C2 CHAPTER TWO - TRUTH AND CLOSURE

“WHAT!” Clarissa gasped as she slowly dropped to the ground.

She couldn't breathe, and airflow became somehow restricted for her. Rob and Gretchen were unaware of her presence in the apartment, and louder moans filled the air.

Clarissa was furious. “Should I barge in? Or should I not?” She decided against barging in and managed to stand up.

She staggered out of the apartment and dashed into the elevator, trembling with clouds of tears blurring her vision. She ran to her car in the parking lot and bawled her eyes out.

“I am such a fool. Clarissa muttered, gasping in between sobs as she angrily yanked the engagement ring off her finger. Her heart was racing and her head was pounding.

She kept crying non-stop and allowed herself to be carried away, by the ocean of her thoughts.

Three weeks ago, he had promised to stop seeing Gretchen, and he had promised to fix it. So she could not fathom the reason why he lied.

“NO! Clarissa screamed as the images of the sex scene replayed in her head.

Just as she was about to start the car engine, she saw them, Rob and Gretchen. They were laughing and holding hands like lovers would do.

Clarissa watched in dismay as Rob kissed Gretchen’s forehead before waving goodbye.

“Fucking betrayer,” Clarissa muttered under her raggedy breath. She patiently waited for Rob to stroll back into his apartment building before zooming out of the underground parking lot.

It was now 7:30 pm, two hours since Clarissa discovered the bitter truth, and she had been crying nonstop.

She tailed Gretchen furiously, determined to confront her. Her phone began to ring, breaking the still silence in the car. It was Rob. “Talk of the devil!” Clarissa yelled.

The phone rang again, and Clarissa refused to pick up his call. Shortly after, her phone beeped. “Voicemail notification from Rob,” Siri announced.

Clarissa connected her phone to her car’s Bluetooth and hit play on her car’s sound system.

“Hey, Mon Cherie! I missed your calls. I am deeply sorry, my dear. I was in a meeting with Prime Minister George. I hope you love your gifts. They are my heartfelt expression of my love for you. If it's not selfish of me to ask, please let us go on a dinner date tonight, Mon Cherie.”

“Then, we can meet the CEO of Wellington Inc. right after. When he meets you he will likely approve my company’s collaboration proposal. Please look pretty, as always. I will pick you up by 9 pm. I love you to the moon and right back.”

“Bloody liar and leech!” Clarissa exclaimed as the voicemail went off. It became clear to her, as the what-ifs thoughts invaded her mind.

“What if he has been using your influence and status to his advantage?”

“What if he is just there for the benefits her status as a celebrity gave him?”

“What if the proposal was a lie?”

Clarissa shrieked, fresh tears cascading down her face. She was losing it. She kept trailing Gretchen, determined. Nothing could stop her from getting the closure she deserves.

********

“Hello Clarissa, how are you doing?”

Gretchen asked as she came down from her car, surprised to see Clarissa’s car beside hers. She walked towards her, smiling and trying to embrace her.

Clarissa replied with an icy tone as she barely hugged Gretchen. “We need to talk, Gretchen,

right now. Do you have a reservation here?”

They were in the parking lots of a well-known restaurant in NYC. It was an exclusive restaurant that celebrities visited regularly.

“Yes, I do. Let’s go inside.”

Gretchen had a few questions. Why was Clarissa here, and why were her eyes so puffy? Then, she smiled secretly at the fact that the mighty but now not-so-mighty Clarissa Earhart was in distress.

Whatever it was, she was delighted that it was causing her friend so much distress.

They were now seated at a table in one of the VIP booths. Clarissa was too stunned to place an order, so Gretchen ordered Champagne for them and poured some into the flutes.

The silence was awkward, and in an attempt to break the ice, she took two sips and feigned concern. “Clarissa, you do not look good. Plus, you have been avoiding me at work lately. Is there something I should know? What would you like to discuss?”

