Page 3 of You Saved Me

“What the fuck did he do?”

I was momentarily shocked from my numb haze because Cass rarely cursed, and dropping the F-bomb was a no-no for her. She was raised to be a proper lady at all times, and she took that to heart, even as an adult.

“It’s fine. It’s okay.” I said that more for myself. It would have to be fine, right? I had plenty of savings, so I wouldn’t be on the verge of starvation. But editors weren’t as in demand now as they were ten years ago. Finding a new gig would be tough, though not impossible. Or I could use this as a reason to get more serious about my writing. Was this a sign? Right now, I didn’t think so. “I’m gonna clean out my desk and go home. Devin will make me feel better. He always does.” I tried to give her a small smile, but I was sure it came out as a grimace.

“I’m leaving too. This is bullshit!” Cass was on a roll, it seemed.

“No, you are not. I got fired, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw your career away. I’ll be fine, love. I always land on my feet.”

“This isn’t right, Tristan. I know anything David said is a lie. I’ll speak on your behalf.”

“There is no behalf, Cass. I’m already fired. It’s done. But it’s fine, love. It’s fine. I promise I’ll be okay. We just won’t see each other every day anymore.” That choked me up. We lived in the same city and could see each other any time, but Cass was my ray of sunshine at Brickmans. It felt good to work with her and soak up her contagious energy.

“Well, I don’t care what you say, I’m taking off today, and I’m walking you home. You can’t carry all your stuff by yourself.” Her voice caught on the last word, and I saw unshed tears in her eyes.

“Hey, don’t cry for me. We’re still going to see each other and hang out. Don’t feel sad for me.”

“It’s just unfair.” She leaned in and gave me a tight hug. I squeezed her back, then got busy looking everywhere but at her.

“Okay. I won’t stop you from helping me lug all this shit back to my apartment. Fifteen minutes is a long walk when you’ve got boxes in your hands.” She chuckled, which was what I was going for, and she helped me pack my belongings. I dropped the three manuscripts I was working on onto David’s desk since he wanted to do my work and the other two that were in my inbox. It was the least I could do since he wanted to steal my work.

It was only 8:27 a.m. when I packed my last item. I was leaving as most people were clocking in. I got a lot of looks, and when people tried to ask me what was going on, Cass stopped them in their tracks with a look. Thank God for her because I was in no mood to answer any questions.

I didn’t have much—two boxes, one for each of us. Cass told Jacob she was leaving. She didn’t ask or put in for any leave. She simply told him she was taking the day off. I truly loved her.

The walk to my apartment was mostly spent in silence. Cass asked me if I was okay and told me she was there for me, but other than that, she left me to my thoughts. She was an amazing woman. She was the best support system I could ask for at this moment until I could get to Devin. I knew he would make it better, but I would have to wait for him to finish his last client of the day before he could come home to me. I didn’t like texting him while he was with his clients because he was an inconsistent texter. I learned that when we first started dating, so I rarely texted him before I got off work unless we already had plans.

We walked up the stairs to my second-floor apartment, and I felt bad for Cass. She walked all the way to my apartment in heels and didn’t once complain. I swear I owed this woman. She hated driving, so she either walked to work like me or took an Uber.

“Thanks for walking me, love. You didn’t have to,” I told her, putting my key in the door and unlocking it.

“Yes, I did. You needed—” Whatever else she was going to say was abruptly cut off by a noise in my apartment. Not just any noise, though. Moans. Moans and grunts that I would recognize anywhere. They were Devin’s. But what was he doing home? It was ten minutes to nine. He should be finishing up with a client, not rubbing one out in the bedroom.

I looked at Cass with an apologetic look, and I started to make an excuse for my man masturbating at damn near nine in the morning when I heard it. Another voice joined in that I knew wasn’t porn. My stomach gave another lurch and settled down. And I knew then that this was it. This was why I felt unsettled today. My day had been shit since I woke up without my routine. Being fired and finding out I was being cheated on had to be why.

Cass looked at me with wide eyes, and I immediately felt terrible that she had to walk into this. Then I got pissed. What the fuck was going on? Was it ‘shit on Tristan’ day?

I ushered her into the living room to sit on the couch, not bothering to hide our movements. It seemed like Devin and his unknown guest hadn’t noticed they weren’t alone. It was better she stayed, though, because I knew me. And the me I knew was ready to fuck someone or something up.

I told her, “Do not move until I am done in that bedroom. Please.”

She nodded vigorously and asked, “Do you need me to come with you?”

“I’m good. Stay here. I’ll be right out.” We had this conversation at a normal volume, but the moans and grunts continued. They were really into it. Again, I didn’t bother to muffle my steps or sneak in. I opened the bedroom door wide and saw Devin on the bed, flat on his back. And atop him, a thin man was riding his dick like he was a jockey. I only had time to take in his deep brown skin tone and his upturned face with an expression of ecstasy on it before Devin realized they weren’t alone. When his eyes met mine, he tossed the man off, causing him to let out a little squeak. If my heart weren’t so broken, it would have been funny. But there was nothing funny about the man I loved sticking his dick in someone else.

“Baby,” he began, hands in front of him and his eyes wide. “Let me explain.”

I knew I should have been angry, but I wasn’t. I mean, I was, but I was more defeated than anything else. What could I do? I couldn’t unsee what he did. I couldn’t unknow that he wasn’t faithful. And it might make me weak, but I didn’t have it in me to fight. Not for him, not his wrongdoings, nothing. I couldn’t. I felt sad, heartbroken and destroyed. It was a shitty situation, to be sure, but I had no desire to do anything about it.

“What is there to explain, Devin?” I leaned against the door jamb and stared at him with my head tilted. My posture was outwardly relaxed, but inside, I was coming apart. “My eyes work just fine. Looks to me like your ‘client’…” I air-quoted the word, “… was doing a pretty good job at getting a workout.”

The skinny guy, which I saw was quite good-looking with delicate features, shrank back from me, trying to get closer to Devin like he was afraid of me. He needn’t worry that I would hurt him. I was in no mood to get arrested after being fired and finding out my man was a cheating bastard. That would be the icing on the cake for my fucked-up day.

Devin tried to distance himself from the man, which was crazy since, not even a minute ago, he was seven inches deep in his ass. “Baby, listen, please. Can we talk about this?”

“No, Devin. My eyes work,” I repeated. “I know what I saw. How can you possibly explain it to make it better? What could you say that would explain you fucking some man after trying to fuck me before I went to work? In the same bed we share? How long has this been going on?” I was proud of myself for keeping my composure. My voice was level and even, but inside, I was anything but.

Like the coward he was, he didn’t answer but looked down at the floor. So I turned my attention to the man.

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