Chapter One: Caught in the act

Nina's POV

I was halfway through my favorite Korean drama when Zoe's name flashed across my screen.

I hated being disturbed while watching my favorite drama, especially when I was finally getting to the good part.

A second later, she called again.

And again.

With an irritated sigh, I finally answered.

“Hey, you finally picked up, asshole,” Zoe's voice burst through the speaker.

I rolled my eyes. “Why are you calling? I'm watching a drama, and you know how much I hate interruptions.”

“It’s urgent,” she said immediately. “I need you to come to the Bellamont Hotel right now. There’s something I need to show you.”

Her tone made my stomach tighten.

Zoe and I have been best friends since childhood. I knew her well enough to understand one thing: if she called more than three times, something was seriously wrong.

Was she in trouble?

Without wasting another second, I jumped off my bed and grabbed my sweater.

I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a pink sleeveless top, slipped on my sneakers, and rushed outside.

Not long after, the taxi pulled up in front of the Bellamont Hotel.

The moment I stepped out, I spotted Zoe standing near the entrance with her arms folded tightly across her chest. She looked tense, like she had been waiting for me forever.

I paid the cab driver and hurried over to her.

“Zoe, what’s going on? You look worried,” I said, confused.

Instead of answering, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me inside.

We climbed the stairs and stopped on the first floor.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked, pulling slightly against her grip. “You sounded like you were dying on the phone.”

“Be patient,” she muttered seriously. “There’s something you need to see.”

Her expression alone made my chest tighten.

“If I had told you without proof, you wouldn’t have believed me,” she continued as we walked down the hallway. “That’s why I needed you to come.”

We finally stopped in front of Room 26.

Zoe turned toward me slowly.

“I saw Nolan and Liana walk in here together, holding hands,” she said carefully. “They booked a room.”

For a second, I couldn’t process her words.

“My friend at the front desk checked the booking records. Room 26. She gave me the spare key card after I told her it was an emergency.”

She held it up slightly.

Zoe had never liked Nolan from the beginning, but she would never lie to me about something this serious.

The hallway suddenly felt too narrow.

The lights hummed above us while my heartbeat pounded painfully in my ears.

I could barely breathe.

Without asking if I was ready, Zoe tapped the key card against the lock.

A green light blinked.

The door opened quietly into darkness.

The first thing that hit me was the smell of stale coffee.

Then something sweeter.

Vanilla.

Liana’s vanilla body spray: the same bottle she had borrowed from me last Christmas and never returned.

My stomach dropped.

A muted television flickered against the wall. Pieces of clothing were scattered across the floor.

Then I heard it.

Liana’s moan.

And on the bed...

My world shattered.

Nolan and Liana were tangled beneath the white sheets.

Liana’s breathy moans filled the room while Nolan buried his face against her neck.

“Harder…” she gasped.

Then she laughed softly. “I bet Nina has never satisfied you like this.”

I watched as Nolan smirked lazily.

“She’s too uptight. You know, I was never really attracted to her.”

The words stabbed straight through my chest.

The engagement ring on my finger suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

Tears filled my eyes, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. It was as if my entire body had forgotten how to move.

My stomach twisted painfully. Then, somehow, my voice escaped.

“What… is going on here?”

Nolan sat up first.

His face went white when he saw me, as though he had never expected me to find him.

“Nina…”

“Don’t.”

The word came out flat, easier than I thought it would.

Liana slowly sat upright, clutching the bedsheet against herself. Her expression shifted from shock to guilt… then to something almost challenging.

As if she had already won.

Zoe stepped slightly in front of me protectively.

“I’m sorry you had to see this,” she said softly. “But Nolan never deserved you. Let’s leave this filthy place.”

She took my trembling hand and guided me out of the room.

I didn’t look back.

Nolan had been my boyfriend since college. For years, I had believed he was the man I would spend the rest of my life with.

Because of him, I had turned down my father’s offer to study abroad.

It was an opportunity I had dreamed about for years, an education that would have prepared me to eventually take over my family’s company.

I had given it all up because Nolan had convinced me that our future was more important.

My father had warned me countless times to stay away from Nolan but I had refused to listen.

Our arguments had become worse over the years until one day, he finally said the words that shattered me.

“If you insist on marrying Nolan, then don’t bother coming back home.”

Those were the last words my father had said to me before I left home.

We haven’t spoken properly since.

Thankfully, my father had never touched the shares I inherited from my mother.

The dividends had given me enough income to support myself after I left home. Without them, I didn’t know how I would have survived.

“I can’t believe he cheated on me after everything I sacrificed for him,” I whispered as tears streamed down my face.

Zoe hugged me tightly before starting the car.

“Nolan doesn’t deserve you,” she said quietly. “Anyone who truly loved you wouldn’t have done this.”

I swallowed painfully.

“But why Liana?” My voice cracked. “Why did it have to be my own sister?”

Zoe pulled away slightly and raised an eyebrow.

“You mean your stepsister.”

I stayed silent.

“Don’t tell me you still haven’t realized it,” she continued. “Liana has always wanted everything that belongs to you.”

She started the engine.

“I honestly don’t know why you still call her your sister.”

The rest of the drive passed in silence.

I leaned my head against the car window while the painful scene replayed endlessly inside my mind.

The betrayal.

The lies.

The humiliation.

I couldn’t believe I had wasted my time on someone who had never loved me.

The most painful part was that we had been planning our wedding.

On the day of my engagement, Liana had looked happier than anyone else in the room.

She had spent most of the celebration holding Nolan’s arm, but I had been too blinded by happiness to notice anything strange.

How stupid had I been?

I was so lost in those memories that I didn’t realize Zoe had already parked outside her apartment.

“Nina,” she called gently, tapping my shoulder.

I blinked back to reality.

Every part of me felt numb, weak, and broken.

By the time we reached her apartment, I barely had enough strength to walk.

The moment Zoe opened the door, whatever strength I had left disappeared.

I stumbled inside and collapsed onto her bed.

I didn’t remember when I started crying again.

I only knew that somewhere between the tears and exhaustion, sleep finally took me.