When Betrayal Becomes a Factor

Nadine Bamford stood in disbelief as her eyes settled on the two most important people to her in a very compromising position. She’d seen movies, she’d heard stories, and she knew someone personally who’d gone through this, but never in a million years had she ever imagined that her fiance and her mother would be kissing each other on her wedding day. 

Two years ago, Nadine had met her fiance, Nico Gibbs at her best friend, Elijah Bean’s wedding. The two men happened to be work friends, and Elijah had been adamant about the two meeting. While their relationship hadn’t been love at first sight, Nadine couldn’t deny that Nico was very handsome and he had to agree that she was equally as beautiful. They’d forged a bond quickly, going on outings and finding ways to spend time together. After about two months of continuously getting to know one another and hanging out, Nico had asked Nadine to be his girlfriend. They’d dated a year before he proposed and now, after ten months of being engaged and planning this elaborate wedding, they were finally tying the knot.

Except, seeing Nico and her mother share an urgent X-rated kiss hadn’t been part of the plan. Nadine not only felt betrayed, but she was hurt. The entire time she and Nico had been dating, her mother had swore that he wasn’t the right man. She kept trying to convince Nadine that he had too much of a roaming eye and that he would only hurt her in the end. While it seemed that her mother's words had been true, she had also played a part in that hurt. Her mother, Tracy was like her best friend, so to see that all along, she was scheming behind her back, it was all very unsettling to Nadine’s stomach. She wanted to hurt her mother. Just as much as she wanted to hurt Nico. She wanted to hurt them both. 

Grabbing the bottom of her dress, Nadine was grateful that she had gone against getting a long train on her wedding gown. When she was younger, she fantasized over a wedding dress with a train that was at least 12 feet long and made of the finest silk with diamonds embedded into it. Clearly, her style had changed and she’d settled for a more modest dress that was kind of plain but did her small frame justice. Too bad, her efforts would never be showcased because as far as Nadine knew, the wedding was off forever. 

Nico’s eyes landed on her as she approached and as he tried to push her mother back, Nadine’s first had connected with the side of her mother’s head sending her face flying into the wall they’d been holding up during their embrace. She ignored the moan her mother released to express her pain before her fist connected with Nico’s jaw. The only difference between Nico and her mother had been that after the first punch, Nadine didn’t stop. 

She balled both of her fists up, punching him repeatedly. Nico tried to grab her hands after a couple hits but Nadine was so high on adrenaline, his efforts were ignored. She made contact with any part of his body she could, but it wasn't satisfying her. Not even his yelps or his screams urging to stop helped. 

She was beyond mad, livid was the word. He was going to feel her pain. 

Nadine had dreamed of marriage since a young girl, and while she had never lost hope, sometimes she didn't know if she would ever find true love. After going to fashion design school and developing her now very prosperous business, Deni & Co., she had thrown herself into work and dates had grown seldom. She hadn’t expected to find love anytime soon, especially from a man as good as what she perceived Nico to be. 

Here she was, twenty-six years old, and the only thing she had was a successful business and a penthouse with the Philadelphia skyline being in view right from her bedroom window. She wanted so badly to be married and start a family, and the first opportunity she had to do so had been ruined by her husband to be. 

Nadine didn't remember blacking out in the midst of making Nico feel her pain. The only thing she remembered was being pulled away from Nico as her right fist flew into his nose. She could feel the aching sensation in her knuckles as soon as she did it but the pain she felt in her hand was even more bearable than the pain she felt in her chest from the betrayal she was experiencing. 

She was soon in the large dressing room for her bridal party, and it wasn’t until then that she finally burst into tears. All five of her bridesmaids surrounded her, hugging and comforting her as soon as her behind hit the plush white couch in the room. They were cooing to her and reassuring her that everything would be fine, but Nadine knew better. 

She knew she was off worse than she’d started and while Nico was supposed to be her Saving Grace and take away the years of loneliness she’d been preparing for, he’d only pushed her further into it. 

Prior to Nico, Nadine didn’t know what it felt like to be heart broken in the slightest bit. She’d only had short lived relationships and childhood boyfriends, where everyday felt like cloud nine and the breakups were not as harsh as they became in adulthood. Nico had been her first true love and her first heartbreak. Though the latter, she hadn’t expected. 

Nadine didn’t know how long she weeped nor how long the girls held her, but she did know that after a while, she could feel herself drifting off to sleep and she hoped that it all had been a dream. 

