Chapter 15 The Betrayal

Because school was so taxing, Rena and Leena had decided to rent an apartment near the university, going home only on the weekends. After work, Leena headed straight to their apartment, excited to share with her friend about her dramatic encounter with the famed Alina. Part of the reason why she was so excited was because Rena admired Alina just as much as she did.

Rena was the sort of person who thought love was like a theoretical study. She often copied notes and short passages pertaining to love from the internet. Despite this, the only person she'd ever dated was Jimmy. They'd been together since high school. She would always talk about how stable their relationship was, and how deeply in love they were. Leena had always teased her about this.

Leena burst into their apartment, excited to share the news, only to be greeted by a sorry sight. Her friend lay curled up in her bed, weeping inconsolably. She was an absolute mess, shuddering from her sobs, tissues strewn all over the floor. Her heart ached at the sight. "Hey, what's wrong?" Leena asked gently, genuinely concerned for her friend. "Why are you crying?"

Rena just looked at her, then burst into tears again. "Hey, you can talk to me about anything," Leena whispered, scooting over to her side to rub her back comfortingly. "What happened?" she asked again.

"I... thought that... I was the happiest person in the world," she answered between sniffles. "Now that I think about it, maybe it was because I am so stupid."

"Why would you say that?" Leena asked, a sense of dread forming in her stomach.

Rena turned to face her and bit her trembling lips. "It was so painful, Leena… I just found out that my boyfriend has been in love with someone else. This whole time!"

Leena's eyes widened at her friend's confession. She quickly took her hand and rubbed it gently. "Hey, I'm here for you. What exactly happened?"

"We've been together for so long. I loved him so much, and I thought he felt the same for me. It turns out he isn't any different from other men!" she spat angrily. "I don't understand how he could replace me so easily!"

"Wait!" Leena's mind was whirling. "Can you tell me in a way that I can understand?" That sense of dread in Leena's stomach grew tenfold.

"He cheated on me!" Rena burst into loud sobs. "He met some pretty woman somewhere and fell in love with her. He kept this from me this whole time! It was so stupid of me to have ignored all the red flags! I should've seen it, he was changing... And guess who the woman is!"

Leena was stunned. Honestly, she didn't take Jimmy for someone who'd cheat, especially on someone like Rena. Their relationship had been so stable all these years, and they'd always make amends after quarreling. Even though Rena tended to be a bit playful, she loved her boyfriend deeply. How could such a tragedy befall their relationship?

"Who's the woman?" Leena asked breathlessly.

Rena's eyes flashed with hatred as she gritted her teeth. "It is Alina."

"What?" Leena gasped in bewilderment. She was found herself at a loss for words. How could Alina do such a thing?

"They met at a party. After that, they met again several times and I guess that was how he fell for her. I just can't understand how he could fall in love with someone he just met and replace me. I did so much for him… was I not enough? How could he break my heart like this?" She pulled the blanket over her head and began to weep again.

It took Leena a few seconds to compose herself. "Are you sure that it is Alina?" she asked.

"Jimmy said so himself!" she cried. "When you talked about Alina last time, I thought she was cool. I didn't think she'd act like this!"

"Did she seduce him?" Leena pressed. This was just too unbelievable. She'd always thought highly of Alina, ever since she heard about her from Carlson. She never thou

ght she'd do such a thing.

"I don't know who seduced whom." Rena pouted. "But if you were to ask me, I think it was Jimmy. If Alina really is as beautiful as you said, there's no way she'd stoop down to Jimmy's level. With dozens of men chasing after her, I doubt she'd bother to even look at Jimmy! That scumbag must have cheated on me on his own volition!" She hiccupped. "I don't know what to do anymore, Leena. The relationship that I thought was so strong and pure crumbled in a snap..."

Leena could do nothing but hug her weeping friend. "Don't cry," she cooed. "There must have been a misunderstanding. As far as I know, he is an honest man. I will talk to him, so wait for a bit, okay?"

"He already confessed, what's there to misunderstand?" She sniffled. "I found out because I went to see him this afternoon, only to catch him pestering a woman. He was confessing his love for her, Leena! I confronted him about it, and he admitted to it without any hesitation. An honest man, for sure! That woman didn't even care about him. That stupid man chose to cheat on a woman who loved him deeply for a lady that wouldn't even glance at him! I sacrificed so much for him. I gave him everything! I even paid for his studies because he came from a poor family. I gave up my family and eloped with him because they were against our relationship. I loved him wholeheartedly, how could he do this to me?"

Leena could feel her heart shatter into a million pieces at the sight of her grieving friend. She hugged her tightly, silently cursing Jimmy's name. Her friend was so nice and loving. Even though they came from different backgrounds, Rena had chosen to love him, against all odds. She had even convinced her parents to accept their relationship. Just imagine how hard it must've been for Rena. When her parents finally accepted him, they tried to be as supportive as possible. They were willing to arrange a job for him as long as he would treat their daughter right. They would even offer them a house and a car once they got married. They had told him not to worry about the betrothal gifts once he asked them for their daughter's hand. Despite everything Rena had sacrificed to be with him, he still chose to cast her to the side in pursuit of Alina. How could he be this ungrateful? Furthermore, how could he be so stupid as to think he had a chance with Alina? He was so busy chasing after a shooting star that he lost the constant one who had truly loved him.

Once Rena had calmed down, Leena dialed the scumbag's number and confronted him. He was quick to apologize, yet he was unapologetic. "I'm sorry… I know she treated me well, but I can't continue our relationship anymore. Honestly, I was only moved by her kindness, that's why I got into a relationship with her. It was only when I met Alina that I realized she was the kind of woman I was looking for."

Leena had turned on the loudspeaker so that her friend would hear his apology, but she didn't expect him to spout such damned words. When Rena heard his sentiments, she grabbed the phone from her friend and cursed him. "You ungrateful bastard! How could you say such a thing?"

Leena quickly grabbed the phone back from her friend and went to the balcony to converse with him alone, leaving Rena sobbing. "Can't you hear how insensitive you sound right now? If you didn't love her in the first place, why did you commit to a relationship with her? What you did was worse than betrayal! As for Alina, do you really think that you can win her over?" Leena asked with disdain.

"I know I've made her sad, but I had no choice. I am aware that Alina and I are from different worlds and there are a lot of more deserving men who are chasing after her, but I am willing to fight! "

"You son of a bitch! If you were right in front of me, I'd have strangled you to death by now!" Leena spat.