It was a year ago. 

My friends had invited me out for my lunch break. The place where we had lunch wasn't far from my workplace, which made it efficient for me to travel back to work. Though it was only four of us on a table, just the thought of being surrounded with good company was enough to relieve the stress that was coming from work. It was funny how I still remembered what I ordered- it was a chicken Caesar salad to be exact. My type of dish. It was no surprise to see many individuals dressed in office wear at the restaurant, after all, it was everyone's office break. Despite the laughter that was coming from my right and the sounds of chattering from my left, my focus was suddenly diverted to the five men at the bar section of the restaurant. 

They were obviously on their work break, celebrating with what seemed to be somebody's anniversary. They were most likely celebrating the work anniversary of one of the members, as one particular member seemed to be gaining most of the attention from the four other men.  Though I didn't hear exactly what the men were saying, I did notice that one of them were certainly out of place- it was the celebrant. He was sitting in between two other men, dressed in grey suits, who were casually drinking and talking.

The only reason why I knew he was out of place was because he wasn't talking or laughing along with his friends, he was just sitting there, his eyes staring directly at mine. At first I thought I was delusional but when the clock striked one and most of his friends exited the bar, he was just sitting there, again, just staring at me.  Our eyes met instantly; his dark and enrapturing, mine stunned and disbelieving. I wanted to steer away from his glances, why? Because from that moment, I could feel my cheeks burning up & I knew he could see the crimson on my cheeks. But something, something about him made me yearn for more than just his glances. I'd always been so against the idea of 'love at first sight' simply because I've never experienced the feeling but if this is what you call it, then there's no fighting back now. 

I vividly remember him walking towards us with such confidence and grace, my heart increasing and my hands sweating the closer he got. My friends seemed to notice his presence and instantly jolted from surprise at his sudden manly gesture. He introduced himself to each and every one of us with a professional shake of the hand but when it came up to me, I immediately sensed the electrifying moment when our hands touched. He wasn't talking to me but his eyes spoke a thousand words & I was glad when our eyes interlocked.

Moments before he pulled away from the clasp, I felt him slip a piece of paper onto my hand. His entire face pointed towards the feeling of amusement; the way his eyes danced and his smirk threatened to grow into a smile & it finally did. Immediately a swarm of butterflies threatened to fill my stomach and when he excused himself to head back to work, he smiled at me once more. I was overcome with such happiness and joy simply by seeing him smile at me.

I thank my friends because if it wasn't for them forcing me to dial up the number he gave to me, I wouldn't have been able to reach this stage. We spent alot of time together during the first month after meeting each other. He would always take me to fancy restaurants and shower me with gifts I'd never even imagined. One time, he even stepped out of his away and skipped his business trip to surprise me on my birthday. That same night, we also made love for the first time in the apartment he had given me. 

He treated me with such love and devotion that it was for hard me to believe that he was even part of my life. 

Fast forward to a few months later, he got home to the apartment he had given me for my birthday later and later, sometimes he didn't return on days on end. It was no surprise as I knew that his job had always pulled him back- he was a business tycoon after all. But everything went downhill when he mentioned that he couldn't live in the apartment with me anymore. He told me work was always in the way and that it was easier for him to stay in the hotel rooms that was close to his work. Unknowingly for me, I believed him and assured him that everything was fine, when clearly it wasn't. I fell for him & I was blinded by everything else. 

I soon found myself always alone in the apartment. The days when he did visit seemed different, a foreign feeling that didn't seem familiar to me anymore. He would hardly eat the meals I'd prepare for him and the way he spoke was short and blunt. He wasn't the Mino I knew. Most of the time I always found myself either on the bed or even the floor, just so he could fulfill his urges. We hardly made love, it was just . Purely . But it didn't hurt even if he went rough. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional because I was just happy. Happy that our bodies were intertwined, that he yelled my name in pure bliss, everything was fine cause he was with me.

I knew it was wrong and I hated myself for having this feeling but I knew that something wasn't right. I started to get suspicious and so I did the unbelievable. I went through his belongings. I still remember the day I went through his briefcase while he was taking a shower in our apartment. It was filled with papers all related to work and when I reached for his phone, a sudden feeling of relief calmed me down. I saw my number and our messages we shared on his phone. The numbers he had were mainly those who worked for him, mostly business related. I knew I was crazy because I knew that Mino wouldn't do anything to destroy our relationship and so I shut his briefcase and waited for him. 

But just when I thought that everything was alright, a surprise visit from him changed everything. He was drunk and constantly murmured my name. Though I didn't like it when he was drunk, it was still heart-warming to know that his thoughts were always on me despite his drunken state. Gently pushing him onto the bed, I vividly remember him drifting off to sleep whilst I took off his shoes and jacket when suddenly his phone slipped out. I stopped in my tracks when my eyes landed on his screen. It was a picture of him and a beautiful woman in front of the Eiffel tower, the same place he promised to take me on our second anniversary. Mino was cheating on me.

By then tears began streaming on my face and when I unlocked his phone, various photos suddenly appeared but one particular one caught my eye. It was a photo of the same girl but this time, she was dressed in white with Mino by her side at a chapel. He was married and Mino wasn't cheating on me, he was cheating on her for me. I was simply a mistress. 

Various thoughts gushed through my mind and I came to the conclusion that everything was perfect. His story was so perfect that not even me, the girl who was valedictorian, the one who graduated with honors, couldn't solve the most simplest problem. He gave me this apartment so he could hide me from his wife. My number and our shared messages was on his second phone that he used for business so he could hide me from his wife. But most of all, he never loved me because he has a wife.

That was, and still is; my life. Even a year on, I'm still here; in love with Mino. Even if It meant, that I was just simply a stranger in his arms.