Clarissa responded, staring into the champagne on the table. “You weren't at work today. Were you busy?”

Gretchen shifted uncomfortably in her seat,” Oh, I had flu in the morning, so I called in sick. My Chef is on leave, so I thought of eating dinner here tonight.” She lied.

“Hmm, flu you say? I see, there has been a flu outbreak of late, you know.” Clarissa said, suddenly laughing hysterically.

Gretchen was surprised by Clarissa’s sudden display of sarcasm. “She was sullen-faced just a while ago. Is she crazy?” She thought to herself and abruptly laughed with Clarissa.

She then placed her phone on the table to record their conversation discreetly. She felt Clarissa might disclose some article-worthy stuff tonight.

Unstable Clarissa = more gigs and visibility for her, so she couldn't let this rare opportunity go to waste.

“Gretchen, does your Doctor live at Rob’s apartment complex? Perhaps you went visiting to get medication prescribed for the flu treatment.” Clarissa dropped the first bombshell, gulping down the champagne in her flute.

Gretchen stared back at her in disbelief, “Uhm, what do you mean? My Doctor owns a clinic. Besides, I wouldn't go to his apartment to get a prescription. Wait, what girl? Are you insinuating that I may be dating my Doctor? Come on girl, that’s not ethical!” She scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes.

“But fucking your friend’s fiance is ethical, right? “Hahaha, funny don’t you agree?” Clarissa dropped another bombshell and gulped down more champagne.

“Wha… What exactly do you mean, Clarissa? I get that you are not in a good state of mind due to whatever is causing you distress. But girl, don't come at me like that.” Gretchen scoffed, her voice shaky.

She began to fidget with her diamond necklace. She knew Clarissa was getting at something and she mentally prepped herself.

Clarissa continued, “You know what amuses me? Your audacity, Gretchen. You are the fucking thorn in my ass!” She said and looked Gretchen right in the face.

“This afternoon, you and Rob gave me a show I won't be quick to forget. No, you weren't down with the flu, you liar. You were downbent over my fiance’s bed, doors open, in his apartment, having full-blown sex.

“What do you mean?” Gretchen fired back, shocked. “I bet you found out then, then why am I the one getting the backlash? Have you called your fiance to order?”

Clarissa flipped back her shiny black hair with annoyance and yelled, “What I mean is you are a betrayer Bitch! You claimed to be my friend. You are evil, and you and Rob will live to regret this.”

Gretchen regained her posture and smiled “You know who is presently in a dilemma? Baby, it's you. You are a mess, and maybe Rob realized that I'm better than you after all.” She shrugged, making it obvious that she was unmoved by Clarissa’s outburst.

The show of lack of remorse infuriated Clarissa more than the situation. She couldn't believe that Gretchen was hurting her this way.

“You are such a terrible person, Gretchen. You have always had your filthy eyes on what’s mine. And just so you know, you will die trying to be me 'cause you can never be me.” She coughed and spluttered, tears running down her face.

Gretchen got angered by her statement and intentionally spilled the remnants of the champagne in the bottle on Clarissa, ruining her plaid two-piece suit.

“Oh my bad, I'm so heartbroken that I can never be you. You're a mess, Darling, you've got ‘my’ champagne all over you, so you are in no place to say that.” She whispered and smirked.

Clarissa stood up and screamed with all her might, calling the attention of the Waiters and other guests at the other tables.

She charged at Gretchen and pulled her hair with all her might, while she struggled to be free.

At that moment, a Waiter, who was about to serve a bowl of gazpacho (cold Spanish soup) to another table, walked briskly to their booth to assess the situation.

“Perfect,” Clarissa muttered under her breath, then snatched the cold broth from the Waiter and poured its contents all over Gretchen’s hair.

Gretchen shrieked loudly.

“Anytime I am a mess, you will always be a worse mess. I will always be ahead of you. Let that sink into that damned skull of yours, Gretchen Austin.”