Chapter 1: Nothing Breaks like a heart
Lisa
When the five o'clock alarm went off I smiled and quickly packed my stuff. The day had finally come to an end at the Richards fashion centre and it was also a Friday, a big weekend ahead to put some final touches on my wedding preparations. After an entire month of planning, it was a week away and I was super excited.
One thing I hadn't settled on yet was the bridesmaid dresses. As a fashion designer, I couldn’t settle for less than epic, I wanted them to be perfect and no design had caught my eye yet. On my way to the lift, I called my fiancee David to let him know I was going to be late. His phone went straight to voicemail so I left a message for him.
"Hey babe it's me, call me when you get I'll be late for dinner am going to Bianca’s to discuss the bridesmaid dresses like I told you in the morning. Bye baby, take care I love you"
Three years of dating and David was yet to make me his wife. That day I was the first one to sign out and lucky for me a cab pulled over right in front of the gate.
"Take me to Saveway apartments," I said quickly getting in.
It was close to forty minute's drive from the RFC to saveway apartments where Bianca stayed but with the busy fort Canon evening traffic I was going to be there earliest by six. In the back seat of the cab, I quickly scrolled on my phone checking my socials for any trendy fashion news and stuff. It came up to me I had not reminded Bianca about our meeting. She was the really forgetful type.
"He-ey girl!"
"Hi", she said hesitantly, "Can I call you later am kind of in the middle of something"
"Okay, call me when you're done"
After hanging up the call my fingers went back to scrolling. I got bored kept my phone away and rolled the window, and poked my head out. Lucky for me there was less traffic that evening we made a couple of stops before leaving the CBD. The skies were deep blue and the evening was unusually crisp, the air was warm with a cold ocean breeze engulfing my senses. For close to five minutes my guess was fixed on the passing cars and the tall buildings losing me in the moment of staring
"We are here" the cab driver announced reverting me back to my senses.
"Thank you how much?"
"Three bucks" he said extending is arm through small window to pick the money.
"Thank you" I said on my way out.
The guard at the gate waved at me flashing a warm smile. I waved back and cracked one of my reserved friendly smiles before walking in. Bianca's apartment was on the third floor. I sharply expelled the air through my pursed lips before embarking on the tedious stairs since the lift was out of service. The hallway was well lit with florescent tubes above the ceiling, the walls were painted white and the floor was tiled. I pressed the doorbell and waited. A minute went by and there was no response so I pressed again this time multiple times more than the first time. Again no response.
"f**k this" I fished out my keys from the handbag, there was her spare key there somewhere.
When the door clicked open guess who met me, her cat pinky. She meowed rubbing her fluffy body on my feet something I loved about her although am a dog person but because of that tingling feeling I picked her up.
"You hungry, let's get you some milk" I carried her to the kitchen, her plate was usually behind the fridge and it was empty. I replenished it with cat snacks and milk, then dropped her back on the ground.
As pinky enjoyed her snacks I sat on the couch in the leaving room and switched on the TV lazily scrolling through the channels, finally settled on MTV base that was playing some of my favorite RnB hits back to back. My decision was to wait for her to come back instead of calling her again and look restless. Besides David had not called me back yet. Close to twenty minutes I just sat there bored, then I changed my mind. Instead of waiting we would meet the next day being a weekend. From the couch I added pinky some more milk and ordered a cab via my app on my way out.
Apart from feeling lucky I was indeed lucky that day, downstairs there was a driver waiting for me. The guard waved me off and smiled.
"Tell her I was around" I said before locking the door.
"Where?" the cab driver asked.
"Galaxy apartments on the presidential street, how fast can we get there?"
"Twenty minutes mum" he said gently.
In the back seat I kept checking my phone for any calls from either Bianca or David. There was none. Not even a text. Paranoia set in, my stomach dropped and my heart thud threatening to rip my rib cage open. What if something happened to him? With our wedding around the corner we had agreed to be extra careful. No heavy drinking and hanging out late unless it was inevitable. I called again and it went straight to voicemail. My heart sank.
"Hey babe not funny, call me back as soon as you get this am worried"
Would have called one of his friends but he had barred me against it claiming they were "dangerous" that kind of jealousy made me love him even more.
"How far?"
The city was lighting up with neon and argon lights as darkness approached. Cars were hooting and the city that never sleeps was getting busy with people buzzing around restaurants and casinos, bars and supermarkets. Signs of “NOW OPEN” were hanging on doors. It was as though another morning was upon them.
“How far?”
"Five minutes mum"
"Okay" I said sounding and acting restless, fidgeting in the back seat.
