Ashes of Betrayal, Flames of Regret

CHAPTER ONE

"Congratulations, Viola! You have been promoted to the position of the Director of our Paris office." My boss smiled at me from across her polished desk.

"Really? You're serious?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"Dead serious! You'll need to relocate next month. I suggest you start making arrangements immediately."

I rushed out of the building with excitement. Paris! Brian would be so proud. Seven years of struggling together, and now everything was falling into place. I rushed home, eager to share the news with my fiancé.

But when I unlocked our apartment door, I found Vanessa, Brian's dead best friend's sister sitting on our couch, her eyes red and puffy. She'd had these depressive episodes for months now, but Brian hadn't mentioned she'd be visiting today.

"Vanessa? What are you doing here? Is Brian home?" I asked, setting my purse down.

She looked up at me, her expression suddenly darkening. "Why do you always have to ruin everything? Every time I come here, you make everything about yourself!"

I stepped back, confused. "I just asked if Brian was…"

"Shut up! You think you're so perfect with your fancy job and your perfect life! You have no idea what it's like to suffer like I do!" Vanessa screamed, rising from the couch.

"Vanessa, please calm down. I understand you're going through a lot…"

"You understand NOTHING!" She lunged toward me, shoving me hard. I stumbled backward, crashing into the glass coffee table. It shattered beneath me, shards slicing into my arm and leg.

"Look what you made me do! This is all your fault! You're always provoking me!" Vanessa shrieked.

I tried to stand, blood trickling down my arm. "Vanessa, you need help. This isn't—"

The front door opened, and Brian rushed in. His eyes darted between Vanessa's tear-streaked face and me bleeding on the floor.

"What the hell happened here?" he demanded.

"She attacked me, Brian," Vanessa sobbed, running to him. "I was just sitting here, and she came home in a rage, saying horrible things about Damien, about how I need to get over his death already!"

"What? That's not true!" I protested, wincing as I pulled a glass shard from my palm. "Brian, she pushed me into the table! She's having another episode"

Brian's face hardened as he wrapped a protective arm around Vanessa. "How dare you? After everything she's been through, you'd accuse her of this? I can see exactly what happened!"

"But Brian…"

"No, Viola! I've had it with your jealousy! Vanessa lost her brother, my best friend and all you do is complain when I try to help her!"

"I've never complained about you helping her! But this is the third time this month she's had an outburst, and you refuse to see it!"

Brian's eyes flashed with anger. "Get out."

"What?"

"You heard me. Get out! Go clean yourself up somewhere else. You're upsetting Vanessa even more!"

"Brian, I'm bleeding…"

"You're an adult, aren't you? Figure it out! Go take care of your injuries somewhere else. Maybe if you bleed a little more, you'll learn some compassion!"

His words cut deeper than the glass. Vanessa smirked behind him, her face hidden from Brian's view.

"How can you say that to me?" I whispered.

"Just go!" He shouted, pushing me toward the door. "We'll talk when you're not being hysterical. I need to calm Vanessa down now. The door slammed behind me. I stood in the hallway, blood dripping onto the floor.

Seven years. I had stood by Brian through everything after my parents died. He had found me at my lowest point and promised me forever. Then his best friend died, and everything changed. He had made that promise over Damien's corpse—that he would take care of Vanessa no matter what. I had sacrificed my dreams, turned down promotions, and canceled my art school scholarship all to help him build his career while I faded into the background of our relationship.

 I still remember the night he held me as I sobbed over my parents' graves, whispering that he would be my family now, a promise that turned to ashes in my mouth.

I went to the bathroom down the hall to clean my wounds, wrapping a towel around my arm to stop the bleeding. When I returned to our apartment door, I heard sounds that stopped me cold. “Oh, Brian... yes... right there..."

"You're so beautiful, Vanessa. You're all I need."

"What about Viola?"

"She means nothing to me now. You're the only one I care about."

"Harder, Brian... please..."

My heart shattered into a million pieces. So this was the truth. Sending me away wasn't about calming Vanessa down, it was an excuse to be with her.

I entered quietly, numb to everything but the pain in my chest. I went straight to our bedroom and pulled out my suitcase, throwing in everything I could grab.

Brian appeared in the doorway, his hair disheveled, lips swollen.

"What are you doing?"

I didn't look up as I continued packing. "I'm leaving. I'm done with your lies."