Prologue
As she approached Room 39, she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Faint laughter, unmistakably feminine, drifted out. Her heart skipped a beat, her stomach knotting with unease. She pushed the door open gently, the sight before her making her breath hitch. She had come to surprise him, only for her to be surprised herself.
There he was, naked on his unmade bed, thrusting the brown skin girl like his life depended on it. He didn’t notice her at first, too absorbed in the moment. As they swapped positions, he glanced toward the door and saw her standing there, his expression shifted—not to guilt, but to irritation.
“Tracy,” he said flatly, pulling out from where he had inserted himself and wrapped the sheet around his waist, but not hurriedly, as if her presence was more of an inconvenience than a shock. He felt no remorse, not even shame for his action. The girl turned to look, finally coming back to earth from the world Tyler had taken her to. She was startled and instinctively clutched the sheet to her chest. “Who’s this?” she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
Tracy’s voice shook, unable to form a word. At last, she spoke. “Who am I? I’m his girlfriend. Or at least, I thought I was.” The girl’s face paled. “Girlfriend? Tyler, you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.” She scrambled to grab her clothes.
Tyler shrugged, leaning back casually against the headboard. “Does it matter now? You’re leaving anyway.” Tracy’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Does it matter? Are you serious right now?” Her voice cracked, anger and betrayal boiling over. “I caught you in bed with another girl and you are asking if it mattered?” He sighed, as if this was an inconvenience he’d rather avoid. “Look, Tracy, you weren’t supposed to be here tonight. You should’ve texted.”
“Texted?” she spat, the word laced with venom. “You think this is about me not texting? You’re cheating on me, Tyler! How long has this been going on?” The other girl, now fully dressed, mumbled, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” She grabbed her bag and bolted out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
He rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “This is getting way too dramatic.” Tracy’s hands trembled as she wiped away tears streaming down her face. “Dramatic? You think this is dramatic? I walk in on you with another girl, and you don’t even have the decency to apologize?”
He stood up from his bed after his third leg grew soft, he grabbed his boxers from the floor, shrugging it on lazily. “What do you want me to say, Tracy? That I’m sorry? Fine. I’m sorry. Happy now?” Her chest heaved as she stared at him, her mind reeling. “I loved you, Tyler. I trusted you. And this… this is how you treat me?”
Tyler smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching with indifference. “Look, maybe you should’ve seen the signs. I am a man for crying out loud! We have been together for months now and yet you still don’t allow me to touch you. How do you expect me to relieve myself?”
She felt the floor drop beneath her. “You’re blaming me? For your betrayal?” Her voice was a mix of heartbreak and fury. He shrugged again, leaning against the desk. “I’m just saying, maybe if you had paid more attention to my needs, then this wouldn’t have happened.”
She stood frozen for a moment, her chest tight, her mind screaming at her to leave. She took a shaky breath and turned toward the door. “You know what, Tyler? I deserve someone who actually gives a damn about me. And that’s clearly not you.”
Without waiting for a response, she walked out, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. He didn’t follow. He didn’t call after her. He just stood there, indifferent, as she left him behind. The tears came as soon as she stepped into the cold night air, but along with them came a stupid feeling of hope that maybe, just maybe they could still fix this. She still loved him, how could she not love him? and she felt that love would be enough to heal the damage that had been done. His apathy could had been the final nail in the coffin, regardless she clung to the hope that they could get over this, even as doubt crept into the corners of her mind.
