Lady of the Night

Seven years. That was how long Christine and Matthew had together. Typical high school sweethearts, their lives set up ahead of them. Both their studies finished, full time work secured and all that was left was for them to get hitched and get on with an amazing life together. Seven years and she suddenly has met another man, a mature 29 years to their own 23.

Matt woke up with a start, his mouth dry but his head covered in sweat from another night of tortured sleep. As he made his way to the bathroom adjacent to his bedroom, he felt the added weight of his depression sitting on his shoulders. A quick look in the mirror revealed this also, his usually bright olive skin looking a sallow yellow. Even his hair seemed to be suffering, the usually magnificent black appeared dull and charcoal grey in the morning light.

He relived himself, washed his hands and then decided to take a quick hot shower to try and relieve some of the tension in his back. As he stood under the steaming hot water, he felt his heart pounding against his chest. It hadn't stopped feeling like that since his work friends had revealed questioning photographs of another man on Christine's Facebook page. Matt felt the white, hot anger rise in him and he smacked his hand against the tiled wall, cursing his own ignorance. Everyone had known it, but him. Everyone had questioned the frequency with which she seemed to be visiting this Brian guy. A work colleague of hers, she had said. He was going through a divorce and his wife had taken their two small children.

Matt's internal monologue continued as he listlessly shoveled cereal into his mouth, going through his usual weekday routine. Matt had met him a few times, the guy seemed average. Even kind of unattractive in the face. He couldn't see the appeal of this guy to his best friend, couldn't see what had drawn her to him.

As he drove to work, he turned up the CD playing in his car to try and drown out the thoughts of her betrayal. The heavy metal guitar riffs calmed him for a time, and he enjoyed the song for a brief moment before he realized he had pulled into his work car park. Matt let out a heavy sigh, realizing they were all probably aware now of what had happened, and now he had to be that guy who had been cheated on. The guy who had no idea that his girlfriend had been fucking a coworker. The thought angered him again.

Still sitting in his car, he pulled out his iPhone and flicked through the photos he had saved off her Facebook page and then more photos that other friends had sent him that he had never seen before. Photos of Roses from the Boyfriend, read the caption. Then the Tiffany