Chapter 2

Elara’s POV

I didn't even bother to take off my clothes when I reached my apartment. I simply collapsed onto my bed and cried until my eyes were swollen and my throat was parched.

I stared at the ceiling and wondered where I ever went wrong. Was I really that neglectful? But Brian told me he had my back. He was literally the one that urged me to take my work seriously and avoid distractions. He always encouraged me to spend more time in the office and I had always thought he meant well for me but now, it was clear he just needed more time to cheat. He just needed more time to slip my best friend into his bed.

As I cried, I expected Brian or even Sophie to call me but I got nothing, which only made their betrayal sting more. By the time it was midnight, I slept due to exhaustion but I didn’t get enough rest.

When I woke up, I expected to see an apology text from them but still, nothing. The silence should have been my warning, but my heart was still trapped in a web of denial. He’s just guilty, I told myself as I scrubbed my face in the mirror. He’s ashamed of what he did and doesn't know how to face me.

Despite the betrayal, I couldn't just turn off my love for him. It was a sickness, a deep need to fix what was broken. I decided I would be the bigger person. I would go back to his house, and we would talk. We would find a way to make it work because I couldn't imagine a life where Brian wasn't the one holding me at the end of the day.

I drove back to his house, my heart thumping with a mix of anxiety and hope. But when I pulled into the driveway, the sight made my blood run cold. The curtains were gone.

I rushed to the front door and tried to push it open but to my surprise, it wasn't locked. I stepped inside, but the familiar scent of him was replaced by the smell of floor cleaner. The living room was stripped bare with no sofa, no TV, no dining table where I had left the food just last night before I caught them.

"Brian?" I screamed, my voice echoing in the empty room.

I ran up to the bedroom in hopes that he would be there but they were gone. They had scrubbed every trace of their existence from the house. With trembling fingers, I dialed his number and to my surprise, he actually picked up.

"Brian! Where are you? The house is empty—"

A loud laugh from Brian cut me off. He sounded so cold, he was nothing like the man I had called in love with."You actually went back there?" Brian sneered. "God, Elara, I knew you were pathetic, but this is very low, even for you. Did you really think I was sitting there crying over you?"

"I... I wanted to talk," I whispered, hot tears springing to my face as I didn’t know how to process his words. He was nothing like the man that was apologizing yesterday. "I was willing to forgive you."

"Forgive me?" He laughed again, louder this time. "I don't need your forgiveness, you stupid bitch. I needed your company. And thanks to those papers you signed so eagerly, I already sold it. The funds hit my offshore account an hour ago."

I staggered as his words hit me hard. I refused to believe he would do something like that. "You sold Vance Inc? Brian, that was my father’s life!"

"And now it's my retirement fund," he snapped without a sign of remorse.

“How…” I whispered as hot tears slid down my cheeks. “But you apologized yesterday, I thought we could fix this, I thought you loved me.”

He let out a breath as if I was a burden. “No, dummy. I was only scared you caught us too soon, since our plans were still in motion. When you left, we had to act fast before we got caught again.”

His words seemed to squeeze my heart painfully as it felt as though I couldn’t breathe anymore.

“Brian, please…”

I heard a rustle on the other end, and a woman’s voice reached me. "Is she still crying, baby? Tell her to save her breath."

"Sophie?" I whimpered.

"In the flesh, honey," Sophie said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Thanks for the company, and thanks for being so incredibly easy to fool. You always were the smart one, but look at you now. Broke, alone, and jobless. Don't bother calling again. We’re changing our numbers the moment we board the plane."

She didn’t wait for me to talk, the line went dead.

I couldn’t hold it anymore, I crumbled to the floor and cried bitterly. The little world I once knew was destroyed by the very people I trusted and as I cried in the empty house, I realized no one was coming to save me. My dad’s company was gone because of my carelessness.

After crying my eyes out, I thought the worst was over, I thought nothing worse could possibly happen again but I was wrong.

When I arrived at my house, I noticed a black SUV with four men waiting on my porch. Who are they? I wondered as I parked my car and began to walk towards them. They didn’t wait for me to reach them, they began walking towards me with grim expressions. I soon realized there was nothing friendly about them but it was too late to back out.

"Elara Vance?" the largest one asked. He had a thick build and a scar running through his eyebrow.

"Yes?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Who are you?"

"We’re the people your fiancé owes money to," he said as he pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Brian borrowed two hundred thousand dollars in your name yesterday morning. Secured against your personal assets and your bank accounts. Since he’s nowhere to be found, the debt falls to you."

I stiffened.