Betrayed

Chapter 5

I wake up the next morning to find a body pressed against mine. I open my eyes and turn my head to see Asanda sleeping soundly, her face inches from mine. I think to myself, "Shit, hun can't sleep for shit!"

I carefully extricate myself from the bed, trying not to disturb her, and head to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I return to the room and grab my phone. I head to the lounge, where I'm surprised to find the space spotless. "When did this boy clean?" I think, recalling the chaos of the previous night.

I prepare myself a bowl of muesli and settle in on the couch, switching on the TV to catch up on episodes of The River. About thirty minutes later, Vusi emerges from his room. I decide to ignore him, still feeling annoyed by his behavior the night before.

He takes my empty bowl from the coffee table and heads to the kitchen, leaving me to my thoughts. I'm still trying to process the events of the previous night, and Vusi's sudden appearance isn't helping my mood.

"A little thank you?" He asks, expecting some gratitude, but I'm not having it. I look at him and shake my head. "Not now," I say, dismissing him.

He washes my bowl and comes back to the lounge, sitting on the couch with his elbows on his thighs. "Lihle, I'm sorry about yesterday. Might have been a little too drunk, and lost control," he says, trying to apologize, but I'm not ready to forgive.

"I'm not angry at what you did to me," I say, looking at him sternly. He nods his head, understanding. "How far did things go last night?" he asks, his eyes searching for answers.

I pause the TV and look at him, my expression unyielding. "So you don't remember shit?" I ask, my tone firm. "All I remember is you and I almost getting into it, I think I sobered up at that very second," he says, his voice laced with regret.

I let out a chuckle and shake my head. "So you hurt your hun," I say, my words a reminder of his actions. He looks up at me, his eyes filled with remorse. "So don't apologize to me," I say, my voice firm. "Physically or...?" he asks, his voice trailing off, seeking clarity on the extent of his harm.

"Yeah," I say, and he stands up, about to head to the room. I hold his wrist, stopping him. "She's sleeping. Wait for her to wake up."

He goes back to sitting, looking at me with a pleading expression. "But would you believe me if I said I have never done anything to her?" he asks, seeking my trust.

I shrug my shoulders and lay back down, uninterested in his excuses. "I hope so," I say, then unpause the TV.

"Okay, but now you're still pissed," he says, acknowledging my anger.

"You think I'm fine with you manhandling a woman? Yeah, ayt," I say, shaking my head in disgust. "This was the first and last time," he promises, but I just nod, unconvinced.

I concentrate on the TV, trying to block out the tension. He sits back and also watches TV, the silence between us heavy with unresolved issues.

Asanda comes out of the room, and Vusi immediately sits up and stands up, eager to talk to her. "Baby," he says, but she puts her hand up, indicating she needs space. She sits next to me on the couch, and I can sense the tension between them.

Look, I don't condone what Vusi did, but this hun always runs back to me whenever shit happens, and I'm not up for that. It's gonna ruin things for Vusi and me. I ignore all that and keep my focus on the TV.

"Morning," she says to me, trying to break the ice. I just nod my head, not wanting to get involved in their drama.

"Can we talk?" Vusi asks her, but she's not having it. "You can talk in front of your friend. I don't trust being alone with you anymore," she says, her voice firm. I get distracted by that and look at Vusi, wondering what's going on.

"What do you mean?" I ask Asanda, curious about the dynamics between them. "He may have lied to you and said he had never raised his hand at me," she says, looking down, her voice barely above a whisper. I look over at Vusi, and he looks down, avoiding eye contact. "It's not on purpose," he says, but I shake my head, unimpressed.

"Every time you're drunk," she says, her voice laced with pain. I look at Vusi, disgusted by his actions.

"Why are you still with him then?" I ask after a few seconds of silence, genuinely curious about her reasoning. "Love," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

I chuckle and shake my head. "Love will get you killed, hun," I say, sitting back in my seat. As much as I don't condone what Vusi did, the fact that she keeps going back to him means she's not tired of how he treats her. It's completely out of my control.

"What are you trying to say? I'm not going to kill my hun," Vusi says, his voice laced with defensiveness. I look at him, my expression unyielding.

"Yeah, till she pisses you off, and you lose control. But who am I to get involved in people's relationships when I'm not in one?" I say, putting my hands up in a gesture of surrender. I'm not going to waste my time trying to fix their toxic relationship.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Asa left hours ago, and I'm sitting with Vusi, feeling the need to address the elephant in the room. "Vusi, since when do you put your hands on a girl?" I ask, looking at him with a mix of disappointment and concern.

"I don't know. When I'm drunk, and she doesn't listen, it happens," he says casually, shrugging his shoulders as if it's no big deal. I'm taken aback by his nonchalance.

"It's how you're acting like this is nothing for me," I say, my voice firm but controlled. "Vusi, firstly, you cheat on your hun on a regular. You abuse your hun on a regular because you're always drunk. Then you're going to act like this is nothing?" I ask, my words laced with disbelief.

He looks up at me, his expression unrepentant. I can see the alcoholism and entitlement written all over his face. I realize that Vusi has changed, and not for the better. His toxic behavior has become his norm, and it's time someone called him out on it.

"Lihle, what do you want me to do?" he asks, his voice laced with frustration.

"Here's an idea: leave her," I say, my tone firm and direct.

"I can't," he says, his expression weak.

"Why?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.

"Because I love her," he says, his voice filled with conviction. But I'm not buying it.

"No, you don't," I say, shaking my head. "You don't cheat on a girl you love, you don't hurt a girl you love, you don't abuse a girl you claim to love. Don't know who you're fooling, but it ain't me."

He looks at me questioningly, his eyes searching for answers. "I'm gonna stop," he says, his voice laced with promise.

"You don't owe me shit, so don't tell me that. Tell yourself that," I say, my tone unyielding. "Vusi, you have turned into an asshole, fam."

"Learnt from the best," he says, smirking, but I just laugh.

"One thing about me, since you wanna compare... I will never hurt my hun in any physical, emotional, or verbal way. Cheating is out of the conversation. Maybe you can correct me if I'm wrong, but even when I was with Mihle, I never even looked in the direction of another girl. So don't compare yourself to me," I say, my voice firm and confident.

He sits back, looking taken aback by my words. "Lihle, I'm trying. I don't know how or when I became like this, but I'm actually better," he says, his voice laced with desperation.

"Don't know who you're fooling, maybe yourself, but I'm losing respect for you," I say, standing up and looking down at him with disappointment.

I walk towards the room, but before I disappear, I add, "I don't care how long your healing process takes, but if I hear you raised your hand at her again, I will hurt you with no hesitation." I say, pointing at him, my eyes blazing with a warning.