BETH:

"I thought we were going to spend the night with those monsters," Ariana sniffled while resting her head on Troy's chest. I simply stood there and watched them act all cozy with each other like I didn't exist.

First, they got me to rush out of my apartment just to bail them out of the station. Now they decided to delay me by sitting outside just to get a hang of themselves or whatever it is they were doing.

I cannot belief this is my boyfriend doing this to another woman when it should be me. It makes no sense but I couldn't even find the words to confront him lest I get called out for being jealous of his so-called 'sister'.

"You know I won't let anything happen to you," Troy said to Ariana with his arms wrapped around her.

It was ironic though because I was literally the one who saved their asses from spending the night in the police station.

"We should get going," I had to finally voice out. I was clearly frustrated from having to stand there for such a long time without leaving.

They both looked at me like I was intruding in their privacy and that actually made me annoyed. But I said nothing and just turned around to head to my car. It was left to them to come join me.

I sat inside my car with my head processing everything that happened with me today. I still cannot believe that I had to leave the comfort of my home just to rescue my boyfriend at this odd hour. And the fact that I had to extend that help to another only infuriated me more.

Eventually, I heard a knock on my car and I looked to the side to see Troy and Ariana standing by the passenger seat. They didn't look like any of them was ready to step in and it made me raise my brows questioningly.

"Why aren't you two getting in?" I asked in the calmest voice I could ever produce. It was surprising that I could pull that off despite my frustration.

Ariana suddenly grabbed Troy in a way that only someone in a relationship should. That was my boyfriend, you... you....

"I don't feel comfortable when someone else drives a car I'm in. You know that right, Troy," Ariana said as she looked up at him.

"Maybe you should take a walk then," I suggested. I don't even know when then came out of my mouth but it felt good to say.

"Take a walk by this time of the night? What are you saying, Beth? You shouldn't be saying things like that," Troy said in a confrontational tone. I didn't miss the frown on his face.

I wanted to rebuff but the words felt heavy in my mouth. Maybe it was because I couldn't comprehend why my boyfriend of three years was standing up for another woman when it should be for me instead.

"Get down. I'll drive," Troy finally said again, breaking the brief silence.

"What!?"

"I said, get down. I can't let you drive this car. You know how traumatized Ariana is since her brother's incident. I can't let her get into another situation where she would be so scared."

"But it's my car..." I stated, pointing out that obvious.

Troy didn't even say anything else and just strode aggressively to the driver's seat where I was already buckled up. I was tok stunned to even move. I just sat there and watched him.

He opened up the door and was standing face to face with me. I don't know if he said something but my mind was already off the radar to even think about anything that might have come out of his mouth.

All I know is that I felt the seatbelt unbuckle with Troy leaning towards me. Next thing, I was being pulled out of the car a little too aggressively while I refused to attempt any form of resistance.

I stood by the sidewalk for more than a minute to see the bitch kiss my boyfriend on the cheek in appreciation for what he did as she joined him in the front seat. I just couldn't believe what was unfolding.

"Are you going to leave me out here?" I had to ask after I snapped out of my reverie when the car engine got ignited.

"You can figure out your way home, Beth. I need to drop her home safely. Everything that happened tonight has taken a toll on her already," Troy responded and didn't give me room to respond before zooming off.

It didn't feel real. I don't even know how to explain what just happened. But the sum of it all is that my boyfriend just left me on the road at night to go drop off another girl after I saved him from spending the night in a police station.

With tears in my eyes, I whipped out my phone and began typing into it. It was to my mother.

'I'm ready to come home. That marriage you said you were working on, I'm down for it.'

BETH:

"Did you see the photo I sent you?" That was the first question my mother asked after I picked up her call and put it on speaker mode.

I couldn't use my hand to hold the phone because of how busy I was. I had my clothes littered on the bed with a big box with it. I was doing a lot of folding and unfolding and I knew it was going to take me a long time to finish up.

"What photo?" I asked in return. I may or may not have received a notification about two minutes earlier but I didn't even bother to check.

"Of Richard. I sent it to you a little while ago," she said.

"Oh," I muttered and was forced to finally pick up the phone.

Richard was the name of the man my mother has been trying to set me up with. She has been speaking highly of him to me for such a long time before I finally agreed to whatever it is she was planning.

I clicked open the picture mother sent and scanned the face of the man that she was ever so pleased to talk about. He wasn't that bad of a man. From the picture, I could deduce how tall he was including his good looks. However, it didn't do much to harbor any sort of interest in me.

"I've seen it, mother," I said, closing the picture and dropping the phone back on the bed.

"That's all you have to say? Not even a talk of how handsome he is because I know for sure that he's really good looking," Mother said, her tone filled with an ounce of tease.

I shook my head. "He's not bad. Not like he catches my fancy anyway," I told her.

"I'm so glad you're planning to come home after all these years. Although your father is still mad at you for leaving the way you did, I know he will come around when he sees you. I think he just misses not hearing from you over the years."

