SCARLET
A lot of things are happening at the same time.
I feel like I need a break from everything.
Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of luxury.
The world can’t stop for me to take a breather.
Life does continue.
It all depends on how fast you pick yourself up.
When the man I now know to be Matias mentions Kelvin’s name, my heart races in my chest.
I had been so caught up in putting up an act for Devan’s mother that I forgot the real situation.
I look at the envelope Matias just slipped to Devan’s side and my heart pounds faster.
What could possibly be in that envelope?
He said it concerned me and Devan.
How does Devan fit in my situation with Kelvin?
Only when the question hits my mind do I realize, how does Matias know about Kelvin?
He said his name so naturally like we’ve known each other for ages.
Now this gets more and more confusing.
Devan must have seen the confusion in my face because then he tells his mother, “I’ll fill you in on everything, later.”
And then he turns to me.
“Can we talk? In my office.”
Sure.
He gets up and Matias and I follow right behind him.
Once we’re in he locks the door and gestures for us to sit.
I can’t help but notice the red couch on one side of the office.
And the red curtains again.
Is this the devil’s den?
The rest of the furniture have a consistent theme of black and grey.
His color choice shouldn’t be any of my concern.
I take the visitor’s seat next to Matias while Devan sits across from us.
“Are you still going to deny the allegations about stalking me?” I ask Devan, putting the pieces together in my head.
“Actually, he wasn’t the one stalking you. I was,” Matias speaks up, earning a confused look from me.
“It’s not what you think,” he defends.
“Then explain,” I cross my arms in front of my chest.
“Devan only knew of your existence last night. And he asked me to look into you. Last night. He also asked me to look into your fiance this morning,” Matias spills, throwing Devan under the bus so nonchalantly.
“He is not my fiance.” Also, I turn to Devan who is shooting Matias with daggers of glares.
Before Devan can say anything, Matias continues.
“Don’t crucify him. Devan has always been paranoid. Since…well since…since his father died.”
That’s who he was visiting last night.
It makes me feel sorry for him.
I understand the pain of losing a parent.
“That’s enough, Matias,” Devan hisses.
At this point I don’t even know what to feel.
I should be offended that he looked into me, but I have bigger things to be offended about.
We can deal with this later.
Right now, I need to know what Matias dag about me.
And did he find that much information about me and my fiance…well, ex-fiance in one night?
Devan hands the brown envelope to me.
“You should be the one to open this,” he says.
“Now you suddenly know a thing or two about privacy?” I mutter.
“Scarlet,” he says.
“Never mind. I’ll get used to it. You’re the boss, aren’t you?”
He sighs.
“I wouldn’t want us to start our marriage on this note.”
Our marriage.
I had momentarily forgotten about that part.
Whatever.
I open the envelope and take out a picture that makes my stomach drop.
It’s a photo of Kelvin in a park.
He’s with a woman.
A blonde.
And they’re seated so close to each other.
Kelvin is holding her hair.
I want to give all sorts of excuses but none of them make sense.
Only one.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that there’s something going on between them.
The next photo I take out confirms it, breaking my heart even more.
It’s a surveillance feed picture but it’s enough to show what I need to know.
Kelvin and the blonde.
Kelvin is pecking the blonde’s cheek.
And then another photo of them standing by a car, holding each other’s hands.
A liquid suddenly drops on the photo.
I didn’t even realize I was crying.
I don’t know if that’s possible
I put the pictures on the table.
“Excuse me.” I say as I storm out of the office. Get faster updates on g.com.
I’m going to need a minute.
Actually, is a minute even enough?
I head to the only place I’m familiar with in this house.
Devan’s room.
I storm in and head straight for the bathroom.
I lock the door before I break down, sliding down the cold tile.
I feel chest tight.
And it hurts more and more as tears flow down my cheeks uncontrollably.
I don’t how long I last, because when I finally get up and have a glance of myself in the mirror, I’m a mess.
For the second time in one morning, I wash my face as I try to recollect myself.
I need to stabilize, but this is not going to be easy.
I don’t even know if I want to go home.
To my wedding.
To cancel my wedding.
I still have a lot of questions, but the main ones have been answered.
Kelvin was indeed cheating on me.
If there was even a tiny chance that I overreacted last night, then even that has been cleared.
I can’t believe I was going to say yes to him.
How long has he been lying to me?
Why did I not see any red flags?
Maybe I was so stupid in love that I ignored everything.
I almost laugh at my reflection.
“How could you be so stupid?” I mumble, shaking my head.
I take in deep breaths to help me calm down.
He played me, I’m going to show him the real game.
After all, I’m getting married.
To Devan Galloway.
Two can play this game.
It’s only going to be six months, but that will help me stabilize emotionally.
It’s a funny thing to resort to, but I give all sorts of excuses to make sense.
I mean who even marries someone else on the day she finds out her fiance has been cheating on her?
Me.
That’s who.
Call me crazy, but I’ll call myself rare.
Where has predictability ever gotten me?
After a few minutes of a pep talk, I decide, this is it.
I suck in a breath before I walk away from my reflection, feeling rejuvenated.
When I open the door, I find Devan standing right there.