Chapter 2: Caught in the Act

FRANCESCA

The sun was starting to set when I finally stood up to leave. I had been at my mom's tomb all day, crying my eyes out as I paid her homage. It was her anniversary that day and my boyfriend, Jason had promised to go with me to the cemetery. But a board meeting had come up and had truncated our plans, forcing me to go alone.

Now, I was here, torn and broken, staring at the inscription on her tombstone: Ella Johnson. A beloved mother.

That was who she was to me. My beloved mother.

I still could not believe she was gone. I still hoped that one day I would wake up to her sitting by my bed, holding a plate of pancakes and teasing me for thinking she was dead.

But that was a desire that could never be actualized. She was dead.

She had died a year ago from cancer. The memory still hurt badly because everyone thought she was gonna survive it. She had been responding well to treatment but had suddenly not woken up the next morning. It was strange and I was yet to figure things out.

Though everyone was telling me to get over it — even the nurse that had been assigned to my mom had told me my mom asked me not to mourn her death for too long — I was yet to get over my mother's death.

My mom had been the closest person to me. She had been my best friend and a huge support. Now that she was gone, it was as though I had lost a part of me. Though I found Jason's presence comforting, I still missed my mother.

Wiping my tears, I knelt to place a kiss on her gravestone. Then I turned on my heels and left, having only one destination in my mind: Jason's office.

I needed to see him. I needed him to comfort me. Jason always knew what to say to make me feel better. Just merely seeing him would soothe the ache in my chest.

But what I did not expect to see when I got to his office was to see my boyfriend, stark naked, having sex with another woman on his desk or rather our desk — judging from the many crazy things we did on that desk on a steady.

"Jason!" I screamed, my hazel eyes widening in shock as I stared at them.

It seemed like the world was coming to an end as I stood.

I could not believe my eyes and my heart was starting to pound loudly in my chest as I stared from him to the blonde who was staring right back at me with pure hatred in her dark eyes.

I recognized her immediately as the business associate Jason had introduced to me some weeks ago. How shameless!

It now made so much sense to me as I stood at the office door staring at them as they awkwardly fumbled into their clothing. The frequent visits, the secret meetings, the phone calls: everything made sense now.

I felt so much like a fool to know that everything had been happening right under my nose: Jason had been cheating on me yet I had been too stupid to notice.

This thought cut through me like a knife through a butter and I broke down, unable to hold my tears back. My bag had long fallen on the floor and I had to hold the door to keep myself from falling too.

"It's not what you think, babe." Jason began, moving closer to me but I backed away, shaking my head at him.

"How. . .how could. . ." I could barely form a coherent word.

The smile on the blonde's face was sickening. She was now fully dressed in her short sleek black dress yet she sat back on the desk, staring me down with her arms folded.

One would expect that she would have enough sense to leave but this blonde seemed to be crazy because she kept sitting on the desk with her legs crossed, as though she owned the world.

"Francesca, I — " Jason was still walking to me.

"Bastard!" I yelled at him and he stopped abruptly, looking at me with hurt in his deep blue eyes. I stared back at him, wondering if he was delusional. He had just cheated on me yet he was acting like he had the right to be hurt.

Ignoring the hurt in his eyes, I yelled more at him.

"Stay away from me, you piece of shit! I don't ever wanna see you again!"

With that, I whirled around, running out of the office and down the hallway. But Jason followed me, calling out to me to stop and even holding the elevator door when I got into it.

"Get away from me, Jason! What is your problem?" I shouted at him, tears falling from my eyes and slithering down my cheeks. I could not see my reflection but I knew I looked a mess, seeing how I had cried all through my way down here from the cemetery.

Emotionally drained from being with my mom, I had come to see Jason to find some comfort but rather than be comforted, my heart was further broken.

"It's not what it seems, Francesca," Jason said to me, still holding onto the elevator door and trying to get in himself.

Furious, I bit him hard on his arm and just before he could recover from that unexpected bite, I kicked him down in the balls. He let go of the door immediately and the door finally closed, shielding me from the beast whom I had thought was my boyfriend.

Now alone, I slipped down to the floor, hugging my bent knees to my chest and crying aloud. My long black hair which had been perfectly styled that morning now fell in an unruly fashion behind me as I pulled at it, bawling my eyes out.

My heart was breaking too much as the event kept replaying in my mind. I could not believe Jason had just cheated on me. I thought he loved me.

I thought we were gonna build a family together. I had our whole life planned out perfectly yet Jason had gone ahead and ruined it.

But what had I been expecting anyway, I thought to myself.

Jason was the hot CEO whom every girl desired to have a taste of while I was just his poor secretary with no reputation. It was only a matter of time till this happened and honestly, I was surprised our relationship lasted this long.

Or maybe, he had been cheating on me all through the one year we had been dating and I had just been oblivious. After all, my friend Janie had told me countless times about the various girls Jason took to the club.

Because I had not caught him red-handed, I had refused to believe but now, I could see my folly. Jason had just been playing with me all along.

The elevator door had barely opened when I dashed out, still sobbing greatly as I walked down the empty hall. It was late already so the employees had closed for the day's job. I could only see a few people around but I paid no attention to them.

I kept walking with my head bowed, trying to stop my mind from replaying that horrid scene but it did not stop.

I broke into a run, hoping that I would be able to effectively distract myself from what had happened.

Then I heard a voice calling out for me to stop. It sounded familiar but I kept running, refusing to look back or stop. I knew it was not Jason yet I did not stop running. I did not want to see or speak to anyone in this pathetic state I was in. I just wanted to hide my face from the world.

The alley was dark save for the flickering streetlights and the headlights of moving vehicles. Even though it was already late, cars sped past now and then. But it was not surprising because New York City was always busy; I did not expect it to be less busy that night.

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest as I ran. My sight was getting blurry too as tears blinded me but I kept running.

I had barely run a distance away from the company when I felt myself being hit hard from behind.

Before I knew what was happening, I had fallen with a heavy thud, my head hitting the hard tarred road with a loud thump.

I could not explain what had happened or how it had happened but I knew I had just been run over by a car and my eyes hung open as I struggled to breathe.

The car pulled to a stop and the door opened, revealing two people who were running to me.

I could barely hear what they were saying to me but I tried to keep my eyes open, gasps escaping my lips as I tried to breathe with my mouth.

"Oh my God." It was a woman's voice and she was sobbing. She was also with a phone and she was dialling a number. I guess she was calling for help.

"Can you hear me?" A man was asking this time. "Just hang on."

"Her eyes are closing, James." The woman sounded horrified. "We should not let her sleep."

But it was already too late because my eyes fluttered close and I breathed my last.