Chapter 2

Just then, my phone buzzed with another notification. Wade had shared another post on his social media.

The video showed the club's private room, dimly lit and intimate.

Calvin was the first to jump up and start egging them on. "Bottoms up! Bottoms up!"

A bunch of their friends started banging on the tables, and before long, everyone in the private room erupted into synchronized chants.

Tiana blushed and stepped in close, hooking her arm through Wade's. She gazed up at him, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed. They then raised their glasses and drank.

Those around held up their phones to record the scene. Some hollered and clapped, with Calvin's voice the loudest of all.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Tiana blushed furiously, rose onto her tiptoes, and quickly kissed the corner of Wade's lips.

Wade wrapped his hand around the back of Tiana's head as the cheers grew louder. He smiled as he leaned down to deepen the kiss. Tiana had a faint blush on her face, the alcohol softening her expression completely.

I had never seen this side of Tiana. She had always refused to drink, and she couldn't stand it when anyone around her drank either. She said her father became violent when he was drunk and that alcohol was the most disgusting thing in the world.

Once, I was pressured into having a drink at a work function, so I had no choice but to take a small sip. I even bought mouthwash from the convenience store downstairs and rinsed my mouth five times over before heading home.

I waited outside the entrance in the cold for more than half an hour, letting the smell air out before I took out my keys and unlocked the door.

Tiana still caught the smell of alcohol, though. She furrowed her brow and asked, "Have you been drinking?"

I answered meekly, saying I had only taken a tiny sip.

Tiana rose to her feet, walked to the entrance, and pulled open the front door. "I've told you over and over that I can't stand the smell of alcohol. You smell so strongly of it right now that I feel like vomiting, Zayne."

I tried to explain myself, but Tiana suddenly grabbed me, dragged me to the door, and shoved me out.

I spent the whole night sitting in the stairwell. In the freezing cold, with temperatures at 18 degrees Fahrenheit, my tears froze on my face as I cried. I never touched alcohol again after that day.

I thought she would never make an exception when it came to alcohol, but now, she was drinking with Wade, looking happier than ever.

I used the location tag under the video to find the club where they were gathering.

Throughout the cab ride, I kept thinking about what I would do when I arrived.

Should I confront them, get into an argument, or make a scene? Should I do something as dramatic as picking up a glass and throwing a drink in someone's face, like in a soap opera?

It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea who I would even splash the drink on. Tiana? Wade? Calvin?

Or should I just confront their friends who had been spamming Wade's comment section, wishing for a lifetime of happiness together?

I got dropped off outside the venue, on the edge of downtown. I spotted them through the floor-to-ceiling window, gathering around a cake and raising their glasses in celebration.

Tiana leaned against Wade's shoulder, smiling, while Calvin clapped and egged them on from the side.

I walked into the club, walked up to the private room, and stood outside the door, my hand resting on the handle. I couldn't bring myself to open it.

I was the one who had been betrayed, and I should have had every right to barge in and flip the whole table over, but I still couldn't bring myself to do it.

Just then, the door opened from the inside, and Tiana appeared before me.

I hadn't even had a chance to speak before she grabbed me and hurried me down the hallway, stopping only when we were hidden behind the wall around the corner. "What are you doing here?"

She smelled strongly of alcohol. She glanced toward the private room, making sure no one had noticed us, and continued, "Go home first. I'll explain everything about Wade to you later, Zayne."

I asked hoarsely, "Do you want to explain how you cheated on me, Tiana?"

Tiana frowned, looking as though she were tolerating an unreasonable child. "I understand this isn't easy for you to take in, but we've already broken up. You should just let go of the past. We both need to move forward with our lives, Zayne."

I smiled wryly and asked, "You registered your marriage just three days after we broke up, huh?"

Tiana went silent for a second, her throat working as she swallowed. "Wade is completely in the dark about this. You can take it out on me if you're upset. I'm begging you, Zayne—please don't tell Wade about this."

Tiana's eyes glistened with tears as she said that. She gently rested her hand over her abdomen and said, "I'm already pregnant with his baby, Zayne…"