Tiffany opened the door and froze. She found herself eyeball-to-eyeball with Tanya, the same Tanya who did not return home tonight.Before Tiffany could release a sigh of relief, the transient but palpable panic that zipped through Tanya’s eyes caused every muscle in her body to tense intuitively. She found herself murmuring, or rather, demanding, “What the hell are you doing here?”Tanya said nothing. She hung her head as she continued to clean the dishes and food off the dining table.Tiffany’s eyes wandered toward two emptied wine bottles and felt her legs turn wooden, as though they had turned to lead. Against her wishes, her attention began to magnify on Tanya’s matted hair and her haphazardly buttoned clothes. She dared not imagine what happened before she opened the door.But Tanya’s silence was deafening; it was pushing her to madness. Hysterical, Tiffany yelled, “Talk, Tanya! Talk, god-f**king-damn it! What the f**k were you doing here?!”Jackson hated having strangers in
With that, Tiffany turned around and went downstairs.Tanya’s gait was not normal — it was slow and awkward.Tiffany considered her from her spot on the couch and watched the woman inch toward her. Then, she gibed, “Can you be a tad bit more artful and not make it so obvious? I know you had sex with him, honey. No need for the visual reminder. We’re all women here. We all had our first time. What, you think only you know how much it hurts?”Tanya’s eyes met hers before she sat across the couch. “What’s your point?”The subtle change in her attitude was not lost on Tiffany. “Oho, not going to continue your innocent girl act now? So you weren’t joking with me back then. You changed your target from Eric to Jackson; you even put it to action. How ironic that I was the one who taught you, and now it’s backfired on me. I think I made it clear to you before — use all the wiles and tricks you have, but never cross the moral horizon. You knew he was my ex-fiance, Tanya, yet you did it anyw
With that, Tiffany rose to her feet and started toward the door. And then she stopped, her feet falling into place.“Do you know why I came here?” she said. “I didn’t come here because I thought Jackson was sticking his d**k into another woman’s coochie or whatever. I came here… because my best friend had not returned home despite the time, and I feared for her safety. I came here seeking help from Jackson. And in return for my kindness, you gave me this surprise... Heh.”Tanya’s pupils quivered before she willed them to stay still. Everything she had done up to this point would not brook a sliver of sympathy and guilt. Never again would she put herself in a spot to be gibed and mocked by others; she, too, wanted to be as radiant as all the cool girls in the city — the it-girl worthy of attention!Tiffany left, but Tanya chose to stay, busying herself with cleaning Jackson’s house till it was spotless. Then, when her chores were done, she laid down next to the slumbering man, exhaus
Jackson expelled a breath from his lungs while his expression changed. “What… What did you just say? Tiffany knows about this? She came over here last night?” Tanya was a little taken aback by his reaction. The wound on the back of her hand was glaring—gory, even—yet all he cared about was Tiffany...? Emotions roared within her chest. Before she could answer anything, however, Jackson sprung toward his car keys and the door, shouting on his way out, “Leave my house before I come back!” A few days of frequent drizzles ended with the last retreating patch of the tenebrous clouds above the Capital. The sun had broken out from the east of a sky cleared by its radiant splendor. Showered by its golden light, the city gradually woke as its bustling grew. However, none of these could shake Jackson out of his trance. All he thought about was Tiffany, as he thought about how they were never getting back together now, not after the disaster that was last night!He drilled his finger into
Tanya took Jackson’s action as him being too embroiled in a precarious mental conflict to bother with her at the moment. In this state, staying in his place would bear her no development, so she left his house and went back to the apartment. She requested a half-day leave with Eric on her way home and returned to find Tiffany’s possessions gone. The few things that remained were pieces of furniture too large and heavy to be lugged around, such as the double-door fridge Summer had gifted her. Tanya felt nothing, not even a ripple. She would have moved out herself had Tiffany not done it. There was no way the two of them could continue to live under the same roof after all that had transpired. Honestly, she felt happy that the woman was the one who left, for now Tanya did not have to spare some effort finding a new abode. She had not gotten enough sleep last night. Today, she was going to remedy that. She was going to slumber with the fulfilling knowledge that she had successfully
Arianne’s sense of foreboding increased. Whatever happened also involved Jackson as well now?She bypassed Lilian’s interrogation with some excuses and flitted straight into Tiffany’s room.The woman in question was not sleeping at all. Instead, she was lying motionless on her bed, silent and still as a cadaver. Her eyes were puffy and unnaturally jutted out, suggesting that she had just recently bawled. Still, few could match in visual impact as the dried, untreated bloody cut on her forehead.Arianne took in a deep breath before taking her seat next to the bed. “What’s the matter, Tiffie? What happened to your forehead?” she cooed. “Talk to me, Tiffie. You’re scaring me.”Tiffany sniffled. Afraid that Arianne might go after Tanya, she fibbed. “It’s… I-It’s nothing. I a-accidentally fell and cut myself, that’s all. B-B-Because I saw Tanya… Tanya had sex with J-Jackson…! Jesus, Ari, it’s so disgusting, it’s horrible, it’s breaking my heart, it’s filthy and wretched and—It happened
Elusive sentiments flickered in Mark’s visage. “Uh, hem, well… You must always remember, Ari. Never paint all men with a single stroke, and everything always has an outlier, and not every man acts like this—”The corner of Arianne’s lips twitched. “That was totally not what I was asking at all! And also, damn, did you just throw your best bro under the bus like that? For shame, Mark. Anyway, I asked you if there was anything, you know, that is more than what meets the eyes in this whole deal. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding? Is it possible for Tiffie and Jackson to get back together after this ordeal?”“Oh? Oh.” Mark sighed out of relief under his breath. “Er, that depends on the circumstances. From what I know, most men won’t be able to perform at all when overly drunk. From your telling, Tiffany mentioned that Jackson was so heavily imbibed that he basically passed out, yes? Then how could the allegation have happened? I highly doubt it. If sex did happen, it must be w
Jackson let out a sigh. “Alright. I’ll handle this myself. If there’s nothing else, I’ve got to go.”Arianne frowned after the phone call. “Tiffie would have gotten back together with Jackson if this hadn’t happened in the first place. Her life is far too complicated. Why won’t God give her any peace?”Mark patted her shoulder. “If I were Tiffany, I’d never give Tanya the satisfaction. I’d get together with Jackson anyway. That’ll show her, let her see that her efforts were in vain, absolutely worthless.”Arianne agreed, but knowing Tiffany’s temper, she’d never be able to do it. This scandal was another traumatic experience. She handed Aristotle over to Mark. “Hold him. I’m calling Tiffie.”Mark stared at the little thing in his arms and mischievously murmured, “See that? Your mommy doesn’t want you anymore. She’s thrown you to me. Come and shower with daddy, okay?”Arianne, who hadn’t gone very far, turned around and slapped him on the back. “Who teases a baby like that? Just wa