Chapter 4
My phone suddenly rang.
It was Roderick.
"Gwen, where are you?" Roderick asked.
He continued, "Daryl called earlier, wondering why you're not home yet.
"I told him my mom wanted you to stay over tonight, and he said to give him a call when you have time."
Roderick hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you two have a fight?"
"No," I answered.
"Well," Roderick hesitated.
"He cheated on me," I said.
"Shit," Roderick cursed.
Roderick's chest heaved with anger. After a moment, he asked anxiously, "Gwen, where are you? I'll come get you."
"I'm downstairs at my building," I replied.
"It's cold out there. Head inside and wait for me. I'll be there in a minute," Roderick said.
I looked up at the shifting, tangled figures behind the floor-to-ceiling windows and gave a faint smile.
"Daryl actually brought his lover home," I said quietly.
"Roderick, I don't have a home anymore," I whispered.
Roderick took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before comforting me.
"Don't move. Let me come get you, Gwen. I'll take you home myself," he said.
I forced a smile. "Alright, but I need to go up to my place and pack a few things first. I'll wait for you at the entrance to the complex."
Roderick's heart tightened. "Gwen, I'm begging you, don't go up there alone. If you really have to, at least let me come with you."
He cared about me so much, worried that I wouldn't be able to handle the awful scene waiting for me at home.
But I gripped the prenatal checkup report I had picked up from the passenger seat even tighter.
Christina had put in so much effort just to make sure I saw this. How could I possibly disappoint her?
Before stepping inside, I slipped on some shoe covers.
Clothes were strewn everywhere, from the living room all the way to the bathroom.
A sultry female voice floated in from the balcony.
"Mr. Gonzales, can we go to your bedroom later? I want to have sex while looking at your wedding photos," she purred.
The curtain billowed in the wind.
"No, the sheets are freshly changed. If she notices tomorrow, she'll start asking questions," Daryl said.
"Come on, I want to do it on your bed," she said.
Daryl silenced her with a kiss.
Seeing they weren't about to come in anytime soon, I went straight to the bedroom to grab my stuff.
The bathroom was thick with steam, broken rose petals drifting in the tub, and stuff scattered everywhere on the sink and mirror.
When I walked into the closet, the drawers were wide open, clearly ransacked.
A wave of nausea hit me.
I put on gloves, grabbed my documents, and sanitized them.
As I was minding my own business, sanitizing my stuff, the two of them finally came in from the balcony.
Seriously, it was freezing out. How did they manage to stay out there for so long?
With his arms around Christina, Daryl walked into the living room under the bright lights.
When he saw me, he stepped back, stunned.
Christina screamed and, in a panic, dove into Daryl's arms.
Daryl and I stared at each other from across the room.
The face I had loved for so many years was still right there in front of me.
His tousled hair fell over his forehead, and his features were well-defined and deep-set.
But for once, that usually unshakable face of his actually looked rattled.
"Gwen, please, just let me explain," Daryl blurted out.
I ignored Daryl. Instead, I shot Christina a cold smile. "You use my things, wear my underwear, and sleep with my man. So this is what passes for professional ethics with you, Ms. Mendoza?"
She buried her face in her hair, clinging to Daryl, shaking like a leaf.
Daryl's face went ghostly pale. "Gwen, I'm sorry. She's young. It's all my fault."
I looked him up and down, then let out a mocking laugh.
"Daryl, do you even know what shame is?" I shot back.
Ignoring his face, which went from pale to flushed and back again, I tossed the prenatal checkup report at him and turned on my heel, leaving without another word.