Betrayed

T/W: cheating

Owen

I slide the door and walk outside the balcony. I always do this every day, because I love looking at the sky and birds passing by. I sit down on the chair to my right and I put my mug on the little table beside me. I sit back and bring my hands together as I look at the sky. I hear a door sliding and when I look across, I see Olivia stepping out. Olivia and Daniel Wilson are the owners of the house across from me and they seem to be happily married from what I have seen. I mean, they give each other affectionate nicknames(like every couple does) and they always smile whenever they're together.

Olivia is wearing her white nightgown with a white tank top underneath. She looks up, her hands planted on the rail while wiggling her bare toes. Subsequently, Daniel comes up from behind. He’s shirtless and has gray sweatpants on. He quietly walks toward Olivia and embraces her. She jumps before turning around. 

“Dan!” she exclaims, smiling.

“Hey babe,” he says, kissing her on the cheek. My heart races and I quickly rub my chest. Memories flood in of Jess and how she would hug and kiss me like that. 

"Owen! You gave me a shock!"

"Good morning, Jess."

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

I frown as I look to see Daniel and Olivia sitting opposite each other. They're talking and laughing. I feel awkward for some reason. Out of place is the right phrase. However, I force a smile as I lift myself off the chair. I want to give them some alone time. I grab my mug of coffee and slip inside my room.

*

After putting my mug on the nightstand, I sit on the bed, feeling nothing but a hole in my heart. The coffee machine beeps two times to signal that the warming time is over downstairs. 

I leave the room wanting to have a drink downstairs. When I reach the kitchen, I open the bottom cupboard and grab the already opened wine bottle. I take the cork off and drink it straight from the bottle, lazy to pour it inside a glass. I drink more wine while walking to the living room. I grab the remote from the soundbar and I turn on the TV. I sit down on the couch and I switch the channels. I stop at the news channel which shows them doing the forecast for this week. I continue drinking until the whole bottle is empty. I throw the bottle on the other side of the couch, carelessly. I lean my fist under my chin as I look at the TV.  

“On Monday, we are going to have clear skies. . .” the forecaster says as I feel my eyes getting heavy. I try to stay awake but I can’t. My fist slips from my chin and my head drops to the armrest. Fatigue runs through me as I hear the door ring. I don’t bother answering it because I'm too tired.

*

I shoot up with crusty eyes. What time is it?

After clearing my eyes, I glance at my watch which reads 2:30. The TV is still running and the wine bottle that I had finished is still on the couch. My stomach rumbles and I groan, remembering that I haven’t eaten breakfast. I lift myself off the couch to go to the kitchen. There, I pull the freezer open and grab a package of chicken strips. I place some in the oven and after doing that, I go to my phone. My face darkens when I see five missed calls from Jess. What does she want?

I don’t call her back since I want nothing to do with her. I grab a cup from the cupboard and fill it with some water from the water cooler. 

“Ahh, that’s better,” I say as the water hits my tongue. I ascend the stairs straight to my room. When I set foot in my room, I place my cup on the dresser and afterward, make my bed. After doing this, I open the curtain to reveal the balcony. I find that the Wilson’s balcony is empty. I slide the door and step outside, closing the door behind me. I look up to see the beautiful sky; fragments of clouds scattered across. I sit on the left chair and continue gazing at the sky. Birds caw while flying across the sky. Meanwhile, I hear a door sliding.

"Come on."

I look across to see Olivia coming out with a man behind her. I expect it to be Daniel but I am wrong. It is another man who has blonde hair with dark highlights. He’s taller than Daniel and is heavily built.

“Are you sure he’s not here?” I hear the man say as Olivia puts a finger on his lips. 

“Shh, don’t worry,” she says before pressing her lips against his. My eyes widen and my heart drops to the ground. I can’t believe it. I just sit there hoping they don’t notice me. The man’s back is facing me, blocking Olivia’s view of me. I take my chance and quietly slip back inside, closing the door behind me. I draw the curtain, but only a quarter of the way so I can see them. I take a peek and they're still hugging each other. I shake my head, confused. How could she do this?

* 

I want to tell Daniel so badly that Olivia is cheating on him but I feel like it’s none of my business. I groan not knowing what to do.

A few hours ago, I checked on their balcony and saw no sign of Olivia. Good, because I didn’t want to see her. 

I check their balcony again to see Daniel sitting with a laptop on his lap. I feel sad for him since I know what being cheated on feels like.

It was a pretty surprising discovery when I came from work one day. I heard voices upstairs and thought that it was the TV. Boy was I wrong. When I opened the door, I almost fainted when I saw them in bed.

