There, on Bruno's bed, was Bruno—and Beyoncé.
Beyoncé was fully naked, and Bruno was on top of her. Their bodies were tangled together, their lips locked in a deep kiss.
Beauty's heart stopped. She could feel a pulsing sound in her ears.
Her eyes moved to Bruno's hands, wrapped around Beyoncé's slim waist, holding her tightly—shirtless.
For a moment, Beauty couldn't move.
She felt as if the ground had been ripped out from beneath her. The award slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor, the sound echoing in the room.
Bruno's head snapped up at the noise, his eyes wide with shock.
He hadn't expected to see her.
He froze instantly, as if time had stopped for him too.
The pain in Beauty's heart was unbearable, and she fought so hard not to cry out. His own body started shaking slightly.
Beyoncé rolled her eyes and grabbed Bruno's crotch to provoke her further.
"Take your hands off me!" Bruno snapped. But before he could turn to Beauty, she was gone.
He immediately put on his pants, zipped up, and rushed to run after her, pulling on his shirt.
"Bruno, you can't leave me hanging! Don't treat me like I'm cheap!" Beyoncé snapped angrily.
Bruno paused and slowly turned to her.
---
Beauty hurried out of the hotel, her tears blurring her vision as she dragged her luggage toward the entrance.
Nia was standing by her car, her face filled with confusion.
Beauty had called her out of the party, pleading with her to take her home. She knew something was wrong but hadn't expected to find her friend in such condition.
"Beauty?" Nia asked, stepping forward with concern written all over her face, hurrying toward Beauty.
"What's going on? We're supposed to leave tomorrow after the party. Why are you—"
Before Nia could finish, Bruno rushed out behind Beauty, his shirt barely buttoned, his eyes wild with panic.
"Beauty! Please, wait!"
His heart pounded, not just from running, but from the fear of losing her.
Nia's confusion deepened as she looked between Bruno and Beauty with curiosity.
"Beauty, please!" Bruno's voice cracked as he reached out, trying to grab her arm.
"Let me explain!"
Beauty halted for just a second, her back still turned to him.
"Explain what, Bruno?" she snapped, her voice trembling. "You're a man, just like all the others. That's explanation enough."
Bruno's heart ached hard at her words.
"It wasn't like that, baby... I swear—"
"Don't call me that."
Beauty spun around, her eyes blazing despite her tears.
"And don't lie to me. I saw it with my own eyes..." She sobbed louder. "I loved you, Bruno! I trusted you! I guess I dreamt too big. What was I expecting? I just wonder why it took you so long to hurt me."
Bruno swallowed hard, his own eyes filling with tears. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Beauty, please, I know this is hard for you, but just hear me out. It wasn't what it looked like. I made a mistake, but it's not what you think. I did this because of you."
"What the hell happened?"
Nia asked no one in particular, her voice edged with concern.
Beauty wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her voice shaky.
"Please, Nia, I just need to get out of here."
Nia glanced at Bruno, who was standing there, his chest heaving as if he'd run a marathon.
"Beauty, at least tell me what's going on!" Nia insisted, her voice more urgent.
"You're a mess. Did something happen between you and Bruno?"
"Just take me home, Nia," Beauty choked out, her voice breaking. "Please."
Bruno stepped forward, not giving up.
"Beauty, just give me a minute to explain. It's not what you think. Please, listen to me!"
Nia could tell Bruno was at fault for asking Beauty for forgiveness. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing at him.
"What did you do, Bruno?"
Beauty turned, her eyes filled with tears as she finally spoke, her voice obvious with hurt.
"I found him with Beyoncé, Nia. They were... together."
The words seemed to drain the life from her as she said them aloud.
"I walked in on them... Why didn't he tell me he couldn't wait? And now he says he did it because of me... I'm sick and tired of all this."
Nia's jaw dropped in shock.
"What?! Bruno? With Beyoncé? Seriously?"
Bruno took a step closer, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Can she at least hear me out?"
He turned to Beauty.
"Baby, I wasn't blaming you for leaving me hanging, please."
Nia, filled with both anger and disbelief, opened the car door for Beauty.
"Let's go, Beauty," she said softly.
"We will talk about it in the car. If a scene is created, it will be a lot worse with everyone watching."
Without another word, Beauty nodded and climbed into the car, her tears streaming down her face.
Nia gave Bruno one last hard look before getting into the driver's seat.
As the car pulled away, Bruno stood there, helpless.