" I ask when she comes on, and she tells me she and her nana are making cupcakes, adding she's going to send me pictures after putting icing on them. I commend her for a well-done job and tell her I can't wait to see them. We chat for a while after that, and she hands the phone over to her nana when she's done.

Mom says Brady is over there already, and he and dad want to braai since today is a bit warm. Every Sunday, when I'm off, I go to my parents’ house for Sunday lunch, and sometimes when the weather is nice like this, we braai. I work long hours and sometimes go on for a whole week without seeing them, so Fridays and Sundays are the days I've set out for family time. Friday is my day with Kiara, and Sunday is my day with my family. I used to go with Kim when we were still together, and now I go with Lia.

I head to the kitchen when I'm done with the phone call deciding to start breakfast, but I need to put on a shirt first, so I head back upstairs.

I find Lia still sleeping, now lying on her stomach, as I quietly enter the room and I grab my shirt and carefully close the door behind me, not wanting to wake her.

I go to the guest bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before returning to the kitchen and starting with breakfast. Just as I finish, Lia walks inside, surprising me since I thought she was still sleeping.

“Good Morning,” I say with a smile as she walks up to me, but I notice she’s fully dressed and clutching her handbag like she’s ready to go.

“Morning,” she replies with a weak smile that doesn't reach her eyes, not looking at me once even though she is standing in front of me, and I feel a pang in my chest, unable to deny the regret written on her face.

“I’m sorry I left you alone. I received a call from my mom and Kiara. You were sleeping so peacefully; I didn’t want to wake you. So I-” I start to explain, hoping I'm wrong, but she cuts me off.

“-It’s okay... Listen, Ty. I need to go. I will speak to you later,” she says, still not looking at me, and I take the pan off the stove, not even switching it off, “You’re not going to have breakfast?” I ask, now standing in front of her, scared, and she says no. She says she can't stomach any food right now, and my heart sinks very low. What have I done?

“Are you okay?” I ask, stepping closer to her even though it's obvious she's not, panicking, but she steps back, hugging herself when I try to touch her.

I know what that means, so I refrain from touching her, and she says she just needs to go.

“Okay, let me just switch off the stove and grab my keys quickly,” I tell her turning to switch off the stove, but she calls me. I stop and turn to her and she says there's no need to take her home, she's requested an uber, and my heart disappears in the pit of my stomach. What the hell was I thinking? What is wrong with me? Why did I do it?

I walk back to her and gently lift her chin, making her look at me, and I don't miss how her body tenses up, but I'm desperate to fix things. I messed up.

“Lia, I’m sorry, ab-” I start to apologize for last night, but a notification on her phone interrupts me, and she steps back, taking out the phone.

“I have to go; my ride's here,” she says, and I open my mouth to ask if we can maybe talk later, but she turns around and rushes to the door, almost running before I can utter a single word. I stand rooted in the spot, watching her retreat while this gloomy feeling envelopes my whole body. What the f**k did I do? What in the world did I expect was going to happen?

I sit down on one of the stools, having no energy to stand suddenly, and I don’t care about this bloody breakfast anymore; my stomach’s churning. Last night shouldn’t have happened. I should have stopped it. I should have known better. I’m so stupid; what kind of friend am I?

A text comes through on my phone, and I reach for it to see who it is, having no energy for whoever they are, but my heart rate accelerates when I see the caller ID. It's Lia.

*Text*

I won't be able to make lunch today; I'm sorry. Please apologize to Aunt Debbie for me.

“f**k!"

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.

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......

Lia

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The Uber drops me at my place, and I rush inside the house and head straight for the bathroom. I take off my clothes, feeling tears prick my eyes, and fail to hold them back after opening the water as the memories of last night play in my head. What have I done? I used Ty. He didn't deserve that. He was there for me — he was being a good friend, and I took advantage of his kindness, and now I've complicated everything. What if he can't be my friend after this?

I don't know how long I cry under the water before I eventually stop and step out of the shower, remembering I still have to go to Sabrina's. I need to call her and tell her I’m coming to fetch my car. I don’t feel like going anywhere, but I don’t have a choice since they’re flying back to Joburg this afternoon. Otherwise, I’d fetch the car after work tomorrow.

I apply some lotion and put on a pair of leggings and a shirt, and just as I finish, I hear my doorbell. I head to it, wondering who it is since I'm not expecting anyone.

“Sabrina?” I mutter, surprised after opening the door, and she narrows her eyes at me.

