BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Valerie’s POV

That idiot is with Brenda.

He lied to me. He told me they weren’t dating. He told me he had stopped talking to her yet I just saw them together in a club, holding hands.

What am I supposed to think? Am I supposed to think that they bumped into each other in the club coincidentally?

I guess I am at fault here.

Brenda, Fred, and I go to different clubs every week to have fun, and Cart’s Club is one such club. I never gave it any thought that we would meet there. We only went to Cart’s Club once. We had a regular club downtown and we frequent there more, I guess that is why I never thought I was going to run into them there.

I was only making an effort to cheer Ryan up and make him stop brooding over his mother’s sickness.

I even thought he was going to act lovey-dovey with me when I called out their names but he didn’t, yet I am always making an effort to make us look real in front of everyone.

He is such an asshole. We shouldn’t have gone to the party in the first place. He didn’t even appreciate my effort.

The moment we get out of the car and he enters the mansion gate, it begins to rain and I run inside to take cover with Ryan running behind me.

I throw the front door open breathless and fuming in anger.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

I see Ryan peeking at me, his face wet from the sudden rain. He is holding his suit and he doesn’t look angry like he was before Fred and Brenda showed up.

He has been watching me since we left the club and the ride home was in total silence.

I was lost in thoughts.

I always succeed to get Fred off my mind but anytime I see him or anything that brings any memory of him, it takes a while for it to go away again.

Lowering my head down, I begin to amble towards the staircase, suddenly feeling cold.

I won’t be able to sleep in my room tonight also because the rain might come with thunder. I don’t think there is any need for me to leave Ryan’s room since we are a couple.

We aren’t sharing the same bed anyway.

“Are you ok?” His voice pulls me out of my reverie the moment I turn the doorknob to enter the room.

He has creases of worry on his expression and it almost made me laugh. What is he thinking? Is he thinking that I might begin to cry after seeing my ex-boyfriend with my ex-best friend?

Nah!

I have gone past that stage.

I am just sad. Sad for being stupid. Sad for feeling this way. Sad for the way my heart fluttered when I saw Fred. Sad for falling too deep in love with him when I shouldn’t have. Sad for letting him cheat on me for too long.

I am sad about so many things.

I shake my head with a smile, then enter, leaving the door ajar for him to come in too.

“Is that your ex-boyfriend?” He questions me as I flop heavily to the bed.

“Yep”, I reply, stressing on the “p”

“Uhmm”, he nods and stands with hands akimbo, looking thoughtful. “What about the lady?”

“She used to be my best friend. He cheated on me with her.”

“Ok.”

He says only and walks off to his bed. I watch him in surprise, wondering why he is asking all these questions if he isn’t going to ask me more or tell me what to do about how I feel.

What sort of a man is this?

“Why didn’t you help me?” I suddenly demand from him.

“What?!” He twirls back with confusion skating his expression.

“I mean why didn’t you at least try to pretend that we are real? Isn’t this why we are married in the first place? We are meant to pretend to everyone that knows us that we are a thing, a couple, married and in love!”

“Excuse me? Remember I told you to let us leave before we cross paths with someone we know?”

“So what?!” I can’t hold it back anymore. Ryan is an asshole and that is it. He is selfish too. All he thinks about is himself.

He should have at least helped me out. I was embarrassed by the fact that I was practically begging him to stay in front of the people who used to mean so much to me. I wonder what they will think of me now and our relationship.

“I thought you said you were no longer interested in getting back at them? Have you forgotten so soon?” He points a finger at me and that gets me even madder.

“Don’t point fingers at me, you idiot. If only you had pretended…”

“What for? You already showed it to their faces that we are married and together…”

“You are stupid!” I cut him short, my nose flaring up.

His jaws drop and so does his finger. “What?!”

I fold my arms around my bosom. “You heard me right. You are a stupid, egoistic jerk.”

“Then what are you? A proud selfless idiot?”

Arguing with him will do no good. It will still lead to nothing. He is a dumbass who knows nothing about me.

Absolute nothing.

I helped him even before he could summon up the courage to ask me for help yet he couldn’t do a single help in return.

This marriage was a mistake. This man will never understand the kind of woman I am. He isn’t even ready to understand me so why do I expect him to at least understand an aspect of my life?

“Thank you”, I say with a smile and he keeps his shut.

He looks taken aback by my appreciation. I am not thanking him for calling me a proud selfless idiot. I know I am proud and selfless but I am not an idiot, though.

I am thanking him for being selfish and recognizing the fact that I am the opposite of him.

I don’t need him to take my revenge on anyone. I don’t fucking need him for anything.

If my parents want his help, fine but I will never ask for his assistance. To hell with him and his assistant.

This marriage will be over anyway in a short while.

I twirl back and slump on my bed after taking off my shoes.

Without changing into my nightwear, I drag the comforter to my chin and shut my eyes, praying to the heavens for the rain to stop so I can stop feeling cold and also for me to slumber into a deep long sleep with no dreams or nightmares.