Chapter 1 -

“He’s so going to die when he sees you,” the hairstylist teased from behind her, while Nia stared at the slightly older woman in the mirror. She truly hoped Alex was going to die, well, figuratively when he beheld her tonight with the added curls to her brunette hair. They were to celebrate a special milestone in their relationship today. Instead of visiting a particular restaurant on this day for the past months, she had decided to cook his favourite meal on their menu instead. Nia had brought it upon herself to learn how to cook the food. Pouring all of her being into the process, wholeheartedly.

She loved Alex, as far as the word love could stretch to describe the way he made her feel. And she just wanted him to feel how deep her love really went.

“Do you think this hairstyle suits me?” She asked all of a sudden, doubt edging into her voice as she studied her reflection in the mirror.

The hairstylist hand which was holding a curling iron paused mid air, her eyes on Nia’s hazel ones in the mirror while she regarded her statement. “My dear.” The woman said finally, her voice soft like she was speaking to a daughter. “You are beautiful—with or without curls and extra layers in your hair. And if that man can’t see it…” She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I guess he’s not the one for you.”
Nia blinked twice, stunned at the woman’s words. She took in her own reflection in the mirror, then dragged her eyes up to the hairstylist. Not knowing what to think of that last part—about Alex possibly not being the one for her. In fact, she was so convinced he was the one. Even to the point of her strongly believing that the night of their one year anniversary, he was finally going to pop the question. And she would say yes without thinking twice.

But now that the woman had suggested something like that, especially out loud, she couldn’t help the small flicker of unease that had rooted itself in her chest. So, Nia only nodded briefly, planting a fake smile on her face before the woman resumed working on her hair.

When she booked this session, she had stated they worked on a stipulated time frame. Because there was still a lot to do at home with the preparations—setting up the tables, decorating. All of which had to be done before Alex got back. Gladly, they were professionals who stuck to the schedule, and before she knew it, the stylist curled the last strand of Nia’s hair.

“There,” the woman said while smoothing the layers into place and adding finishing touches in the form of hairspray and other essentials. After she was done, the hairstylist stepped back with a satisfied smile on her face as she admired her work. Nia stared at herself in the mirror, running her fingers lightly over the curls in her brown hair that cascaded down her back.

She knew the woman had done an incredible job because of how confident and polished she looked in the mirror. All that she really hoped for was that Alex would like this transformation.

She walked back happily to their shared apartment, more like sprinted all the way, with two bags filled of things she had bought in her hands, and her purse safely tucked under her armpit. Time was not on her side, the sun would be setting soon, and come Alex as well. The major landmark before their place was a deserted park, and only when she reached there did she slow down, taking easy strides until she got to their building.

Nia took the stairs up to their apartment floor, fishing out the keys to their place in her purse while taking two steps at a time. She was having a hard time balancing everything but she somehow made it to their door intact. Still searching for the damn key, Nia would have continued rummaging through the purse if not for the small sound she heard from inside that stopped her. The first thought that came to her was maybe it was their neighbor who had come to lend something. But it seemed unlikely because Isa would have called or texted her before stepping foot in there.

So, with a fearful heart, she opened the door which should have been locked. And stepped inside, leaving the wooden object behind her open in case she would have to bolt out of here should it be a robber, or worse. At the other side of the door, Nia saw Alex’s shoe and another unfamiliar one, both of which immediately made her heart sink. Her boyfriend was back home, with a stranger no less. This means two things: her dinner surprise was ruined, and more importantly, he brought someone home. “Alex?” She called out, hoping to get an explanation, but her voice bounced off the wall with no reply.

She moved away from the narrow space of the entrance, and walked further into the apartment, her eyes darting to every space, searching for him. In the living room, there was no sign of Alex nor his visitor, then she felt her pulse quicken at the realization of things. They were nowhere in the living room, could it be—her thoughts trailed by another sound coming from deeper in their apartment, specifically where the bedrooms were situated.

Nia didn’t want to entertain these kinds of thoughts, yet the reality of everything was stark clear. She shook her head in disbelief, there was no way Alex would do something like that, she just needed to see him and get the idea out of her head. So, she made her way to the hallway that held three rooms and rounded the corner. Bright light originating from the master bedroom where she and Alex slept day and night, filled the space. If she had tried to keep herself under control before, she could not take it any longer. Her body trembled, her mind raced with unspeakable thoughts, and each step she took felt heavier than the last.

This was the night of their one year anniversary for fuck’s sake, she didn’t deserve to go through this.

Upon getting to the doorpost of their illuminated bedroom, Nia hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was it was. Even though defying logic. And when she peeked into the room, she found Alex sitting on their bed, lingering at the edge with someone—a man she couldn’t recognize beside him. She wanted to release a sigh of relief, but their hands which were connected almost affectionately, stopped her. That little gesture made something in her turn, as if she had barged into a private moment, and she wasn’t the recipient.

“What is going on here?” She asked, both confused and angry. The sound of her voice made both of them jump, and both their faces turned to her—the very picture of guilt, heightening the impending sense of doom she felt.

“We need to talk,” Alex spoke up, his tone unusually somber. He stood from the bed, taking tentative steps towards her like she was a wild animal capable of jumping him at any second.

“This is Jordan,” he said as if it did anything to explain the elephant in the room, although in this context, it was the man still sitting on their bed.

“Jordan” She echoed the name, the taste leaving something sour in her mouth. Nia saw Alex send a soft smile to the stranger before coming to face her with a straight face. She recognized that smile, the same smile he gave her early on in their relationship. And now, he was returning the gesture, her gesture to someone else.

“What is really going on here?” She asked for the second time, her voice devoid of anger now, and only confusion.

Alex stared at her for a long moment, probably contemplating what to say, then when she thought she wouldn't get anything from them, he replied. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” he began, clearing his raspy voice. “I didn’t know how to tell you this. But I knew the longer I kept it hidden, the more I was hurting Jordan, myself, and you.” The way he made it sound like Jordan was an important person in his life, which all but scared her.

“I’m leaving you for Jordan,” her boyfriend deadpanned.

Upon hearing those words, it felt like the world came still, and Nia was floating—not floating, falling. It felt like she was falling without any net below to hold her from making impact with the hard surface. The words that had left Alex’s lips mulled in her mind, making her heart sink further, her body go limp, and her thoughts incoherent. No matter how she tried to wrap her head around those particular words, she didn’t know how to. And when she spoke, her voice coming out in barely a whisper, she hoped this was a prank, or maybe she was dreaming.