The Girl Behind The Mask | Chaelisa

Chapter 10

“Who broke your heart?” Lisa left it at that, carefully gauging the beautiful face across from her as it twisted into pained shock. She knew she was crossing into dangerous and possibly, unwanted, territory…but she needed to know. She needed to understand how someone who had her could ever be dumb enough to let her go…

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked. It’s the wine, it made me a little bold. You don’t have to-“

“His name was Chanyeol. Is Chanyeol.” Roseanne chuckled nervously; taking a sip of her wine to drown the acid taste that formed in her mouth at the very mention of that name.

“He was my first and only love. He was my first everything really. Prom date…first kiss…first relationship…first lover…he claimed all those firsts from me.” Lisa nodded but stayed silent. She didn’t want to intrude on Roseanne’s moment.

“I loved him. More than I have ever loved anyone outside of my dad, Axel and Jennie. And we were happy, you know. High school sweethearts who ventured into college together. Tackling the world head-on and thinking that love would really conquer all. That was us. The perfect couple. The happy couple. The couple that was destined to be together forever and always… and we were all those things, until we weren’t.”

Roseanne reached for the bottle of wine and refilled her own glass, gulping it down in a second and refilling it again without another thought. “He proposed during our junior year of University. And seeing that we were in love and already making plans for a future together, I said yes. And it was incredible. Gosh, I was so happy. My father was dead and my mother had left and still, I was smiling and giddy and just buzzing with unending happiness. I had Axel, and Jennie, and Chanyeol. And to me that was enough. To me that was everything.”

She paused, eyes watching the burgundy liquid swirling in her chalice. “We even hired a wedding planner. I wanted to have that fairy-tale wedding that most little girls dream of. And he was all for it. Helping me with choosing colors and decorations. Always involved and willing to help.” She paused again, finishing the wine before continuing.

“On his birthday, I told him I wouldn’t be able to celebrate with him since I was scheduled to work that night. He was angry. Said I didn’t appreciate him enough. That I couldn’t even call off work for him. But little did he know that I already had. That I was planning him a surprise at his dorm, and invited all our friends. He had left that night to go to dinner and we set up during that time. So when we heard the door unlock and someone stagger into the apartment, everyone jumped up from where they hid. Turns out the surprise was on me. He had waltzed in with some bimbo wrapped around his waist, sucking face so hard that it took him a minute to realize that I was standing a few feet away, with twenty of our closest friends, and Axel, all there to witness him mid-cheat. Needless to say, the engagement was called off and he changed schools right after that. I haven’t seen him since.” Roseanne finished, suddenly wishing she had another bottle of wine to gulp down.

Lisa cleared her throat, sensing the time had come to say something. “I’m sorry, Roseanne. No one should ever experience that kind of betrayal. How long ago did this happen?”

“Last year. Fifteen months ago to be precise. He never even apologized…for cheating. For getting caught.” Roseanne added, eyes slightly unfocused as she spoke. “Jennie did a number on him that night. Once I stormed out of his apartment, she ripped the girl off of him and landed a well deserved fist right into his traitorous mouth. He had to get a few teeth implants from the blow.”

Lisa smiled. But the smile was a reciprocation of the sorrow she felt seeping from Roseanne. “You don’t deserve that, Roseanne. You deserve better, you deserve-“