“Still lying to me, huh? You told me you were on a business trip, but you took your mistress to a seaside guesthouse for a little thrill.”
“Or maybe, on our wedding anniversary, you arranged to meet her for a secret rendezvous in the bathroom?”
Each word I spoke drained the color from Clayton’s face, his lips trembling as he struggled to hold it together.”
“Irene… How did you know?“>
“I hid this so well… how could you possibly know?“}
Nifted my eyes, cold as ice, and let them fall on Odessa behind him.
Clayton’s fury ignited in an instant as he spun to face her. “Was it you?“}
“I warned you; our business was none of Irene’s concern. How does she know everything?“}
“I told you, if you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, you’d pay the price!“}
Odessa paled, her eyes wide with fear. “It wasn’t me!” she cried, panic creeping into her voice. “It’s this shameless woman! She made up all these lies to seduce you just so she could have an affair with your friend.“}
“Or maybe it was Matias who told her. Don’t you remember? He was there when we were…“)
Clayton shot a cold glance at Matias, his gaze full of accusation.
I’ve been blind all these years. I treated you like a brother and gave you clients, and this is how you repay me?“}]
Matias sneered, his words sharp and cutting. “Clayton, how dare you speak like that?“}
“Look deep inside your heart and ask yourself, who’s really been helping whom?“}
“The only reason I ever got close to you was to make sure Irene could live a life free from your mistreatment. That’s why I gave you those clients.”
“Your company’s faced crisis after crisis. Who’s been there each time to pull you out of the fire?”
“You really think President Ledger would treat me like a brother if it weren’t for the help I’ve given you? Stop lying to yourself. If you keep spinning this web of lies, you might end up believing them yourself.“}
Clayton’s eyes widened as the truth hit him like a ton of bricks. Matias wasn’t just some friendly ally; he was the company’s biggest client.
The situation suddenly dawned on Clayton with a sense everyone betraying me?”
finality. “Why has it come to this?” His voice cracked, raw with despair. “Why is
Odessa clung to him, her voice a pitiful whine. “Clayton, I told you, they’re “Stop pretending, Odessa.
all the bad ones. I’m the only one who truly loves you…“|
i–pulled out a pregnancy test report from my phone and held it up, its weight undeniable. “This was sent to me by Odessa.”
“She told me you two often didn’t use protection. This is proof she’s pregnant.”
Clayton’s face twisted with shock as the pieces of his betrayal fell into place.
“Clayton, we haven’t betrayed you. You’ve brought this upon yourself. These problems are yours to fix.”
With that, Matias and I left the guesthouse, but we didn’t head back to Summerviliè, Instead, we spent the day wandering through nearby tourist spots, our minds far from the chaos we had left behind.
It felt like we had slipped back into those university days when everything was simpler and brighter.
Back then, Matias had always been there, quietly by my side.
Even when I was out on a date with Clayton, Matias would follow us from a distance, never intruding but always present in the background.
He knew the smallest details about me. He remembered my menstrual cycle, so when others handed me an iced cola, he’d quietly switch it for hot milk, knowing what my body needed.§
He was familiar with my class schedule and would always arrive an hour early, saving me a seat, a small gesture that meant so much to
me at the time.
I had always thought he did it because of Clayton, because of the role he played in my life.
“Thanks to Clayton for me,” I had said, swept up in the sweetness of young romance.§
I didn’t even think twice when I said it. But he didn’t deny it.
Looking back, I realized he must have felt a bitter ache in his chest that he had never let me see.
I remembered one night during a game of Truth or Dare.!!
Matias had drawn the question, asking who he liked and whether that person was present.
