Chapter 6:

Ethan Black.

Forty-five minutes later,

Location; penthouse nestled atop central park Tower.

"Hey babe," Crystal said while giving me a once-over.

My heart was pounding while I stood in front of my fiancé of three years, who was out here acting like everything was okay... when I had just read the tabloid article that accused her of cheating, and I couldn't believe the evidence they presented. Suddenly, my new puppy, Jungle, an English bulldog stormed into the living room and started chewing on my shoe.

"Jungle, heel." I snapped my fingers at him and he sat attentively looking adorable as usual.

I smiled slightly before narrowing my eyes while I studied Crystal's body language and she appeared not to care about my arrival.

She wore a pair of dark grey leggings, paired with a loose-fitting sweater and fuzzy white socks I got her for Christmas. She was lounging on the white sofa while watching a movie on my 75' screen TV.

Crystal was a slender woman, with blonde hair, medium height, green eyes, high cheekbones, and beautiful tan skin, and she made sure to dress sexy at times. I had known her for more than ten years but only dated for three years.

"Crystal, I need to know the truth," I said firmly, my voice shaking slightly because her acting innocent was getting to me. I gritted my teeth. "Is it true? Did you cheat on me?"

"Uh,? "she furrowed her well-trimmed eyebrows. "I don't know what you are talking about Ethan, be more specific." Her voice was calm, while she throw some popcorn in her mouth and continued watching the TV.

"Crystal!" I exclaimed with clenched jaws…Does this woman think I'm joking? I took out my phone, looked for the article, and tossed it at her. "Explain that," I said with a scowl.

Crystal looked down at the phone, her face then became pale and her eyes avoided mine. "Ethan, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It was a mistake."

And there it was, the only best quality she had, to tell the truth, come what may. My heart sank to my gut momentarily.

"A mistake?" I repeated incredulously. "You call cheating on me with another man a mistake? How long has this been going on?"

She sighed, looking up at me with a pained expression. "It's been going on for a few months now," she admitted. "I never meant to hurt you, Ethan. I just felt like something was missing in our relationship."

I felt a wave of anger wash over me, I gave this woman my whole and now she had the audacity to say something was missing.

OMG, this makes sense why she did not want to marry me. I closed my eyes shortly before I opened them again and sighed softly.

She was standing next to me with trembling lips. She clasped my hands and I wrinkled my nose in disgust… she dared touch me with the same hands she was touching that playboy JJ.

I heaved a sigh. "So instead of talking to me about it, you just went and cheated on me?" I demanded.

"I know, I know," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I should have talked to you first. But I was scared. I didn't want to lose you."

"Well, congratulations," I said bitterly. "You just lost me anyway."

Crystal looked up at me, anguish in her eyes. "Ethan, please," she begged. "I love you. I know I messed up, but can't we work through this?"

I shook my head, feeling numb inside…one side of me wanted her just for the sake of the company and Dad's will, but the other wanted her gone immediately. "I don't know, Crystal," I said quietly. "I need some time to think about this. Right now, I just need to get away from here."

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I understand," she said. "But please know that I never meant to hurt you. I still love you, Ethan."

I didn't respond, turning and walking out of the room without looking back. As I left, I felt like my world had been shattered into a million pieces. I couldn't believe that the woman I loved had betrayed me in such a cruel way.

I headed to the bedroom, grabbed my gym bag, and strolled straight to the elevator because I felt like I was about to explode.

I stormed out of the building where I had just confronted my cheating fiancé, who could not have the decency to just lie to me and lessen the pain.

I knew that I needed to do something to release the anger and stress I was feeling.

I walked into the gym, a building that was next to my penthouse building.

"Hey Mr Black, working out on a Saturday ?" Nick, the gym manager raised a question in his British accent.

"Yes," I murmured with a scowl. " And no one should disturb me." I walked past him.

"Okay." he frowned and shrugged.

Nick Davis was a bold forty-year-old, very well-built gym addict maniac... To paint a vivid picture for you, he sort of looked like Dwayne Johnson but shorter...

I strolled straight for the men's VIP changing room and could feel the tension in my body as I quickly changed into my workout clothes and stepped into the weight room. I grabbed a set of weights and began to lift, letting out all of my frustrations with each rep.

"Ten, eleven, twelve..." I grunted repeatedly with each rep.

The sound of the weights hitting the ground echoed through the empty gym as I pushed myself harder and harder. Sweat poured down my face as I pumped iron, my muscles straining with each movement.

I could feel the stress and anger melting away with each passing minute, replaced by a sense of calm and focus. I was in the zone, completely focused on my workout and nothing else.

As I finished my last set, I felt a sense of accomplishment wash over me. I channeled all of my negative emotions into something positive, and it felt good.

I made my way over to the water fountain and took a long drink, feeling the cool liquid wash over my parched throat. I looked around the gym, feeling proud of myself for taking control of my emotions and not letting my fiancé's betrayal get the best of me.

Suddenly, Carla's bleak face came to mind…why did she look broken and snapped at me? Her beautiful face spellbound my thoughts as I mulled deeply about the unfortunate incident.

I chuckled remembering how she snapped at me even though she recognized me… No one had ever acted like she did toward me. Suddenly, my smile faded away because it was the same story, as they all tried to butter me up, to get in my good graces because of my money… I scoffed and quickly took my mind off her.

Like what were the odds of me ever meeting her in a city with over eight million plus people? I dabbed the sweat off my face with a towel

With a newfound sense of clarity, I realized that I needed to take some time for myself to figure out what I wanted and what deserved in a relationship. I knew that I couldn't just sweep Crystal's infidelity under the rug and pretend like everything was okay.

But for now, I was content to bask in the afterglow of my workout and revel in the sense of calm that had washed over me. I grabbed my gym bag and left the gym feeling stronger and more focused than I had in a long time, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.