"Owen! It's not what it looks like!" Jess said as I saw Tom(my friend) biting his lip. I quickly left the house, not wanting to see them or hear their excuses.

I close my eyes, almost crying. When I open them, I see Olivia stepping out of the sliding door. She sits with Daniel and gives him a kiss on the lips. I want to gag, knowing she kissed a stranger with those lips. I have to tell Daniel, whether or not he believes me.

*

I head to Daniel’s house the following day. I rap the dark oakwood door and wait. I hear oncoming footsteps and the door swings open. I see Daniel with his stained gray shirt and black sweatpants. 

“Yes?” 

“Um. . .I live in that house over there,” I point to my house which is behind me, “I want to tell you something.”

He nods, with narrowed eyes. 

“I saw your wife kissing another man on the balcony.” Shoot, too blunt. 

I look at his expression and it is deathly. I feel a chill run down my spine. 

“Is this some kind of joke?” he asks as I shake my head. 

“No, I wouldn’t joke around like that.” 

“How dare you come to my house and say stuff like that! She would never cheat on me! You're so lonely, huh?” he says, spit coming out of his mouth.

“No, but you don’t understand. Your wife is cheating on you!” 

“Get out!” he yells and I run out of his porch, feeling stupid. What did I expect? 

When I enter my house, I quickly run upstairs towards my room. I push the curtain aside and see Olivia on the balcony on her phone. Suddenly, the door slides open and Daniel comes out, his eyebrows knitted. He sits down on a chair and digs his hair. Olivia touches Daniel on the back but he quickly slaps her hand. Olivia seems worried from the look on her face. Daniel cocks his head and looks at Olivia. I can see his lips moving and Olivia's face grows pale. She turns to glance at my house. I step aside, my heart beating rapidly. I peek again and see Olivia hugging Daniel who's puffed up with anger. She massages his back as I bite my lip. Should've never said anything.

*

At 8:30 pm, I hear my phone ring for the umpteenth time. I decide that if it’s Jess, I answer it so I can tell her to back off. It is Jess, to my dismay. I pick up the phone and answer it.

“Yeah?” 

“Finally, you picked up.”

“What do you want Jess?"

A long pause.

"Tom and I broke up.” 

“So? Want me to feel sorry for you?”

“No, I don’t. Anyways, I know it’s too late, but I’m sorry.” Now she apologizes.

“Why did you cheat on me?” 

There is heavy silence and I hear Jess sigh. 

“Jess, answer me!”

“You didn't care enough about me! Every single day, you were working and working while I was home alone. And when you come home, you don’t kiss me nor do you greet me! Tom was different. He was romantic and deeply cared for me.”

I clench my teeth, almost breaking the phone. I descend the stairs, my phone still hovering by my ear.

“Owen?” 

“You really are something, you know that? I went to work every single day so I can provide for you! And what do I get? A backstabbing. I can’t believe you two would betray me like that. Good riddance that you guys broke up!” 

I hang up and fling the phone on the couch. I rub my forehead hard, anger building inside of me.

"The nerve," I mutter.

*

It’s Tuesday morning, and I don’t bother looking out to see if Daniel or Olivia are on the balcony. What's the point anyways?

I walk inside the bathroom to take a shower. When the hot water engulfs me, I feel relaxed. Jess and the Wilson’s are out of my mind. I want to change my life for the better. Maybe I should redecorate my room, bake something, or get a new pet. Who knows? There are so many things I can do. After turning off the water, I pat myself dry with my towel and afterward, change into some clean clothes. I brush my teeth for two minutes and gargle some mouthwash. After leaving the bathroom, I’m tempted to look at the Wilson’s balcony, but I refrain. I go downstairs straight to the kitchen. I notice that the trash bag is full so I decide to throw it out. I grab the orange elastic handles and pull them up, tightening the bag. I then take the bin and head outside. Outside, I see the Wilson’s house and their balcony, which is empty. They must be inside. As I throw the bag inside the black trash can, I hear the door open. I turn to see Daniel walking to his car with luggage. He glances at me but turns away. I look up and see Olivia on the balcony looking down at Daniel. Her face is stoic and her posture is casual. After Daniel is finished loading the luggage, he looks at Olivia one last time before hopping inside his car. The engine turns on and Daniel backs out and drives away. 

I look up to see Olivia leaving the balcony. I walk back to my house and place the bin in the cabinet. I can't believe how Olivia was just careless and casual while Daniel was hurt and angry. Either way, I hope that Olivia's relationship with her lover is doomed. After putting the trash bag in the bin, I hear the phone ring again. I see that it is Jess. I quickly decline the call and afterward, go to my contacts. I long press her contact until I see the options.

"Delete contact?"

I tap Yes.