Chapter 3

***Luna's POV***

Something inside me shattered the moment I heard that voice.

For a second, I stood frozen outside the hotel room, unable to process what I had just heard. My heart slammed painfully against my ribs as disbelief washed over me.

No.

It could not be.

But deep down, I already knew the truth.

I would recognize Carol’s voice anywhere.

The realization hit me so hard that it felt physical.

Without thinking, I shoved the door open wider and stormed into the room. Sandy barely had time to react before I pushed past her.

Then I saw him.

The air left my lungs instantly.

Carol was sitting on the bed, half naked beneath the tangled white sheets.

For several unbearable seconds, my mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing. It felt unreal, like I had stepped into somebody else’s nightmare instead of my own.

But it was real.

Painfully real.

Sandy’s clothes were scattered carelessly across the room while Carol stared at me in complete shock.

The evidence was everywhere.

There was no misunderstanding.

No excuse.

No explanation.

Carol’s head snapped toward me, and the lazy smile that had rested on his face disappeared immediately. The color drained from his skin so quickly that he looked sick.

He jumped off the bed like a man who had just seen a ghost.

“L-Luna…”

The way he said my name made my stomach twist violently.

For two years, hearing my name from his lips had always brought comfort.

Now it made me feel sick.

Sandy looked between us in confusion before her expression slowly shifted into irritation.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

I ignored her completely.

My eyes remained locked on Carol.

The blanket slipped lower as he stood there in only his briefs, and disgust crawled through me.

I suddenly felt dirty just looking at him.

“Luna, I can explain,” he started desperately.

“Don’t.”

The word came out sharper than I intended.

His mouth snapped shut instantly.

He tried stepping closer, but I immediately raised my hand.

“Don’t you dare come near me.”

The warning in my voice made him stop immediately.

Every muscle in my body felt tense. My hands trembled uncontrollably from anger, heartbreak, and disbelief.

Then I felt Amelia’s hand settle gently against my shoulder.

That tiny gesture nearly broke me completely.

“How could you do this to me?” I asked quietly.

My voice cracked despite my efforts to stay calm.

The question was not filled with rage.

It was filled with pain.

Raw, vulnerable pain.

This morning, I had been blaming myself for ruining our relationship. I thought I was the one who betrayed him. I thought I had destroyed everything we built together.

Meanwhile, he had been cheating on me all along.

The realization made my chest ache so badly that breathing became difficult.

Sandy crossed her arms while looking increasingly irritated.

“Can somebody explain what’s going on?” she demanded. “Mike, do you know these people?”

Before Carol could answer, Amelia stepped forward.

Her expression was murderous.

“Oh, I’ll explain exactly what’s going on,” she said coldly.

The room instantly fell silent.

Amelia pointed directly at Carol.

“This jerk is her boyfriend,” she snapped. “Or were you planning to pretend you didn’t know that?”

Sandy blinked in shock.

Amelia continued before anyone else could speak.

“And he’s been cheating on her with you.”

Sandy’s eyes widened immediately.

“What?” she breathed before turning toward Carol. “Is that true?”

I stayed silent.

I could not stop staring at the man I had loved for two years.

The man who had shattered my heart so completely.

Carol dragged a hand over his face before finally nodding.

“Yes.”

That single word felt like another knife straight through my chest.

“But, baby, I was going to break up with her,” he added quickly.

Baby.

He called her baby.

A bitter laugh nearly escaped me.

Sandy looked horrified.

“You haven’t broken up with her?” she yelled. “Oh my God. You told me you were single.”

Carol immediately reached for her hands.

“Listen to me,” he said desperately.

She jerked away from him.

“No.”

For the first time since walking into the room, I felt the tiniest spark of satisfaction.

At least she did not know.

At least I was not the only person he lied to.

“I was going to tell you,” Carol insisted. “Things got complicated, and I didn’t get the chance.”

The excuses kept coming one after another, each one sounding weaker than the last.

“But I swear I planned to end things with Luna today.”

