Chapter 1
Chelsea attempted to wrap her mind around her boyfriend cheating on her, never imagining the truth was much worse.
I can’t believe he did this to me!
Despite her domestic problems, Chelsea smiled and energetically catered to the needs of her customers all day long. Few of the guys who patronized the local Game Swap purchased new games, most simply traded used video games for other games. As a gamer herself, Chelsea enjoyed her job immensely. Delighted to help those unfamiliar with video games, her favorite customers remained the regulars. She’d enjoy the long conversations about game play. Their awkward attempts to flirt with her secretly flattered the twenty something. None of the regulars could break her melancholy mood today however. Beneath the perky facade, Chelsea’s mind wrestled with the future of her and Dylan’s relationship.
They’d met about a year ago and hit it off right away. He’d used to come in about once a week, trading one game for another. Slightly older than Chelsea, he had a secretive job working for the government in the newly constructed Utah Data Center. Dylan would never talk about his work and the mystery made him even more attractive to her. Of course, she knew he did something with computers or cooling systems and not super-secret government spy stuff.
Their problems began a couple of weeks ago. Text messages devolved from long, late night chats, into single word replies. He’d stopped playing video games altogether and strangest of all, Dylan hadn’t tried to kiss her in weeks. At first, Chelsea thought Dylan’s lack of affection had something to do with his work, never suspecting infidelity. Her outlook changed when she saw him with “that bleach blond witch”.
Before opening the chain store this morning, Chelsea uncharacteristically stopped by a local coffee shop. Up late, conquering the latest expansion in her favorite MMO, she needed a pick-me-up. Approaching the overpriced coffee shop on Thana Street, the sleepy store manager spied Dylan sitting inside with a strange woman.
What the hell? Dylan doesn’t even drink coffee.
Unwilling to believe what her eyes told her, Chelsea continued to spy on the couple through the large window. Dylan and the woman, both wearing sunglasses, sat at a small table directly across from each other, engaged in a private conversation. Without warning, the woman stood up and left. As the attractive woman exited the store, Chelsea debated confronting her, but couldn’t muster the courage. Chelsea placed the woman in her thirties and couldn’t help but notice her expensive outfit. As the woman remotely unlocked her white BMW, Chelsea observed the strange way she walked, deliberately over exaggerating the sway of her hips while her arms hung rigid at her sides.
Maybe that’s how the fancy Paris models walk?
Chelsea immediately hated her.
Watching the woman drive away in disbelief, Chelsea failed to notice Dylan exit the coffee shop. Even worse, Dylan didn’t notice her either. He walked straight to his car, hands in his pockets, and drove away, presumably to work.
After several stunned minutes, Chelsea finally drove herself to work, crying the whole way.