“Don’t look so surprised. What were you doing?” She asks, walking past me and looking around before coming to a halt as if she has just remembered something. She turns around and looks at me with a naughty smirk now on her face, and I'm not ready for this.

“Is Tyler here? Were you still at it? Girrrl yo-”

"-He’s not here. He was never here,” I cut her off, wishing she would get the hint and stop before changing the topic. “I was just about to call you and tell you I'm coming to fetch the car.”

“Oh, okay. So you guys spent the night at his place?” she ignores the discomfort that I'm sure is written on my face at the topic and probes, that annoying smirk still on her face.

“Yes, but I don't want to talk about last night.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” she asks with a concerned frown, taking a step closer, and I hug her. She hugs me back, and we stay like that for a few minutes in silence before she pulls back from the hug.

“Was it that bad?”

“What? No, it was… amazing,” I whisper the last part, too ashamed to say it out loud, but she hears me.

“Then what’s with the long face and the red eyes? What's with the sad vibes? Come here,” she says, sitting on the sofa and patting the spot next to her.

"It shouldn't have happened," I reply, taking a deep breath and sitting beside her. “Last night was a mistake. One that I can’t deal with. I seduced my best friend, Sabrina. What I did was cruel and so very wrong. Ty thinks of me as a sister, and I think of him as a brother. I shouldn’t have put him in that position.”

“Okay, firstly, eew! That brother and sister thing… No. Don't ever mention that again. That will never sound right again,” she says, scrunching her nose. “And why do you make it sound like you forced the guy? He was not against the idea, from what I saw. Or is it something he said?”

“No, he didn't say anything like that.”

“Then why are you beating yourself up?”

“Because he was drunk, Sabrina and I came on to him. It was wrong.”

“Yes, he was drunk, but so were you.”

“But I knew what I was doing.”

"I'm sure he did, too... Look, Lia, you had a moment of weakness, and it’s okay. These things happen. It’s not the end of the world. At least you didn’t wake up with a stranger.”

“I wish I did, 'cause I wouldn’t be feelin' like this.”

“Don't be silly; you don’t mean that. You are overthinking this and overreacting.”

“I wish it didn’t happen, you know, I just started missing Aiden, and before I knew it, I found myself wishing Ty were there. And... when I saw him. I was just overwhelmed, I guess. It’s like he could sense I needed him…. I'm such a mess, Sabrina," I confess, leaning my head against her right shoulder.

She takes my hand in hers, and we stay silent for a moment before she speaks.

“I’m sorry, Lia. I shouldn’t have invited the boys over when I told you it was a girl’s night-”

“-What? No, it's not your fault," I cut her off, hating that I've made her feel this way. I’m not blaming her for any of this. I'm not blaming anyone but myself.

“Sabrina, you guys can’t walk on eggshells around me all the time. I need to get over Aiden already and stop making it hard for people who care about me. I j-” I assure her but my stomach grumbles, interrupting me.

“When was the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday.”

“Why?”

“Because... I just got home.”

“Why didn’t you eat at Tyler’s? Did you sneak out while he was still sleeping?” she asks, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at me, and I find myself smiling even though I'm sad.

“No, he was awake, making... breakfast. I just couldn’t stay. I had to get out of there. I couldn’t look him in the eye. So I just told him I had to leave."

“Well… come on then; let’s go to the kitchen, and I'll make you something to eat,” she says, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet.

“Do you want to know what I think?” she asks, starting with coffee as I settle in one of the stools.

“Shoot.”

“I think you and Tyler should talk about what happened, like adults, and decide how you want to move forward. He cares about you deeply. It's clear for everyone to see, and I’m sure he values your friendship just as much as you do. Avoiding him is not going to change anything; it’s just going to confuse and hurt you both,” she says, and I nod, knowing she's right.

“Yeah… you’re right,” I sigh, passing her our coffee mugs, “Thanks for bringing the car. I didn’t feel like going anywhere.”

“You’re welcome. So," she says, winking at me, the smirk returning to her face. “He was amazing, you say?”

“Will you pass me my coffee, please?” I ignore what she's saying, biting my lower lip to suppress a smile.

"Here," she says, handing me the cup, still smiling.“God, look at you, blush,” she adds, and I don't reply and just drink my coffee until she drops the subject.

She continues cooking while we chat about other things, and I'm glad she came. I didn't realize it, but I needed someone to talk to.

“Sabrina?”

“Mm.”

“Thank you for being here.”