I scoffed loudly.

The sound drew everyone’s attention.

“Really?” I asked bitterly. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

For so long, I believed I was the most important person in his life.

Now I was not even sure I mattered at all.

Folding my arms tightly across my chest, I stared directly at him.

“Do you remember yesterday was our anniversary?”

Silence answered me.

The truth was written all over his face.

My heart cracked a little more.

“You were planning to dump me, weren’t you?” I asked quietly. “That’s why you never showed up.”

Still, he said nothing.

I laughed bitterly.

“Was she the reason you ignored my calls?”

No answer.

“Was she the reason you ignored my messages?”

Again, silence.

That silence hurt more than any confession ever could.

I suddenly felt so unbelievably stupid.

For months, I defended him.

Made excuses for him.

Trusted him.

Loved him.

While all along, he had been lying straight to my face.

Anger exploded inside me.

Before I could stop myself, I marched toward him and slapped him across the face.

The sound echoed sharply through the hotel room.

Everyone froze.

Even me.

Carol’s head snapped sideways, and a bright red mark immediately appeared on his cheek.

Sandy gasped.

Carol slowly turned back toward me, rage flashing in his eyes.

“What the hell was that for?” he shouted.

The audacity almost made me laugh.

“You cheated on me,” I yelled back. “You lied to me. I waited for you all night while you were here sleeping with somebody else.”

My voice cracked as tears spilled down my cheeks.

Months of pain came pouring out at once.

While I had been worrying about him...

While I wondered if something bad happened to him...

He had been in another woman’s bed.

I clenched my fists tightly.

“How long?” I asked.

The room went silent again.

Carol looked away.

I stepped closer.

“How long?” I repeated coldly.

His jaw tightened before he finally answered.

“Three months.”

The words destroyed me.

Three months.

Ninety-two days of lies.

Ninety-two days of betrayal.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

The distance between us.

The cancelled plans.

The cold behavior.

The excuses.

Even the lipstick stain I once found on his shirt.

I convinced myself it meant nothing because I trusted him.

God, I had been such a fool.

Sandy looked absolutely disgusted now.

“You approached me while you had a girlfriend?” she snapped. “You are unbelievable.”

Carol immediately turned toward her.

“Baby, listen…”

I flinched again.

The word felt like poison.

“I love you,” he continued desperately while looking at Sandy. “I’m crazy about you.”

That was enough.

I could not stand there and listen to him beg another woman to stay.

I came here to end this.

Forever.

I walked toward him one final time until we stood face to face.

His green eyes locked onto mine.

Once upon a time, I used to get lost in those eyes.

Now I felt nothing except disappointment.

Nothing worth saving remained.

“I’m breaking up with you, Carol Stone,” I said calmly.

The dangerous calmness in my own voice surprised me.

“I’m done.”

His eyes widened slightly.

Slowly, I reached for the gold necklace hanging around my neck.

The necklace he gave me for my birthday last year.

A symbol of promises that clearly meant nothing now.

Without hesitation, I ripped it off and threw it directly at him.

The chain struck his chest before falling onto the floor.

“I hope you rot in hell,” I spat.

His expression darkened immediately.

“Watch your mouth, Luna,” he barked angrily.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“You should’ve watched your actions.”

For several long seconds, nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Then I turned around and walked away.

I left the room.

Left the hallway.

Left the hotel.

The bright afternoon sun greeted me the moment I stepped outside.

The sky was clear and beautiful.

A complete contrast to the storm tearing through my chest.

I kept walking aimlessly.

One step after another.

Then finally, the last piece of strength holding me together shattered completely.

I cried.

Not quietly.

Not gracefully.

I sobbed right there on the sidewalk while tears streamed endlessly down my face.

People stared at me as they passed by, but I did not care.

My heart felt like it had been ripped apart.

The first man I had ever truly loved had betrayed me.

My first real relationship ended in the most humiliating way imaginable.

And no matter how brightly the sun shone above me, the entire world suddenly felt dark.

to be continued....