Chapter 4 - Blurred

RACHEL

“Calm down, Rachel,” Jeremy muttered. Then he held out his hand and, with a smile, introduced, “Meet Clara. My girlfriend. She’ll be staying with us henceforth.”

“What!” I blurted out, my eyes darting between them. “You’re joking, right?” I sneered. “Is this some sort of prank?”

Jeremy was crazy. I always knew that. But not this kind of craziness. No way. No fucking way.

“No, Rachel. She’s my girlfriend. You know her already. There’s no need for a deep introduction,” he explained, nonchalant and expressionless. There wasn’t an ounce of guilt or fear in his eyes. Damn!

“You brought this bitch into our house? The same girl you’re cheating with?” My voice trailed off at the end. I was still yet to shake off the shock. My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe properly. There was no way my life was falling apart right before my eyes. I didn’t believe there would be a day when my man would freely bring another woman into our home and introduce her to me as his girlfriend.

“Point of correction, Rachel, I didn’t cheat. This is an open marriage… remember?”

“I haven’t even agreed to it.”

“But your agreement or disagreement means nothing. I didn’t inform you about the change because I needed your opinion,” he said. “I just wanted you to be informed.”

My vision blurred as tears gathered in my eyes. One blink, and they would roll down uncontrollably. My breath hitched, and my chest heaved as I struggled to steady my emotions. I could pass out. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to humiliate myself in front of them.

My gaze shifted to the woman beside him, and she smiled… the kind of smile that told you she felt victorious. Then I remembered her threat at the reunion. She had said I would regret touching her… and I really did.

Without saying another word, I snatched my phone from the table and stormed out of the house. My hands were trembling as I grabbed it. I didn’t take my car. I just ran. I kept running as if it would erase my problems, as if it would heal my bleeding heart and strengthen my weakened legs. My lungs burned, but I didn’t stop. I let the tears stream down my face as I ran. It felt like thousands of needles were piercing my heart at once. I felt horrible, miserable, and helpless.

Maybe I should have given up on him when he cheated the first time. Maybe I shouldn’t have given him another chance when he asked for it the second time. Would I have been able to preserve his respect for me? Now, it felt like I had lost everything.

I was still running when my phone rang. I didn’t want to pick up at first, but when I glanced at the screen, I saw it was Lena. At that moment, I knew she was the one I needed. She was the only one who could stop me from going insane.

My hands shook as I answered the call. I picked up the call and burst into tears instantly. I couldn’t even form words.

She panicked on the other end. Her voice gave it away. “What is wrong, Rachel? What is wrong? Why are you crying? Is it Jeremy? Did he hit you? Did something happen?” She fired questions at me.

My sobs intensified with every question. It was as though they fueled the fire burning inside me.

“Okay… calm down, Rachel. Take a deep breath,” she said softly. “Take a deep breath and tell me where you are so I can come to you. Are you at home or at work?” she asked. “Oh! I can hear cars. You know what? Turn on your location. I’m coming right now.”

The call disconnected, and I did as she instructed.

Twenty minutes later, Lena arrived.

The moment I saw her, I pulled her into an embrace and broke into another round of tears. She wasn’t shocked. She didn’t tense up or ask questions. Instead, she gently caressed my back in slow, steady circles, and whispered, “It’s fine, girl. Nothing is wrong. Everything will be fine.”

After another five minutes, my sobbing subsided and eventually stopped. Still, she didn’t ask any questions. She helped me into the car and drove me to her house.

“Had breakfast?” she asked as we walked into her apartment.

I nodded. Lena was fuming. Her silence revealed it. It was louder than any outburst.

“Go into the bathroom and take a bath. Take a nap after that. We’ll talk when you wake up,” she said simply, patting my shoulder before leaving the bedroom.

⸻

The sky had turned gray by the time I opened my eyes. I was surprised. I didn’t expect to sleep that long, but somehow it happened. I had slept for hours despite the thousands of thoughts running through my head. I felt strangely numb, like my body had given up before my mind did.

That was a miracle. A rare one at that.

The door opened, and Lena walked in.

“Our sleeping beauty is finally awake,” she teased with a wide smile. She walked over to the bed and ran her fingers through my hair. “Did you sleep well, love?”

I nodded. “Surprisingly… as you can see…” I gestured toward the sky with my head.

“That’s great. That means the sleeping incense worked,” she said, causing my brows to rise.

“What? A sleeping incense?” I asked.

“Yes. That’s the only way I can get you to relax enough to sleep. Otherwise, that bastard’s thoughts will deprive you of sleep after already depriving you of happiness,” she spat.

Seeing her anger, I didn’t dare provoke her. So I simply agreed. “Yeah… no way.”

Then she went to her wardrobe, rummaged through it for a few seconds, and returned with a red dress.

“Take it. Dress up. Pick any matching heels and bag from the collection over there,” she instructed. Her eyes scanned my face for a few seconds before she continued, “Hmm… you don’t need any makeup or styling since you already look good. That’s great.” She clapped her hands together. “Just dress up and meet me in the living room. You have an hour.”

None of what she said made sense to me. Dress up? For what?

From my confused expression, I guessed she could tell what I was thinking. She snapped her fingers in front of my face, making me blink.

“We’re going out tonight. And you’re not saying no.”

My brows knitted, “Clubbing? Or where—”

Before I could confirm, she was gone. I knew what that meant—no objections. I just had to follow her lead. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. In fact, it might be exactly what I needed tonight.

Without overthinking it, I got dressed. Lena said I didn’t need makeup, right? Well, I applied some anyway… just enough to make me look bold and dangerous. I wanted to look like I could survive tonight. And I swear, that moment was oddly distracting. I loved it.

“Lena! I’m ready. let’s go!” I shouted as I stepped into the living room.