"We will be landing shortly."
The announcement came through the speakers, but I barely reacted.
I just sat there in my seat, staring straight ahead, waiting for the plane to land. My mind felt empty.
When the plane finally landed, everyone around me started moving immediately. People stood up, reached for their bags in the overhead compartments, and began talking to each other.
But I stayed seated for a few seconds longer.
I didn't have anywhere I needed to be right now. There was no one waiting for me.
By the time I stepped out of the airport, the night air hit my face. It was cool and quiet.
I got into my car and sat there for a moment, my hands resting on the steering wheel.
I didn't feel like going home.
The thought of walking into an empty house made my chest feel tighter than I wanted to admit. So I started driving instead.
I decided to go to one of my bars.
The place was already busy when I got there. Music played softly in the background, and people talked and laughed.
I walked straight inside and headed for the VIP section. A few staff members greeted me along the way, offering quick hellos and polite smiles. I only gave a small nod in response. I wasn't in the mood for conversation tonight.
I sat down in my usual spot, and a drink was placed in front of me without me asking. The bartender knew my habits by now.
I picked it up and took a sip.
It burned going down.
Good.
That was exactly what I needed, something sharp to cut through the numbness.
For a while, I just sat there, drinking quietly.
The ice clinked gently against the glass as I swirled it. Then, like always, my mind drifted back to something I would rather not think about. It pulled me in no matter how hard I tried to push it away.
I saw it clearly again.
Walking into that room a few days before our wedding. The door had been half-open, and I had pushed it wider without thinking.
There she was… my fiancée, tangled up with my best friend.
The two of them froze when they saw me. Her face went pale. She sat up quickly, clutching the sheet to her chest, eyes wide with shock and guilt.
I stood there, frozen.
She kept crying, reaching for me but I moved back.
My best friend just looked away, too ashamed to speak. The betrayal cut deeper than any anger could. It wasn't just the cheating. It was the fact that the two people I trusted most in the world had shattered everything I believed in, just days before I was supposed to stand in front of everyone and promise her forever.
But I didn't shout. I didn't even say a word.
I just looked at them both for a long second, feeling the cold emptiness settle in where my heart used to be.
Then I turned around and left. Her sobs followed me down the hall, growing louder, more desperate, but I kept walking.
That single moment had changed everything.
I had walked out and never looked back.
I exhaled slowly and looked down at my glass. The memory still sat heavy in my chest, quiet but sharp. It never really left me.
I finished the drink and set the glass down with a quiet clink. "Another," I said.
The bartender refilled it without asking questions. He knew better than to talk when I was like this.
I was halfway through the second drink when something caught my attention.
A lady walking into the bar.
She paused slightly at the entrance before stepping in, like she wasn't sure she should be there.
Her eyes moved around the room for a second, taking everything in. Then she moved forward, trying to act normal, like she belonged. But she didn't. She looked out of place.
And I couldn't take my eyes off her. There was something about the her, she looked familiar.
Someone sitting near the counter called out to her.
I glanced at him, already irritated. The guy had that sloppy, overly confident look that always spelled trouble.
She ignored him and went straight to the counter.
Good.
I looked away after that, but my eyes kept drifting back. While I drank slowly, I saw the whole conversation she had with the bartender.
She couldn't pay. I watched the quiet panic in her eyes as she tried to explain herself.
It wasn't my problem, but this left me uneasy.
I sighed quietly and called one of the staff over. "Tell the manager to clear her bill. And let her know she can leave."
He nodded and walked off immediately.
A few minutes later, I noticed her standing up.
She looked unsteady.
Drunk.
She picked up her bag and walked toward the exit slowly, her steps careful but wobbly.
The same man who had called out to her earlier stood up not long after she left. He moved with purpose.
I watched him.
He was focused.
Watching her.
Then he followed her out.
I frowned slightly.
That didn't sit right with me.
I gave it a few seconds, then stood up and headed outside.
The street was quiet. Too quiet.
I looked around but didn't see them at first.
Then I heard something.
A faint sound.
Like someone struggling. And I followed it.
The closer I got, the clearer it became.
Then I turned the corner and saw them.
He was dragging her, and she was trying to fight him off, but she couldn't.
I didn't say anything.
I just moved.
I hit him hard before he even saw me coming. He stumbled back, then tried to fight me, but it didn't last long. His movements were slow and sloppy. I hit him again, harder. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness right there.
I turned to her immediately.
She looked like she was barely conscious.
"Are you okay?" I asked gently.
She tried to respond but could only nod weakly, her eyes unfocused.
Then her body went limp.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
I pulled out my phone and called the manager. "Bring my car around back," I said.
When the manager arrived, I told him, "Call the cops on the man."
I carried her gently and placed her in the back seat of my car. I walked around to the driver's seat and drove straight to the hospital.
She didn't wake up the entire time.
When I got to the hospital, I told the nurse what had happened and made sure they would take care of her. After settling everything, I left.
The roads were almost empty now.
I drove in silence, my mind replaying everything.
I decided to go home, I wasn't in the mood to go back to the bar anymore.
But her face kept flashing in my head.
That feeling that I had seen her somewhere before.
I tried to place it.
Then it hit me.
Back in university.
She was always around him.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel slightly.
She wasn't just some random girl.
She was my rival's girlfriend.