(Mia's Pov)
By 5:30 pm, Ben arrived.
I saw his car park in front of the apartment. I quickly made my way down the stairs to meet him.
"You look beautiful," he said, taking my hands in his and then he placed a peck right beside my lips.
"Thank you," I replied, smiling.
With that, Ben opened the door and gestured for me to go in, I slowly made my way to the passenger's seat, and we left.
The drive to the restaurant was quiet and long. Just background music playing through the radio. Ben kept his focus on the road, while I had my mind roaming through what surprise lay ahead.
The car parked at the parking lot of the restaurant. Ben and I made our way to the entrance of the restaurant. It was, without a doubt, an exquisite restaurant, and he had already booked seats for us.
Soon after we had our seats, food runners came out, bringing in a tray of cake with them, which they carefully placed on our table. It was a custom-made cake, with a heart shape. It had some strawberries on it with some chocolates placed beside it. A pretty red and pink cake. It wasn't much, but it meant something.
"Happy birthday," Ben said to me after the food runners had gone. "Hope you like it," he continued.
"Yes, i do. "
"I'm glad you do"
Not long after that, our food was served, I ate in silence, Ben too.
After we were done eating, Ben finally spoke.
"Uhm, Mia, can I talk to you about something?"
I was surprised by that question because Ben never took permission before saying anything.
"Sure," I replied, not suspecting anything.
"I've been seeing someone else, and I think you should know about it," he said.
My heart sank in my bowels, and I couldn't find the right words to say.
"You've been really nice to me, Mia, but you're not the kind of person I need to be around now, it wouldn't look good for my public profile.
"Your public profile? What has that got to do with our relationship?"
"We come from two different worlds, Mia. I'm from a prestigious family, and you... are not well off. It's time for me to settle down, and the woman I need is a woman of my caliber, someone who can aid the company financially, which makes you not suitable for me," he explained.
I was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say to Ben. Tell him who I was or let it slide.
"You've been saying you love me constantly, so how is it that you're seeing someone else?" I asked. "How is it that I'm not fit for you?" I heard myself ask, my voice so dry, trying to hide the anger and hurt I was feeling.
"Obviously, I don't find you attractive anymore, babe," he said. When I was trying to be nice to you, I was telling you what you wanted to hear.
"What I wanted to hear? Before or after you said, 'Love you, babe, this morning?" I pressed
"Ben scowled "I don't know why you're being upset that I was being considerate.
"Considerate?"
I was too stunned to speak or even process what he was saying, then he continued, "Anyway, you will understand when you see her."
There was a soft glow in Ben's eyes for a moment. "She's a better fit for me, the kind of woman I need to be seen with. You're a great girl, Mia, but not the right lady for my personal profile."
The dull ache in my chest began to spread.
"I'm trying to help you by letting you know sooner than later" he said "Now you can find someone who suits you better while there's still time. The clock's always ticking, right? When you look back ten years later from now, you'll thank me.
That moment, reality dawned on me. I realized that I had let him use me far too long because he said, "I love you." I was too emotionally invested because I had run away from my father's proposal and needed a companion.
"I gave up my apartment to stay with you," I managed to say
"You can stay till the end of the month, gives you time to look for a new apartment.
"The end of the month, that's barely up to a week, how do you expect me to find a new apartment within such short notice?"
"Cindy wants to move in by next month, I don't want to upset her."
"Cindy? The girl you're seeing?"
"Yes."
I didn't need to see my face; I already knew it was red with embarrassment, seeing the way Ben looked at me with pity and contempt, like he'd been slumming all the time and he's done wasting his time with someone who was beneath him.
I saw a hint of confidence in his face, and that alone infuriated me.
"I can't believe you," I said, as my voice grew louder and shaky.
"Calm down," Ben says looking around in embarrassment" What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" I asked.
"You brought me out here trying to play the nice and cool boyfriend, only to break up with me, after God knows how long you've been cheating on me.
"Cheat?, I'd never do that to Cindy.
"I'm not the other woman," I said to Ben.
I reached for my glass of water to spill it on his face, when a voice drew me back…...