Xeria's P.O.V

I just look at him, wondering what? why? and how? all of these questions were hammering in my head.

Before I can lose my composure, the bride comes and stands next to Jake, wrapping her hand around Jake's elbow, and the man, whom I assume is her father, greets me.

"Hello, you must be Louis's daughter, Xeria." He extends his hand.

Shaking his hand, I smile back at him. "Yes, that's me," I say, exhaling, trying to stifle the tears that were about to fall.

"Your hotel is beautiful; I have always wanted a venue like this," the bride chirped.

"Jake really likes it too," she adds, pinching Jake's cheek and flashing her engagement ring.

"I'm glad you did," I say, my eyes not leaving Jake's, who just stood there like a statue.

"Jake's parents are here too; come meet them today," the man says, and it was Jake's turn to lose his composure, which was noticed by his beautiful fiancée.

"It's ok, and I have a meeting to attend; I will get going now." "Congratulations, and may God bless the two of you to be together forever." Concealing my burning emotions, I turn around and storm out of the venue.

By the time I reached the elevator, the tears were already streaming down my cheeks; thankfully, no one was around.

"How?"

"Why?"

My whole body was shivering, and then I began to hyperventilate.

"Xeria," I hear Moira, stepping inside the elevator.

I look up at him with my bloodshot eyes.

"Xeria," he exclaims, supporting me, I don't feel any amount of strength in my body; I feel numb.

What is going on? By now, my head was throbbing. "Call Quentin," I whisper to Moira.

Moira walked me to my office and sat me down on the couch.

"What happened, Xeria?" he asks, rubbing my hands, which were ice cold.

What happened? I don't know how to put my feelings into words; I can't.

"I have called Quentin already, but it will take time for him to come here," he went on.

"Just leave me alone, okay?" I turn around on the couch, my voice barely audible.

I heard the door click, and I begin to cry.

The anger and pain I was feeling surfaced. Shooting up from the couch, I pick up the glass and throw it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Breathing heavily, I pull my hair back for the first time ever; the ponytail was annoying. I open my hair and threw the band.

Walking towards the table, I slam my fists down on it repeatedly.

"Why"

"Why?"

"Just why?"

"What went wrong?"

"Why?"

I scream, removing the jacket and throwing it on the floor.

I don't know how long it had been since I was yelling and breaking things when the door opened and Quentin walked in.

Quentin rushes toward me and hugs me.

"Let it out." Brushing my hair with his fingers, he consoles me, and I cry in his arms for the whole night.

~

"Hmm," I groan, opening my eyes.

Looking around, I realize that I spent the night in my office's lounge.

"Awake?" I see Quentin leaning against the window frame, the sun's rays complementing his sapphire eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I sit up, and the memories of last night come rushing back to me like a horrible nightmare.

Tears begin to well up in my eyes once again, but this time Quentin comes and sits in front of me.

"Why did he do this to me, Quentin?" I ask him, and he takes my hands in his.

"His company was facing problems, and he needed financial support, so the marriage between the two families was decided to save the company from going bankrupt."

"That coward," drawing circles with his thumb on the back of my hands, Quentin narrates to me the reason why my boyfriend betrayed me.

"Money was it; if he had asked me, I would have helped him happily; four years of relationship was nothing to him; why just why Quentin?" I shout, and again the tears begin to roll down.

The phone begins to ring, and I pick it up to find 100 missed calls from Jake and 50 texts from him, and he's still calling me.

I know we've always put our careers and work first, but why would he go so far as to betray me to get engaged behind my back?

The phone rang again. This time, I see that it was my mom.

I wipe my tears away and take a deep breath to answer the call.

"Hey Mom, how're you doing?" I ask her.

"Quentin called last night and said you were sick and staying at the hotel," she says worriedly.

"I'm ok now, just sore throat," I reply, assuring her.

"And mom, about the proposal?" Looking up at Quentin, I say the most unbelievably believable thing.

"I want to meet him," and Quentin stares back at me with wide eyes.

"That's great, dear; I will let your father know," she replies, hanging up.

"Xeria, what are you doing? Don't take any decisions right now; you are just too overwhelmed to make decisions like this." Quentin exclaims, shaking me by my shoulders.

"So, what now, Quentin? Should I wait for him to make excuses or break his engagement? Or should I barge into his home and demand an explanation?" I snap.

"And what do you think you will achieve by doing this, Xeria?" He asks me.

What will I achieve?

Nothing.

I was in love with someone for the last four years, and what did he do?

He betrayed me, and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, how long was he going to take to tell me about his beautiful betrayal?

After he gets married?

Adapting, adjusting, and compromising-I did everything to be with him and to achieve exactly what-happiness, love?

"I'm not going to marry him, Quentin; I'm just meeting him. Trust me, I'm not a robot. I can't just push the button and turn all the feelings off in a single night." I reply, getting out of bed.

Walking out of the room, I grab my jacket, which happens to be on the couch and not the floor.

"Xeria, think it through, give yourself some time, and I think you should talk to Jake once."

"Of-course I want to punch him right in the face, but you should at least talk to him once," Quentin says, following me out of the office.

"I just want to go home right now; please drop me off," I say, turning around to look at Quentin, who was visibly concerned for me.

The drive home was silent.

Quentin dropped me off and went back home, saying that Wilhelmina would be coming to see me until noon.

Wilhelmina is Quentin's younger sister; she is just one year younger than the two of us.

I was taking my sweet time in the driveway before entering the house, not being in a mood to be bombarded with questions and thinking that I said yes to the proposal out of anger.

I'm really an idiot.

Before I can make up my mind to step in, my phone rings once again, and this time I pick it up.

"What do you want, Jake?" I spat, not in a mood to hear his excuses.

"Just for once, but meet me, please," he literally begs, his voice shaking, and I can tell that he has been crying.

"Ok, I will text you," and I hang up.