Elastic heart

After being with Vincent for a long time, Fil had already gotten used to the routine he had picked up years ago. Whenever he would say he would stay out of town for business, he would usually not go home or contact her the whole day the next day. Not that Fil lived with him. 

She just knew. 

Therefore, hearing the security lock resonating in her ear caused her a wave of shock. For a moment, she just sat frozen, holding her breath, and wide-eyed. 

"Will you look at her?" Jackson shook his head. "She just blanked out like that."

Since Fil was obviously not in the right state of mind, Jackson took it upon himself to help. He swiftly grabbed her waist, carrying her on his shoulder like a sack of rice, and flinging the blanket to cover whatever the owner of the house shouldn't see.

After the quick 'clean-up,' he took Fil to the walk-in closet. The condominium unit might be aesthetic, but it was small. It was too easy to memorize which door would lead to whatever part of the place. 

"Yes, I just got home." 

Hearing Vincent's voice, Fil finally snapped back to reality. At the same time, Jackson placed her down until she was standing on her own. 

"Uh…" Fil blinked and blinked, confused about which emotion was dominating her right now. Should she thank Jackson? Or would she panic because the place they hid wasn't truly secure? 

What if Vincent comes in here? He might've come for a change of clothes. All his clothes were in this walk-in closet.

"You're welcome." The tangled wires in her mind disappeared upon hearing Jackson's nonchalant voice. He pressed on her forehead with his index, pushing it a little until she had her eyes on him. "Are you scared of being found out by him because the two of us might get into an altercation? Or were you panicking because you're scared of what he would think of you once he did?"

For a moment, Fil could only look at Jackson, furrowing her brows slightly. His line of questions somehow and strangely calmed her down, putting her back on track. 

"Just think of your priorities right now," Jackson added, crossing his arms under his chest. "The woman I met last night was not as pathetic as you are. At least, that woman was more decisive and knew what she wanted. Even if it's wrong. It would be disappointing if all of that is because of alcohol."

Her lips parted, but then she pressed her lips into a thin line. She lowered her head, biting her inner bottom lips. 

'Last night… I'm not that kind of person,' she told herself, remembering how she had acted without shame. She wouldn't have enough courage to do all of that if not for the drinks she had.

'How about the rebellion?' she wondered to herself. 'I gave up my all to this guy last night. I can never take that back.'

[Are you scared of being found out by him because the two of us might get into an altercation? Or were you panicking because you were scared of what he would think of you once he did?]

She pressed her lips into a thin line, now wondering the same thing. Now that she was less angry or rather, less impulsive, what were her thoughts about her action last night? Did she truly want revenge? Or was it just the heat of the moment? 

With a clear head, Fil almost knew the answer. 

She was wrong. Her reaction to her fiance's affair was too impulsive and aggressive. She could've just broken up with him and cut her ties with her best friend. Instead of wanting to get even, and ending up losing her virginity, she should've just…

"Oh, hang on. Someone's calling." Outside, Vincent ended the call just to answer another one. After a brief greeting with the person on the other end of the line, he stopped in the middle of the bedroom. "Fil?"

Fil's thoughts halted when she heard her name outside. She slowly raised her head, walking closer to the door to eavesdrop on Vincent's phone call. 

"What about her?" asked Vincent curiously, listening to the person on the other end of the line. "I see. Well, I don't know. I already told her I'd be on a three-day business trip. Haha. Well, what can I do? She always doesn't bother me when I tell her I'm on a business trip, so I told her it would be three days, even though the meeting ended in an hour."

"I'll tell her, then," he continued talking on the phone. "Right, right. Stop nagging. I know. I'm taking good care of her, alright? It's just that after being with her for so long, I… tsk. Stop that. I'm being careful, alright? And Marianne is a nice girl."

Vincent frowned as the other person on the line prattled on and on. "I'm hanging up before you ruin my mood. Bye."

With that being said, Vincent tossed the phone on the bed. As he did so, he furrowed his brows at the large creases and unkempt blanket. 

"Did the helper forget to fix it?" he wondered but then shrugged. "Whatever. I'll just tell her next time."

Vincent ignored it as he unbuttoned his clothes, marching to the bathroom for a warm bath after a long night. Little did he know, another person overheard everything he had said. Although he barely said anything about his fiancee, it was enough for Fil to make up her mind. 

Standing a palm length away from the door, Fil gazed down. 

"After being with me for so long…" she whispered, repeating what Vincent didn't finish. "... it becomes boring? And Marianne is a nice girl?"

Whoever he was talking to knew about Vincent's and Marianne's affair. From the way Vincent talked, the person was close to him. If he was close to him, then that meant Fil also knew this person. After all, she had done her best to get along with Vincent's rich friends and family. She worked so hard just to be accepted by them and also not to embarrass Vincent. 

"I hate him," she whispered, holding on to the door as she felt her knees wobble. "Was he the only one in a relationship? How can he say after being with me for so long — wasn't I in this relationship as well?"

Fil balled her hands into a tight fist and, without thinking twice, she pulled the door wide open. Seeing her action, Jackson's brows rose in surprise. He watched her march back to the bedroom, following her slowly. 

The shower was still running, but Fil didn't seem to be bothered by it. Instead, she went straight to bed and took the phone on the bed, checking the call logs to confirm who Vincent was talking to. Much to her dismay, the last two names in Vincent's phone logs were the people she was very close with. 

"Hah…" Fil almost dropped the phone as she staggered back, only to see a notification on top of the screen. Her thumb hovered over it, but seeing Marianne's name (the sender) and the attached photo compelled her to open it. 

"Hah…" another airy laugh slipped past her lips, staring at the group chat and a group photo Marianne sent. Her grip trembled and her eyes forgot to blink. 

Curious, Jackson glanced over the phone to see what made her shake so much. He arched a brow at the first message he read;

[Thank you everyone for the wonderful night. I had fun!]

And then underneath it was a photo. In the photo was Vincent's circle of friends, Vincent, Marianne, and Vincent's little sister.

"So everyone knew…?" she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. "... except me?"