Heartbroken

He got out and ran after Chloe. Something about her attracted him. He carried her back into the car and asked the driver to drive away

" Sir. I don't think it's right to take a stranger with you. Why not pay a taxi to take her to the hospital." Raphael

"Shut up and drive to the hospital"

All this while Chloe Richards was not in her right mind which seems like she was crazy. He looked at her face but could not determine if it's the rain or tears

At the hospital he paid for her bills and asked they take care of her. Not before leaving his slippers with her.

He left as soon as he confirmed she was okay

Raphael looked at his cold and Ruthless boss and wondered why he did all that.

Chloe lost consciousness in between the treatment which concerned the doctors. Nothing seemed to be medically wrong with her. They concluded she was heartbroken

All through the darkness, Chloe remembered knocking on the door but nobody opened. She then took out her key and opened the apartment door. Ryan had given her the key a year back when he suggested she move in with him but she refused to. She wasn't ready for it. Her fear she will start leaving with him as girlfriend or end up pregnant while unwed.

She called out to him severally but he seemed not to be home. But how could he not be home when his TV was on and light music could be heard from his bedroom.

She thought maybe he was taking a nap that's why he could not hear her. Smiling lightly, she dropped her bag at the sofa taking her sandals off going rapidly but lightly to his bedroom.

She opened the door only to find two people entangled together in intimate action. The moans and grunting in the room was so loud that they did not hear her opening the door. The hand holding the knob of the door dropped on her side with her resigned look. She felt the pain. Her heart shuttered. Not in a million years had she ever thought her boyfriend and friend would do this to her.

" Zoe, What's going on here" she called out to her friend loud enough for them to stop immediately. The reaction she got was nothing similar to contempt.

The two looked back at her but did not stop at all. Ryan finished what he was doing before slowly getting off Zoe.

" Oh, you are here." The sneering look on his face was something she could never forget

" What's going on?" The cold look on her face showed clearly what kind of a person she was. She was too shocked but the people around her could never tell her emotions

" Its exactly what you are seeing." Ryan got off the bed so naturally and put on his boxer and pants. He passed his hands through his hair as he walked to the sofa in the room and took his shirt to put on. All this time Zoe was still in bed covered in the sheet not giving a shit about what was happening.

" Why" that's the question that kept on playing in her mind.

" Your exact attitude now is the reason why. You are always so cold and detached like everything has nothing to do with you. You are asking why? Who would want to be with a poor woman like you with that attitude of yours. You should know your place and do what is expected of you." Ryan looked at her in disgust. It seemed like he had held it in for a long time

" If you didn't want to have a relationship with me you could've said so. Why sleep with my best friend while still dating me?" She was trying to be calm but her trembling hands could've sold her out

" Your friend? Listen to yourself, you do you even have a friend. She has been sleeping with me all this period we have been dating. Do you know why I have been tolerating your lack of romance and abstain nonsense? I cannot have a girlfriend I cannot touch or sleep with in the name of waiting for marriage." He looked straight into her eyes as the words pierce right through her.

On the bed, Zoe was suppressing her laugh all along. All this time, she made sure Ryan and Chloe never had any romantic time. Chloe always listened to her and followed what she said. She made sure to implore her not to have any sexual relationship with Ryan. She was afraid they may fall even deeper in love

Chloe turned to look at her, " Is this what you wanted all along?"

" I didn't want any of this but Ryan is so handsome to resist. I could not resist his charms and touch. Its too bad you didn't hold to your man and I had a chance to take him away. Don't blame me, blame yourself. You are useless"

Laughing hysterically, Ryan gazed at her with a mixture of amusement and disdain. "Well said," he sneered, "you are so useless. You cannot make friends nor keep a man. Let me tell you, I wanted to see what a cold woman like you is like in a relationship. But as expected, you are as cold in a relationship as your personality."

Her eyes welled up with tears as each word pierced her heart deeply. All this time, she had been in love with a scumbag and a lousy friend. She had treated them with kindness and respect, only to realize that they never saw her as a true friend or lover. They never loved her for who she truly was. As she reminisced about the good times she had shared with Ryan and Zoe, a heavy sigh escaped her lips, revealing the depth of her sorrow.

On the surface, she appeared calm, but underneath the facade, her spirit was shattered. If only they knew the kind of person she truly was, they would have understood just how deeply she had been wounded.   

"Has any of it been true?" she whispered, her voice trembling with vulnerability. "Have you ever loved me, even for once?"

His eyes flickered for a moment, a hint of something indiscernible passing through them, before a smug smirk formed on his lips.

"It may or may not be. Does it matter? Now that you have found out about us, there is no need for us to hide anymore." He pointed at Zoe in the bed and looked her over and over from head to toe.

"She has everything I am looking for in a woman. She does everything better than you ever did," Ryan answered Chloe sarcastically as he sat down on the sofa. Chloe could not believe her best friend Zoe had been seducing her fiancé and the man she had hoped and promised to marry in a few years. Besides, Zoe was the one advising her to do everything that displeased Ryan. She didn't know she was eyeing her man at all.

The betrayal was like a knife to Chloe's heart, slicing through the trust she had placed in both Ryan and Zoe. It was as if her world had been turned upside down in an instant, leaving her feeling lost, hurt, and utterly confused.

Looking back on their relationship, Chloe couldn't help but question everything. Had there been signs she had missed? Were there moments when Ryan's affection for her had wavered? Or had he always harbored feelings for Zoe, waiting for the opportune moment to act on them?

The realization that her best friend had been involved in this deceit only added salt to the wound. Chloe had always trusted Zoe implicitly, sharing her deepest secrets and dreams. They had been each other's confidantes, supporting one another through thick and thin. Or so Chloe had thought.

It was difficult for Chloe to comprehend how Zoe could have done this to her, to knowingly pursue a relationship with the man she loved. Had their friendship been nothing more than a facade? Or had Zoe been secretly harboring jealousy and resentment towards Chloe all along?

As Chloe sat there, her mind racing with questions and emotions, she couldn't help but feel a sense of betrayal not only from Ryan and Zoe but also from herself. How had she been so blind to their true intentions? How had she not seen the signs?

But dwelling on these questions would only lead Chloe down a dark and endless path. Instead, she needed to focus on healing, on rebuilding herself from the shattered pieces of her heart. It wouldn't be easy, but Chloe was determined to rise above this pain and emerge stronger than ever.

She would distance herself from Ryan and Zoe, cutting them out of her life completely. Their actions had shown their true colors, and Chloe no longer wanted any part of that toxic dynamic. She would surround herself with friends who truly cared for her, who would never betray her in such a cruel manner.

Chloe knew that forgiveness would take time, but she was determined to find it within herself. Holding onto anger and resentment would only weigh her down and prevent her from moving forward. She deserved better than what Ryan and Zoe had given her, and she would find a way to rise above this heartbreak.

In the end, Chloe realized that she couldn't control the actions of others, but she could control how she responded to them. She would use this experience as a lesson, a reminder to always trust her instincts and to never settle for anything less than she deserved.

As she picked up the pieces of her shattered spirit, Chloe vowed to never let anyone break her again. She would rebuild her life, her confidence, and her trust, brick by brick, until she stood tall and strong once more.

And maybe, just maybe, one day she would find someone who truly loved and cherished her, someone who would never betray her trust. But until then, Chloe would focus on loving herself and finding happiness within.