2. A Thing or Two About Infidelity

Mandy tilted her head to one side, looking uncertain for a moment. “Don't you know that everyone called him a ‘rake' for a reason? He is the heir of a Duke title. He is an Earl now and his father is a Marquess because his grandfather still holds the Duke title but still, everyone knows sooner or later it will be passed on.”  

“I am aware of that but I am not sure I understand what you mean. What does his title have anything to do with the warning you mentioned earlier?”

“Well, obviously every girl wants to be the next Duchess or Marchioness or even Countess. Who would not want to become royalty and marry British royalty? So ultimately everyone tries to date him. But he is not a one-girl-forever type of guy. He is the traveling type, never staying with one girl for long. One could even say that he is such a sailor in a way that he will stop in many docks but he will never stick for a long time. A few weeks at most before he grows bored and makes excuses to break up.” Mandy waved her hand as if she had not just dropped a bomb. She acted as if Katherine had known this all along when in fact, she had not. “You do not need to worry though. Maybe this time it would be different. He looks like he likes you so much and you both look so good together.”

Katherine had been too stunned to answer yet her mind reeling back to her first week in Carlton High. Walking down the corridors, there were girls who had been giving her odd looks and although she had first thought it was strange, she had not really paid any mind to it. She had simply written that off as jealousy because they wanted to be with William but he chose to be with her instead. Now, after getting this bit of information from Mandy, she could see that those could have a different meaning altogether. Perhaps they had been trying to warn her but unsure how to pop her bubble. 

Still, Katherine had believed in William. He had been nothing but a gentleman to her. “Tell me who the other girls are. How would I know whether you are telling the truth or simply making this up?”

Mandy seemed to be uneasy and reluctant but in the end, she had called three other girls, “Sarah, Daisy, Lina, why don't you tell Katherine here about Liam and your brief relationship with him.”

“He was fun. Though you could not trust him out of your sight,” said Sarah. “He is the kind of guy who is capable of seducing your best friend right under your nose!”

Daisy protested, “No! He does not cheat! He simply walks out one day and never contacts you again. He broke up with me saying he was sorry but he had fallen for someone new. He kissed my forehead then left. I did not see him until two weeks later when he marched into a party with a redhead in his arms. It sucked so bad but I live.”

“That was more or less what happened to me too,” said Lina, the raven-haired girl. “He is the sexiest guy and he knows his way in the bedroom too. Even though he broke up with me, I regret nothing! He has given me the best sex. He is up there on the list of the best sex in my entire life.”

“I agree!” Sarah nodded eagerly. “He and I are friends now but to be honest, how can I look at him without recalling the time we have spent together.”

“How is it with you, Katherine?” Mandy asked and the other girls shifted their gaze to Katherine. 

“It is fine,” Katherine replied curtly. She could not possibly tell them that she had never gone to bed with William. Not when they were boasting about his amazing skills in bed. 

“Let me give you a hint,” said Mandy conspiratorially. “You always split up when you go to a party like this, right? Why don't you try to find him?”

Katherine was about to inform her that at a party like this, William had always been with his other friends: Castile, Rafe, Orlando, and Nathaniel. The five of them were known as the CROWN boys and always stuck together.

Yet before she had the chance to, Mandy had interrupted her and said, “Go and find him. If he is tired of you, you could find him with another girl but if he is not then he is probably in the lounge with the other CROWN boys.”

The other girls had nodded their agreement. Lina even commented, “Liam is always like that. He has to find the replacement first before telling you that you have been replaced.”

Even after the girls had finally left her in peace, she could not shake the thought off of her head. She and William had only been seeing each other for a very short time, no more than a month. She was not yet in love with him, but if she was being honest, she was merely wavering on the brink. Now it seemed that she could never let herself fall for him or she would be doomed to have her heart broken so carelessly by him. 

It would be her turn next to stand in front of him, hearing him say those words he had said to those girls. Lame excuses and all. And there would be nothing she could do about it because it would be far too late. Except if she would never fall in love with him, if she never let him matter then he could never hurt her. Yet if she went on and continued seeing him, how could she stop caring? How could she prevent herself from falling for him?

There had only been one logical conclusion. She must walk away from him before he walked away from her. She must be the first to leave to be the last to get hurt. As she had gone to search for him that night and eventually found him talking to a girl who had been standing way too close to him, she swiftly made up her mind. It was best to break up with him now before it was all too late. Before he broke her heart and left her to pick up the pieces. 

Pushing those old memories away, Katherine went into the kitchen to fix herself something to eat. As she poured tea from the teapot into a cup, she stopped short. Patrycia was bound to have invited Raynald Ambrose since he was one of the people in her social circle.

Damn. 

Raynald always believed that he was in love with Katherine since the day she had defended him in Sociology class back in university, and lately, he was becoming too much. She had tried numerous times to let him down gently but he was being very persistent, convinced that she was the only one for him. He had even once declared that he would make her love him. As if love could be arranged that easily. 

Sipping the tea after pouring a splash of milk, she slumped down on the couch, knowing fully well that tonight's party would be tiring but she had to attend nonetheless.