The sound of relief that exuded from mother's tone told me just how much she felt knowing that I was going back to them.

I left home about three years ago to go be with Troy after my parents totally disapproved of it. They claimed that he was not fit for me and I disregarded that idea. Since they didn't want us to be together, I had no other option than to run away without letting them know my whereabout.

Meeting Troy then felt like a jackpot. I thought I found the answer to it all. Not that Troy had everything that a man should possess but I stood by him because of how much I loved him.

I didn't think he would betray me like this. Didn't see this coming. I busted his ass out of the station after he and his so-called sister had been caught at a hotel during a raid gone wrong.

I should have asked him what was he doing in a hotel with a woman that he claimed he only saw as a sister and was only caring for her because her brother, his best friend, died.

I shook my head to take out the thoughts. "Yes, mother?" I said when I heard my mother's voice on the other end. I was completely zoned out to even know what she must have said.

"I asked when you were planning to show up," she obviously repeated what she said before.

I shrugged. "I haven't fully decided yet but it should be nothing less then next week. I'm trying to sort a few things out here. Once I do, I'll be home."

The idea felt so good that for the first time since I left home, I was actually eager to go back. Never felt this way before and I knew it was the right call for me at this point.

"I can't wait to have you home," Mother said in agreement.

"I'll call you later. Have a nice day," I said.

"You too."

The call got hung up from the other end and this gave me the chance to continue with the packing of my clothes.

I must have gotten lost in it to not realize that my boyfriend who didn't even bother spending the night here was finally back.

"What are you doing with your clothes?" was the question he asked from behind me that actually made me realize that he was in the room with me.

I stood frozen on the spot, to stunned to even turn around to look at him. I had the answer to give to him but the suddenness caught me completely off guard.

I had to say something before he got suspicious...

BETH:

"I'm trying to take out some of my old clothes," I stuttered but was finally able to say the words that I needed to say in order to remove any form of suspicion.

I was going to leave but I wanted to do it discreetly. I did not have it in me to actually explain the reason for my leaving which was why this was my resort.

I don't think he sensed anything amiss because he said, "We'll move into a bigger space soon when we we get married so you don't have to do all that sorting."

If I wasn't trying to stay serious, I would have laughed at what he said. Why? Because I couldn't believe my ears.

Troy was really talking about us getting married like he meant it. Like he was seriously talking about our future together. I should be elated hearing that. Probably over the moon. But I, for one, know that was a lie.

I have brought up the topic many times to him in the past and he always pushed it aside like I was bugging him for even bringing such up.

"It's too soon." That was what he never hesitated to say whenever I asked him the question before today. I guess he never really envisioned us together. And if he was now, it was too late for me.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said later after I basically ignored him while I tended to my clothes. I can't believe that he refused to say anything about what he did to me last night after I saved him.

All of a sudden, his phone started buzzing nonstop. Why didn't he put it on silent, bloody hell?

I scanned around the room to notice that he kept it on the bedside cabinet. The sound was driving me crazy already and I needed to shut it off. I cannot afford to be irritated while I plotted my way out of this shit hole of a relationship.

The screen of his phone revealed notifications of pictures from a certain somebody. And it was none other than Ariana.

I was curious to know what she must have sent to him repeatedly that would actually disturb my peace. And so I clicked on her message only to reveal something that I didn't expect to see.

There... Right there, I could see pictures of Ariana in a wedding gown clinging on to him. Yes, Troy was in the pictures she sent to him looking all happy as he held on to her like she meant the whole world to him.

My head eventually clicked what was going on. So, Troy always thought that it was too soon to get married to me but here he was, already married to a woman that he just got close to after the death of his best friend, her brother.

So I never meant a thing to him. Not even a bit.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Troy's voice got my attention as I looked to the side to see him only dressed in a towel wrapped around his still wet body. There was anger written all over his face as he rushed up to me and then yanked the phone out of my hand. The force he used was so much that I fell to the bed immediately.

"Don't you understand the concept of privacy anymore? Why would you be going through my—" He stopped when he realized what I was going through on his device.

I looked down at my hand to see that there was a scratch on it. The way he had forcefully collected the phone from me really did something and I only hoped I didn't bleed because of it.

"I won't touch your phone again," I said softly, my tone a bit apologetic.

I expected him to scold me or confront me again but instead, he began to explain himself.

"I– I was only helping Ariana out with some type of modelling. It does– doesn't mean anything at all. Don't get the wrong idea."

"You two don't look bad together," I said with a straight face when I looked up at him.

My statement actually made him mad. A deep frown etched on his face as he stared at me and it looked like he wanted to get a go at me.

"Why would you even say such a thing? There's nothing going on between me and Ariana and you know that. She's more like a sister to me. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

I didn't say anything to that. And the next thing, his phone beeped, making him look down at it.

A few seconds later, he said, "I've got to go. Ariana needs me."

But what about me, Troy? What about me?