An unexpected betrayal

Lola’s POV

I froze.

Sheets tangled on the bed.The air heavy with sweat and shameless moans. 

Liam.

The man I stripped for. The man I thought was fighting for his life... wasn’t dying in pain. 

He was inside another woman. Pounding her from behind, one hand gripping her hair, while he groaned like every thrust was heaven.

He didn’t even notice me standing.

My chest felt like someone had reached inside and ripped everything out with bare hands.

“Liam…” I whispered, but it came out broken, raw and trembling.

The next second, he pulled out, shoved the girl aside, and climbed down from the bed.

He wasn’t shocked or looked guilty.

His eyes were cold, empty, cruel and irritated like I was some rotten garbage thrown at his doorstep. 

A wave of dizziness washed over me and I had to grip the doorframe to stop my body from collapsing.

Maybe I wasn't seeing properly. I tried to convince myself. But the words that came out of him made me sober out of delusion like I was doused with a bucket of cold water.

“Don’t you know about privacy?” His voice was sharp, dripping with mockery. “You think you can just barge into someone’s room like a stray dog with no leash?”

The disgust in his tone made it difficult for me to breathe. My lips parted, trembling. “How…how could you…”

All I could see was a stranger. Not the same person I had spent five freaking years of my life with.

But he cut me off with an ugly laugh.

“Look, Lola. I’m bored. I’ve been bored of you six months into this relationship.” His eyes widened. “But who in their right mind would dump the daughter of a millionaire? Knowing you always spent like water. You were so stupidly generous, I couldn’t resist playing along.”

“And now?” he sneered. “Now you’re useless. You’ve got nothing left. And I've already got a new girlfriend.” His eyes slid back to the girl on the bed, who had the audacity to smirk at me.

She didn’t even flinch when I stepped inside. Instead, she tilted her head, lips curving into a smug smile, as if she enjoyed the show.

“Well, well,” she purred, adjusting the blanket around her naked body with no shame. “So this is the famous Lola? Honestly, I expected more.”

She stepped down from the bed, already wrapped up in a tiny towel, arms crossed with a triumphed look on her face.

“Five years of relationship yet you couldn’t even keep your man interested?”.

Her words were laced with mockery, and the way her eyes swept over me from my messy hair to my clenched fists made my blood boil.

“Her laughter filled the room as she looked at me like I was a clown.

“How dare you!”. I lunged towards her, wanting to grab her by the hair but Liam stepped in between us shoving me aside and I almost lost my balance.

“Don't you dare! And please do us a favor and get lost. You are not needed here. You stupid dumped thing!”. He uttered coldly.

Five years of relationship and he has never stood up for me. Not even once. And now? The first time I would ever see him stand up for someone, it was against me.

Something inside me snapped as I glared at him..

“Smack!”

My palm connected with his cheek, the sound echoing through the room. His head whipped to the side, shock flashing across his face.

“This first slap,” I hissed, my chest heaving, “Is for what you just called me.”

His jaw tightened. He stepped forward, hand raised as if to strike back.

But I was faster. My knee shot up, hitting him square in the groin. That was reflex.

He dropped instantly, groaning, sweat breaking out across his forehead.

“Liam..Liam.. are you okay?” His mistress asked him, concerned as she rushed to his side.

I stepped closer to Liam, a dangerous smirk curling on my lips despite the tears burning in my eyes.

Sensing I might do something crazy, the blonde scrambled out of the room, picking her clothes, and bolted past me. She ran so fast I couldn't even grab her to teach her a lesson. Such a coward. I thought she knew how to run her mouth.

“Smack!” Another slap landed on Liam.

“This second slap,” I spat, “is for letting this useless bitch talk down on me.” I said it loud enough so she could hear while running out.

Images flashed through my head. The birthdays I remembered while he forgot mine, the gifts I bought, the rent I paid, the opportunities i handed him on a silver platter. The nights I stayed awake planning surprises while he was probably with someone else… or laughing at me like I was a fool.

I had never made it easy for anyone. But for Liam? It had always been a free pass.

“Smack! For five years of wasted love.”

“Smack! For five years of deceit.”

“Smack! For making a fool out of me.”

Each word dripped with venom as I slapped him again and again until my palm burned red. My tears weren’t from heartbreak anymore. They were from disappointment in myself for loving him this much.

His eyes finally snapped up to meet mine, blazing with hatred.

“I hate you, Lola,” his voice shaking with fury. “Always acting so arrogant like the world revolves around you. I hate you more than I’ve ever hated anyone.”

His words stung worse than the betrayal itself.

For a moment, I just stared at him, silent and frozen.

Honestly, I never knew he hated me this much and the look in his eyes caught me off guard.

Then I turned to leave.

But I halted. I remembered. The main reason I came here.

I slowly turned back to him. He was still panting on the floor, one hand clutching himself, the other bracing against the bed frame.

“One question,” I said quietly, though my voice shook. “The cancer… the diagnosis. It’s fake, isn’t it?”

His lips curled into a cruel grin.

“Oh yes. Fake. An act. All so I could squeeze more money out of you. But who would’ve thought your useless self couldn’t provide any? And your father…” His laugh was bitter, sharp. “Your father went bankrupt. So pathetic. That’s what you are. Pathetic”.

-------

That sentence gave me chills as I hurried out of the apartment, my feet carrying me like I was being chased. Shame washed over me as his twisted laughter echoed in my ears. Tears streamed hot down my face.

So this was it? The same man I stripped for, all to get him “medication.” Five whole years wasted on a lie.

I flagged down a taxi, sinking into the seat. My body heavy with exhaustion.

By the time I got home, the house was silent. Dad wasn’t around. I curled up with my plushie, and somewhere between rage and exhaustion, I blacked out.

But the sharp crash of glass jolted me awake.

Heart pounding, I stumbled toward the sound.

At the foot of the staircase, Dad stood in front of the study door, phone pressed to his ear. A glass lay in shards around his feet, his other hand balled into a fist. The air was so heavy I didn’t dare breathe too loud.

“Mr. Grey, I’m giving you just twenty-four hours to pay me the money or else… You know what I’m talking about. And you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?”

The man’s voice on the other end was so cold it crawled down my spine.

Dad’s jaw tightened as he answered, “Sure, Mr. Blackwoods.”

The call ended.

Then….he turned.

My blood ran cold. I darted behind the hallway console, pressing myself flat against the wall. His eyes scanned the corridor, sharp and suspiciously, guessing I was eavesdropping.

Why was he so tense? The words I heard weren’t enough to shatter glass or make him look like this unless he was hiding something.

Lola, darling?” His voice softened. “Darling, are you home? Just come out. Dad can see you. You don’t have to hide.”

I wanted to respond to him but remembered how he looked suspiciously around earlier and my lip went tightly shut.

“His footsteps drew closer. Each step made my lungs tighter. He was almost at the corner I was hiding. I held my breath completely, praying he wouldn’t hear the thumping of my heart.