Chapter Eight
Sera felt devoid of any energy after the sleepless night when she tossed and turned, crying her heart out. She hoped that River would be proved wrong about Zachary, that he really cared about her. She dreaded the truth and didn't want to face it.
They showered and got ready to go out to Zachary's house after lunch. He would have returned from his college and might be at home. River wanted to confront him, take him by surprise, so she didn't call and inform Zachary of their visit.
They took a cab and reached Zachary's palatial mansion in twenty minutes. Sera stared wide eyed at the palace-like structure in front of her. Zachary lived here? Her face fell as she realised what an impossible dream she had been hoping for. They paid the cab driver and walked up to the huge wrought iron, freshly painted black gates. River pressed the intercom and a security guard came towards them. He spoke to River and opened the gate to let them inside.
"Ma'am, I need to ask master Zachary's permission to let you in," he said, picking up the intercom.
"Noo, please. Don't call him. We were planning a surprise for him," said River with puppy dog eyes.
"Miss, please let me do my duty," said the guard.
"You'll be in trouble if you don't do as I say. I'm his childhood friend," River argued. She pushed Sera towards the main entrance of the house. "You go ahead. I'll speak to him," she whispered.
Sera started reluctantly walking towards the main door. She didn't want to talk to Zachary any more. She felt so out of place and wanted to go far away from this palace. She rang the bell and a maid answered the door.
"Yes ma'am, whom do you want to meet?" She asked courteously.
"Zachary Reynor. I'm his childhood friend," she lied. River was his friend so she used that line.
"Go upstairs to the first floor. Zachary sir's there in the lobby," she informed her and Sera walked towards the stairs after thanking her. Phew! That was easy. She would now have a word with her Zachary, get to see him. He'd be so surprised to see her. She smiled at the thought and went upstairs. She heard some noises and went towards the lobby which could be seen from the stairs.
She froze at the entrance to the lobby. There sitting on a red plush sofa was none other than Zachary with a blonde haired woman sitting on his lap. They were busy sucking each other's faces to notice her presence.
Sera felt like her heart was breaking into tiny pieces. Zachary wasn't busy at all. He just got what he wanted and now he wasn't interested in her anymore. He found a new woman with whom he was making out openly in his own home right under his parent's eyes?
She turned around and went back the way she came. At the foot of the stairs she saw a very dignified woman wearing an expensive beige suit with her hair pinned up in a stylish chignon and wearing matching heels. She turned towards Sera with a malicious look, checking her plain denims and black tee shirt with disgust.
"Why did you let her inside? She could be a thief?" She yelled at the maid who let her in.
"Next time, don't let beggars inside my house. I didn't know my son had such a pathetic taste. When he has such a gorgeous fiancée why does he need to fu*k such low class bitches," she said, eyeing Sera like she was a filthy slut.
A sob escaped Sera and she ran out of the house. Her soft, innocent heart broke, her pure, kind soul was shattered, she was devastated. Zachary had a fiancée? He was engaged? She went up to an arguing River and holding her hand pulled her towards the gate and out of it.
"Hey, Sera, what happened? Did you talk to Zachary? What did he say?" She kept asking but Sera couldn't say a single word as tears fell from her eyes. She hailed a cab and they both got in. They reached the apartment and River shook Sera.
"Tell me what happened God dammit," she yelled at her friend.
Sera looked at her and sat down on the floor with a thud. She hid her face in her hands and wept like a woman who had no wish to live. River felt like her heart would break at her friend's condition.
She sat beside her and asked gently. "If you don't tell me, how would I help you?"
Sera told her everything that happened at Zachary's house. River listened to her intently with her mouth wide open. She had no idea that Zachary was engaged. He had a fiancée yet he played with her friend's innocence. He fell too low in River's eyes. She felt ashamed to call him her friend anymore. Her blood boiled at Zachary's mom's comment too.
She got up determined to thrash them left and right. "Come with me. I will give them a taste of their own medicine," she said, pulling Sera up with her.
"No Riv, I'm going home. Please lend me some money to go home. I will work hard and pay you back," said Sera wiping her eyes. She didn't wish to stay in this horrible city anymore.
"We both will go back. I too have no wish to stay here anymore. I'll get our flight tickets. You don't need to pay me back. You're my only bestie in this whole world. It means a lot to me," she said, and they hugged each other for comfort. Two broken souls finding solace in one another.
River bought two tickets to Alabama for the next day. She called Carol and informed her that due to unforeseen circumstances they would need to hurry back to Huntsville. They wouldn't be able to meet her again but would keep in touch with her.
Packing their stuff up, they sat on the balcony and talked. Sera had no idea that Zachary was so loaded. She would have avoided him like a plague. But what was done was done and she knew that her entire life had been doomed. She couldn't love again. She was done with men. She was better off alone.
The next day early in the morning they took a cab to the airport. Their flight was in three hours and they sat down to have a sandwich and coffee after check in. In six hours they would be home, back to the same monotonous college life. This time however there would only be the two of them.
