I was telling her all of this for her own good, but not only did she refuse to believe me, she even thought that I found all men in the world unreliable because I had been hurt before.
We were initially talking about her, but the spotlight was abruptly shifted to me. I couldn’t help but feel sad when she exposed my scars right in front of John.
“Natalie, don’t you trust me?” I peered into Natalie’s eyes and pressed further, refusing to accept this reality.
“John is my boyfriend, and I’ve given him my everything, so I believe that he loves me,” meeting my gaze, Natalie said with certainty.
Hearing Natalie’s answer, my heart sank to my stomach. It was clear she was determined to trust John.
“Why won’t you believe me? He admitted it to me himself. We’ve been friends for so many years. You know I’d never lie to you.”
I remained undeterred because I hoped she’d believe me.
If it were someone else, I wouldn’t bother at all. But because she was my best friend who had stayed by my side through my most difficult times, I couldn’t just stand by and watch when she was tangled up with a scumbag like John.
“It’s exactly because you’re my best friend that I’m willing to tolerate this, Anna. From now on, I don’t wanna hear you say another bad word about John. He’s my boyfriend, and I choose to trust him!”
Seeing as I was persisting, Natalie’s eyes filled with anger.
Her unflinching gaze was enough proof that she didn’t believe me. Realizing this, a wave of disappointment washed over me. We’ve been friends for so many years. Does our friendship mean nothing compared to a man she’s known for a few short months?
They wouldn’t have slept together last night if John didn’t deliberately instigate it, and I’m sure it’s because he knew I’d tell Natalie about his infidelity. That’s why he acted first.
At that moment, I regretted not telling Natalie about John’s true colors the previous night itself.
If only I had contacted her earlier, John wouldn’t have gotten his way. However, it was already too late.
“Nat, I’m really doing this for your own good. Please, open your eyes and look at the truth.”
I walked forward and anxiously grabbed Natalie’s hand.
But my insistence only served to further anger Natalie. She flung off my hand and glared vehemently at me.
“That’s enough, Anna. If you keep saying stuff that’s harmful to my relationship with John, I’ll never talk to you again! Ever!”
Her words hurt me deeply. I looked at her with sorrowful eyes, but besides rage, I couldn’t detect any other emotion on her face.
She had left a huge dent in my pride by saying that. For John, she had actually threatened to end our friendship.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered. I’ll move out immediately. I won’t disturb the two of you.”
My face paled, and I rushed into my bedroom right after saying this.
Since things had already come to this between Natalie and me, I felt like I had overstayed my welcome.
After taking out my suitcase, I put in my clothes with red-rimmed eyes.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love from My Dominant Boss