002

- CHLOE -

A day had passed since I came to Armsville. Brian and I still hadn't spoken to each other.

I knew we had broken up and we didn't even need to say to each other. However, coming to terms with it wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be.

But then again, my Dad was having a hard time, even though he kept trying to hide it from me.

So I decided to be there for him.

Coming to Armsville now, it dawned on me that my Dad might have been broke than I thought.

“Dad, do you need some money?” I couldn't help but ask when I saw that he sold one of his luxurious cars.

“C’mon, sweetie, what makes you think that? Because of the car? I sold it because the engine got bad,” He brushed it off like it was nothing.

But I could tell he was lying.

My heart ached for him. He must have been going through a lot alone here in Armsville while I was busy having the time of my life with Brian.

I blamed myself for not noticing this earlier.

This was all Brian’s fault.

“Are you sure?” I asked him.

He smiled and gave a forehead kiss, “Yes, kiddo. I gotta be somewhere now. See you later, okay?”

“Stay safe Dad,” I hugged him, and he left afterwards.

I began searching for online jobs. While doing so, I regretted not studying a professional course because it would have been easy to get an office job if I had.

It was still shocking how my Dad went from grace to grass. However, I was going to restore his reputation no matter the cost.

I needed to work to be able to take care of him.

He had been taking care of me all these years, so as his only child, it was high time I took him as my responsibility and priority.

Feeling determined, I kept searching online until my phone vibrated.

My heart began to race when I saw Brian’s name on the screen.

I thought it'd be a message where he explains himself and apologises to me, but instead, it was a video.

A video of him kissing Beverly, the same

Beverly, he had claimed, was like a sister to him.

That didn't even piss me off like what followed.

Beverly began talking trash about me being a virgin, dressing like a grandma, and still wanting love.

She called me pathetic.

And yeah, watching that video till the end made me feel exactly that.

Pathetic.

I needed to stop feeling that way, so I decided to go to a bar not far from my Dad’s house.

I did not want silence anymore. I wanted to be somewhere noisy and crowded.

Anywhere that could help drown out the ache in my chest, even if it is only for one night.

So I dressed up and went to a bar.

Reaching there, I saw the handsome bartender and went to the counter.

“What is it with all the men I'm meeting today being handsome?” I mumbled after sitting down.

“Vodka?” The bartender answered.

Before I could even respond, he added, “Alright. One bottle of vodka coming right up.”

He didn’t even wait before he strode away.

I had not come here to drink. I just wanted to be around people. I had never even had alcohol before.

As if the universe was determined to mock me, the moment the bartender arrived was when I received Brian’s text again.

I hesitated but then opened it.

My face hardened because this video was worse than the last one.

I saw Brian fingering Beverly. What pissed me off the most was what Brian said.

“Tell me you’re not a virgin, unlike Grandma Chloe. Tell me you can please me, tell me you can make me cum in more ways than I can ever imagine,” Brian commanded Beverly, and she obeyed.

They called me a Granny? I scoffed and took a large gulp of the vodka, but hissed at the burning sensation in my throat.

“Ah. I see. You’re a first timer,” The bartender smirked and left.

I continued sipping the drink all the while remembering the insult. That word Grandma.

Keeping my virginity had brought me more insults than anything good, so I decided it was time to get rid of it with someone of my choice.

If landing a job wasn’t going to help my Dad, I intended to get married to any rich man that came my way.

But before then, I decided to lose my virginity because I felt it would make people stop looking at me as a naive girl.

I drank to the extent that I began feeling a bit dizzy.

Afterwards, I felt like urinating, so I stood and made my way to the restroom.

On my way there, I met some men who wanted to take advantage of me, but then he showed up looking all beautiful, almost taking my breath away.

It was the Russian man from the airport. He came to my rescue.

“Thank you, sir,” I slurred, and he scoffed, muttering something in Russian.

Without even answering me, he turned to walk away, but I held his arm, and damn it felt so good and manly.

For a moment, I forgot that he could be my Dad’s age. All I could look at was his perfect face.

“Can I at least know the name of my savior?” I smiled, my eyes never leaving his lips.

But in response, he yanked my hold on him off.

“My English. Bad,” The man answered with his Russian accent.

At that moment, a young man walked to him, “Sorry I kept you waiting, Vasili. I was trying to settle the bill.”

Oh, so his name was Vasili. I smiled.

They headed off, but I noticed Vasili glance at me once before he disappeared from my sight.

The fact that I was attracted to a man who could be my Dad’s age made me wonder if Brian’s betrayal caused me to have a change in taste in men.

All I could think about at that moment was this Vasili man kissing me and teasing my nipples, maybe even my clit.

He was the perfect candidate for me, and I didn't care if he turned out to be twice my age.

I just wanted to get fucked tonight and be rid of my virginity.

I didn’t care if I was going to regret this tomorrow. I wanted to follow my heart and my instincts now.

So I chased after him and caught up with him when he was about to enter an SUV Cadillac Escalade.

“Take me home with you for the night. We met at the airport, and then we met here. Don’t you think it’s destiny?” I held his hand, stopping him.

What Vasili said next made me take a step backward.