2: The losing end

Aryanna walked at a neck-breaking speed to catch up with her boyfriend. She held on to the bouquet, she spent a huge amount of money purchasing them. 

"Did you do it, Carlos?" she heard the female ask as she was about to turn the corner. Her feet froze in place. 

"I'm trying my best. You have to understand that Aryanna is more stubborn than she appears on the surface, " Carlos gave a response. 

Aryanna peered at the two from the corner. Her heart filled with concern about the subject of their conversation and why her loving boyfriend was badmouthing her behind her back. 

"Or is it that you've broken my trust and fallen in love with her?"

"What are you saying?" Carlos caressed the woman:'s hand sweetly to calm her down. "You're the one I love, don't misunderstand me. "

His words hit Aryanna like ice-cold water. Sending shivers down her spine. She held on to the bouquet as though her life depended on it. Her heart squeezing in pain from watching the man she loved embrace another. 

"Is that so?" the woman asked in doubt. "Then accomplish the task I assigned you and get her out of our lives. I can't stand this anymore, " she complained. 

"She is in love with me, it's only a matter of time before she gives in and sleeps with me. You'll get what you want," Carlos gave assurance to the woman. 

Aryanna clasped her hand over her mouth. Afraid to let out a sound and inform them of her presence. She leaned her head to the wall and listened. Her heart urged her to run away before it got to a point of no return. However, her mind refused to get the message and glued her body to the spot to keep listening. 

She didn't know who the woman was or what games the two of them were playing and why it involved her. A million questions crisscrossed her mind in the second. 

"What do I want? I want you to break Aryanna's heart, taint her reputation, and make her shunned by society. That can only happen when you strip her of her virtue, so what's the holdup? " she asked. 

"Everything will happen as per your wish, Leah."

Aryanna nearly collapsed to the ground. Her heart broke into a million pieces. Hearing the truth about her boyfriend and his plans for her. 

Every piece fell into place. She started to understand why he never gave her the liberty to attend his office parties. Or the constant excuses he gave her when she asked to meet his family and friends. 

He played his game better than most. Aryanna wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. To let out the pain in her chest. 

"I'm the love of your life, Carlos. Don't keep me waiting for too long and get the job done, " Leah encouraged him. She encircled her hands around Carlos's neck and pulled him close. "I simply want to see that good-for-nothing girl shattered beyond repair."

Aryanna's life revolved around her boyfriend's life. He was her sun, the center of her universe, the only person she had in her life. He was her everything and to him, she is a toy to be broken to please the woman he loves. 

"I wish it was so easy. Aryanna holds on to her virginity strongly," Carlos lets out. "I've dated her for months and yet I don't know what her bedroom looks like. She is so stubborn, " He reported to her. 

Aryanna crashed the roses in her hands. She was thinking of crossing that line with him tonight after the party. To celebrate his promotion and them taking a step forward in their relationship. 

She planned it all out in her mind on her way to the party. Aryanna imagined hundreds of ways the night would go and what went down was far from her expectations. 

She had the honor of witnessing her boyfriend admit that the reason he was in her life was to destroy her. To get to bed, at her lowest and break her apart. Hot tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her eyes. 

Shock registered on Aryanna's face. Her mind coming to terms with her reality. She shed silent tears as she stared into the distance. Aryanna didn't dare to look at the couple anymore. 

"Try harder. Get her to embrace you, please baby, " Leah cried out.

"I'll do it tonight. I've gotten the promotion and it's a cause for celebration. I'm certain I can lure my way to her bed as a reward for my hard work, " Carlos said, he eluded confidence as he gave Leah hope. 

Aryanna felt the shattered pieces of her heartbreak into more pieces. The whole time, she was of the belief that Carlos could move the world for her. He had gone the extra mile to convince her of his love, yet in the shadows, he was hatching a plan to destroy her life. 

Her knees felt weak. Aryanna leaned against the wall for support. He ripped her heart out of her chest mercilessly. Bringing to the surface her insecurities and loneliness. 

The world was cruel to her. The people around her were no different, they took her apart piece by piece to achieve their agenda. In this cruel world, Carlos was her haven, her home, and her peace. She counted on his tenderness and love to get through the wars she battled every single day of her life. 

"I trust you to do that. I can't afford to have Aryanna enter my life," Leah uttered. "I won't let that illegitimate girl live peacefully after what her mother did. Aryanna will have to pay for her mother's sins. "

A sharp buzz echoed in Aryanna's ears. Having her mother dragged into their conversation opened up her wounds. She struggled so hard to move on from her mother's past but her mother's past refused to let her be. 

It wasn't her fault that her mother got involved with a married man. She didn't ask to be born out of wedlock. No one tries to understand that, they blame her for her mother's choices and punish her for it. 

Carlos knew how sensitive she was about the subject concerning her mother. And yet, he was using that to draw blood from her. 

"You'll get your revenge. That shrewd and cunning illiterate will get what's coming to her, " Carlos's voice got serious and sinister. Aryanna turned her head around and took in the expression on her face. 

Her eyes caught a sore sight. Leah embraced Carlos tightly and buried her head in his chest. The image grounded her thoughts to the reality of the moment.

She was illiterate, which is why people fooled her easily. Aryanna always gives others the benefit of the doubt and in the end, it always comes back to bite her. Being too nice invites bad people to her life leaving her on the losing end of their games. 

For the first time in her life, she met a man who showed her that she was worthy of love, and he turned out to be a lie. His love was fake as were his promises. 

"I love you, Leah, " Carlos confessed. He whispered sweetly and with a glee wide smile spread across his lips. 

Sting tears clouded her eyes temporarily, blinding her. Her walls fell apart as she watched the two of them melt in each other's arms. 

"Let's head back to the party. I want to make a public toast to your success, " Leah declared. 

Aryanna felt her world falling on her. The weight of the heartbreak weighed down on her shoulders. Crashing her. Her body was as pale as death. She wanted to scream out, loud enough to awaken the dead to release the pain in her heart. 

Carlos intertwined his hand with hers and guided her back. Aryanna's feet move involuntarily into the pathway, bringing her face to face with the couple. 

The two were surprised to see her. They were thunderstruck to have her standing right in front of them. They stood aghast with their eyes popping out of their sockets. Her reaction gave away that she'd heard everything they said. 

General silence filled the air. Aryanna was led by the nose by Carlos and his lover for months. The moment grew faint and blurry. 

The guilty parties regained their composure from the shock. Leah stuck her nose in the air. The corners of her mouth quirked up with pride. 

Aryanna gritted her teeth, her lower lip trembled as a surge of pain and disgust ran down her spine. Her eyes took in the image of her lover. The man who showed her it was alright to let people back into her life. All she saw were more reasons to burn bridges and build stronger walls around her. 

Carlos took a piece of her soul with his lies. Aryanna could think of no occasion where she offended them. She was too shocked to confront them, her mouth fell slackly open. 

"What, is she going to cry now? " Leah turned to Carlos. 

Aryanna was never supposed to witness their moment. The stranger warned it would ruin her night... and it did. The night broke her.