Stella felt an icy chill as Magdalene approached her, all gorgeous curves and sex appeal so thick the air seemed to shimmer around her.  The woman's expression was lethal even as she smiled sweetly and began to show her sexy ensembles even as she was going on how Anton loved lingerie, and how the garter framed her ass. She was too stunned to say anything, but that didn't stop Magdalene at all as she placed together sexy, and matching lingerie and other skimpy clothing on the racks surrounding Stella. A sales associate moving past stopped to watch and listen, her jaw slack with astonishment. Stella was sure her face was as red as her hair.<br/><br/>The final straw was though hearing that Magdalene was moving in with Anton.<br/><br/>That hurt. That hurt a lot.<br/><br/>And all of a sudden she felt angry at Anton, for acting like he did. Why not flat out tell her he was in a relationship? Why the whole charade? What was a man doing hanging out with his female neighbor when he was shagging his co-worker?<br/><br/>She dumped all the garments the had picked before the raven haired harpie had rounded on her on the cashier’s counter and left the mall, rushing outside in a mad bid to get some air into her lungs. The late evening air was cool and drizzly and wonderfully fresh and Stella almost hyperventilated trying to clear her head.<br/><br/>"fucking bitch!" she cursed suddenly and uncharacteristically, and tears of anger and mortification threatened to spill over. She leaned against the wall until her shaking stopped and then made her way home.<br/><br/>She was pissed off so badly it made her stomach hurt. She was pissed at Magdalene for making fun of her so publicly. She was pissed at Anton for not being upfront. She was pissed at his damn cat for seducing her cat, and most of all she was pissed at herself for ever thinking that a guy like Anton could ever see anything in a girl like her.<br/><br/>By the time she reached the building her hair was damp and frizzy, her feet wet and sore, and her heart and stomach even worse off. So<i>not</i>sexy goddess, she thought as she walked past Anton's door and climbed the stairs. Stella stepped into her apartment, careful to block Tesla's escape attempt and stood there in the dark.<br/><br/>She stood there for a long while before turning on the lights and surveyed the space. She loved this apartment. Loved the old hardwood floors, the window seat, the big oak outside, and the brick exterior. She loved her small kitchen, and the bathroom with the old-fashioned  clawfoot tub. But living here and seeing Magdalene? Her smug expression, draping herself all over Anton to make sure she saw it as often as possible? That was not something that Stella was willing to accept. Anton had chosen Magdalene, alright, and after all he had gone through she sure as hell was not going to make things difficult for him, but she didn't have to be there to watch it.<br/><br/>The next morning she called the building supervisor and told him she would be looking for a new apartment. No, nothing wrong with this one, she said truthfully, just wanting one closer to work, she lied, and then hung up, looking at apartments for rent on local websites to find one she liked and could afford.<br/><br/>The yard-sign with 'Apartment Available' was in the yard by the time she left for work.