Nothing seemed to make me calm down anymore. Scrolling on my phone proved futile. Not even music that the cab driver was kind enough to play. In my mind there were a hundred possibilities of what might have happened. None was positive.
"We're here" he said pulling over at my gate.
I quickly paid him and rushed to our apartment telling myself to calm down in my mind. I took a sigh of relief when his car in the underground parking lot became visible. My vitals went back to normal as I opened the door.
"Baby am home!" I shouted hanging my coat on the hanger and dropping the keys on the piano at the entrance.
He usually responded but that day he didn't. I could tell he was home because his jacket, the one he wore that morning was at the hanger.
"Babe!" I called undressing on my way to our room where loud music was coming from.
When the door opened a jolt of adrenaline hit my body in form of terror my heart shattered into a million little pieces before they hit the pit of my stomach like tiny needles. The pieces entered my bloodstream corroding my insides and making my legs weak such that they couldn't carry me anymore so I leaned on the door jamb, feeling hollowness in my stomach, my eyes became itchy and I started to cry covering my mouth, no sound just weeping like a fool I was. David was sweating on top of my best friend and they were so into it that they didn't notice me.
"David!" I screamed on top my lungs.
David sprang up covering his nudity with his hands while Bianca rolled off the bed with the duvet hitting the beside carpet with a thud.
"Jesus Christ Lisa! It's not what it looks like" David said approaching me with caution.
"f**k you David I caught you with your d**k inside of her don't you dare convince me!"
"Listen"
"Am not delusional David, don't touch me" I said dragging my ass away from him, kicking and screaming, tears flowing from my eyes my voice was already coarse "Don't touch me you rascal"
"Am sorry"
"Am done with you David, am done am leaving this house" I picked myself up and marched past him back the room where Bianca was dressing up. A glare at her was enough send her out.
"Am sorry Lisa I don't know what came over me I swear I have...."
"You've never f****d him? Ooh don't lie to my face get out you slut!" I shrieked pushing her outside, "get out, you're not my friend, you were never my friend and I hate you so much!"
"Calm down Lisa" David said his c**k dangling all over the place.
"Don't tell me what to do!" I shut the door in their faces and bolted it.
Quickly I started packing my stuff amid tears. My legs were still numb couldn’t feel them, the ground below my feet was replaced by a void and my body was just floating in space. How could he do that to me? When we were at the peak of our love, three wasted years of my life. I didn't know what to do, neither did I have any idea where to go but I was not sleeping on that filthy bed again. Over my dead body.
"Let's talk about this baby am sorry" David begged behind the door.
Instead of answering I opened the door roughly almost knocking him down and walked past him dragging my suitcase behind me.
"Lisa please"
He thought me leaving him was a joke but now reality was starting to sink in his thick skull. My mind was made up. He was the only thing I used to think my friend Bianca couldn't have and now she had him too. There was nothing left, she had managed to turn my world topsy turvy. Congratulations to her I did not believe in true love and loyalty, friendship and people caring about me and my feelings.
"We have nothing to talk about, I wish you all the best with your new wife" I said referring to Bianca seated on the couch, "Bye suckers, should have known I was standing in the way of destiny"
"Get out you witch!" David screamed at Bianca.
He was trying to shift the blame to her yet it was not r**e that I saw, they were happily making love to each other, it was consensual. Bianca left the room her head hang in shame and I didn't know what to feel for her. She had crossed a line I couldn't forgive and if he thought that little PR act was going to make me forgive him then he was in for a big surprise.
"Lisa please, am sorry we can talk about this out, our wedding..."
"Don't even mention that wedding to me"
He reminded me of one last thing of his I had. The engagement ring. I rolled it off my finger and threw it to him. On way out I slammed the door behind me with nowhere in mind to go. Behind me was David with a couple of pillow cases covering his front and back.
"Lisa wait, please don't leave me"
"Taxi!"
The cab driver stopped. David rushed to his window.
"Leave she is not going anywhere"
"Ignore him, open the trunk I have luggage"
The cab driver opened the trunk and forcefully put my suitcase in the trunk before he shut it then in his face I got in the cab and driver sped off. Behind me was the only man I had ever loved. The one my life was built around and he crushed my heart like some stranger. I was leaving him for the unknown.
"Where to?"
"The airport" I said leaning back.
My lachrymal glands were dry, tears had left a glass like path on my cheeks down to my mouth. I couldn't cry anymore with my body numb, my eyes red and swollen as though I got stung by a swarm of bees and if I could cry it had to be on vacation, somewhere far away from David and Bianca and every other person who did warn me against him.