Jake moved through the crowd in a haste. He was running late for one of his afternoon classes and nature wasn't smiling at him because he forgot his textbook.

He hurriedly stopped a taxi, gave the driver the address of his home and they zoomed off. The taxi man who was oblivious to Jake's plight tried to engage him in small talks, Jake wasn't having any of it. He completely ignored the man, all his focus was on getting the notebook and getting to school on time. He did not even allow the man to park properly in front of his one-room apartment before he threw his fee at him and ran into the house ignoring the greetings from the mailman.

Jake rushed up the stairs leading to his room. He was completely ignoring the greetings of all of his neighbours. He was a very popular guy. The whole neighbourhood could vouch for his good character and lovely ways. 

He reached his apartment door just in time to see that it was locked. He tried opening the door again wondering why it was locked. Jake lived with his girlfriend, Susan and he was sure that she was home. So then why would she lock the door?

He ignored the terrible feeling he had in his stomach and opened the door. He pushed it open and threw the question into the room.

"Babe why would you lock the door, were you taking...?" The sight before him made his mouth go shut.

On his bed was his girlfriend half naked with a completely naked man that was definitely not him, and they both had a surprised look on their faces.

"Jake! I wasn't expecting you to be back home soon." Susan said arrogantly. Jake wasn't sure which one surprised him the most, the fact that she was cheating or the fact that she was unapologetic about it.

"It's my house." That was the only thing that Jake managed to say.

"You call this place a house?" Susan replied while scanning her eyes around the messed-up apartment. Jake turned his head to face her. All the colour that his perfect day gave him completely left his face. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. There were no words to describe how he felt.

"Babe, who's this?" Susan's lover asked.

"Just some idiot that thinks he could ever be with me."

"He looks like a riff-raff. Where did you even meet him?"

"He doesn't only look like a riff-raff, he is a riff-raff. And I regret ever meeting someone like him."

Jake's mouth was agar, they were insulting him in his apartment, in his presence. 

"Would you stop insulting me in my own apartment? And why were you having sex with another man in my own apartment if it's too local for you?"

"Because we are so much in love that we can't control ourselves. If not for the fact that I couldn't keep my hands off his rock-hard body, why then would I let anyone see me in this tainted place? He is super rich and that means that they are several places we could have gone to. In fact, we could go anywhere. Not like your broke ass that can't even leave this town."

"Susan, I loved you!" Jake said softly

"And what am I going to do with your love? Eat it? Please, your love means nothing to me."

Jake walked slowly towards Susan and her lover stepped in.

"Hey hold up there mister. The woman doesn't want you anymore, why are you still pushing it?"

"It's funny how you think you are any better because you are not. You are just a rich dude but there is someone out there who is richer than you and once she finds that person, she is going to leave you for him and the cycle will continue." 

"I will never leave him. I left you because you are not only poor and going nowhere but also because you don't know how to satisfy me sexually. You can't do anything right and it sickens me."

"I would watch your mouth if I were you, Susan."

"Or what? What are you going to do to her?" Her lover was back again, speaking out of turn.

It wasn't worth it and Jake was thankful that he realized it sooner than later. 

"I want you out of my house before I get back and God so help me if I ever see your horrific face again, I will hunt you down and kill you." Jake carried his textbook and was out of the door. He could hear Susan shouting.

"You can't do shit. You are totally useless and I am not scared of you."

He walked slowly to the road trying to clear his mind off everything he saw. His heart was breaking but he needed to get a grip of himself and head to school. Jake stopped another taxi and jumped on it to head to school. He was grateful that this taxi man did not try to indulge him in petty conversations. He knew that he did not have the strength for it. He did not want to talk. All he wanted to do was crawl up in a space and cry to his heart's content.

The man dropped him in front of his university and Jake sluggishly paid the man as he advanced to leave the taxi. He was running late for his class but he didn't care. He didn't run, he just walked like a man who has lost all hope. He finally got to the class in one piece.

After class, Jake rushed out of the lecture room and his friends followed him. They finally caught up with him at their favourite hang-out spot, a tree that had a statue under it.

"So, big man, what is eating you up?" Jake debated within himself if he should inform his friends of the horrific sight his eyes beheld in the morning. He knew his friends to be savages.

"I caught Susan cheating on me." Sooner or later, they were going to find it. It was better they found out through him than from Susan.

The gasps of his friends filled his ear. None of them could speak for a while and then they finally spoke, and they said exactly what Jake predicted they will say.

"I knew that bitch was no good... I knew she had skeletons in her closet... I knew she give a tiny rat ass about you...I knew she..."

"So what are you going to do?" Jake was able to filter out Micheal's words from the ranting of his friends.

"I don't know. I still love her you know. But I don't think she even wants to stay with me anymore." Jake's head fell low as he finally admitted his most feared secret.

"You do know that she cheated on you because you are broke, right?"

Jake looked up to Marion with an angry look on his face.

"Gee, thanks Mar. I didn't know that before."

"You didn't? Come on, don't tell me you didn't see the signs. Susan is nothing but a gold digger. She is a materialistic and high-maintenance woman. I knew she wouldn't keep up with your broke ass for too long."

Jake had it, he stood up to leave before his friends called him back.

"Jake come back here. What?! A person can't tell you the truth anymore? We are just saying that it's not your fault. It's Susan's fault. She just wants money." Michael tried to sugarcoat the insult that Marion had just offered him.

"But if you want to win her back, there is a way you could make extra cash," Marion said with a crooked smile on his face. He did not notice that Jake was upset, maybe if he did. He would have offered a simple apology.

"I'm not interested." Jake picked up his bag and left. This time, the plead from Michael for him to come back fell on deaf ears. All that was in his mind was meeting his girlfriend and sorting their relationship out. He just hoped that she would take him back.