When Nadine finally woke up, she had been mistaken. The first thing she noticed was her tear-stained face that held smudged makeup in every crevice. From her eye liner to her mascara and lipstick, none of it had stayed in place when she’d gone wild yet she had the urge to do it all over again. 

Looking down at her hand, she noticed a melted ice pack that she knew only one of her friends had made for her, and she knew she was lucky to have them. As much as she felt she would cry again, she had no tears left to release. She was all cried out, and she wasn’t going to stay in the environment that caused her pain to begin with so she got up. 

She first went into the suite’s bathroom, retrieved a fresh wash cloth and washed her face with warm water to remove the makeup before utilizing cold water to reduce the puffiness around her eyes. Staring at herself in the mirror, she reached behind herself to undo the small zipper on her dress causing the sheet-like garment to pool at her ankles leaving her in only her under garments and custom made Louboutin pumps. 

She twirled a piece of her hair back into place and turned her head side to side in the mirror to ensure her braided updo was still in place. She left the dress on the floor as she turned to leave the bathroom, where she retrieved the white pantsuit she’d made specifically for their arrival to their honeymoon. Nadine and Nico had agreed on a week in Fiji, a vacation spot that neither of the two had been to but truly longed to be. Now, Nadine wanted no parts of the island or anything else she shared with Nico.

Putting the slim cut suit on, she smiled at herself for the first time after the incident and adjusted the flap on the front of her suit that led into a deep v-cut revealing the sides of her breasts. The pants fit her backside and thighs like a glove before they flared off at the knees, the hem of them falling at the back of her heels. Grabbing her MAC Ruby Woo lipstick off of the vanity mirror, she reapplied her favorite lipstick shade--a bright red that stood out on her medium-brown skin complexion. 

She was quick to put her lipstick, phone, and a few of her other belongings into her large purse before slipping onto her brown Chanel sunglasses. She did a once over, ensuring that she looked alright before finally leaving the empty suite. She could see the girls’ items in place, so she assumed that they’d gone out for food or something. Too bad, she wouldn’t be there whenever they did return. 

As she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, she was immediately met by the presence of her mother. Tracy sported a distressed look on her face, as though she was awaiting Nadine’s presence but Nadine had absolutely nothing to say to her. She had been tempted to hit her again, but in the back of her mind, she knew it wasn’t worth it. Her mother would feel pain in other ways because karma was real, and Nadine believed that the Universe would handle her far better than she could.

“Nadine, baby, I’m so--”

Tracy’s statement went on deaf ears because Nadine didn’t stop to entertain her. She closed the door and walked away in the direction of the exit. She knew her mother wasn’t sorry, and she didn’t forgive her for this. Tracy had been Nadine’s best friend for years. Growing up in a household where her father was incarcerated and the family she had was seldom, Nadine leaned on her mother for a lot. 

As a child, she knew Tracy always had her best interest and that she loved her to pieces, but now Nadine wasn’t so sure. 

She got to her car in only a matter of minutes, and as soon as her back hit the seat, she finally looked down at her left hand that still held her 2-carat, white gold, princess cut diamond engagement ring. With a sigh, Nadine took a deep breath before pulling the ring off with ease and dropped it into her bag. She didn’t know what she would do with it, but she was definitely thinking about pawning the beautiful item. She doubted Nico would want it back. 

Pulling down the visor, Nadine opened the mirror as she placed her purse into the seat beside her. Closing her eyes, she took three deep breaths to calm her nerves even further before speaking to herself. 

“Nadine, you are beautiful. You are worthy. None of this is your fault. You are not the reason Nico cheated. This relationship was simply not meant to be. You can and you will heal from this,” she told herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She took more time to mandate her breathing and relax before finally closing the mirror and starting her 2019 Genesis G80. 

She listened to Slow Jamz on the drive to her destination, which made her feel more at ease as she drove in midday traffic. 

It wasn’t long before she reached her destination and as soon as she stepped to the counter to be serviced, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. 

“A one-way ticket to Nassau, Bahamas,” she told the clerk as she dug into her purse for her wallet. 

As she purchased her ticket for the trip, with absolutely no luggage in sight, Nadine felt all the more prepared for this vacation from home. She didn’t know how long she’d be gone, but as long as she had her sketchbook and her laptop, those were the only items she needed for this much needed trip away from home. 

The only thing that mattered to her at that moment was getting away. She knew she had things to handle in Philly and loose ends to tie, but she needed to break away for pure relaxation and an escape from her problems at home. While she didn’t know what lied in the Bahamas, she could only hope it would bring her the peace she needed.