Book one

Bella's Pov

My heart raced fast as I walked down the long hotel hallway. Tonight was supposed to be the start of forever. I had waited years for this special night with Leo. I loved him with all my heart and had promised myself he would be my first and my last. The only man I would ever give myself to completely. Every step I took made me feel more excited and nervous at the same time.

I had not told him I was coming early. I wanted to surprise him and see his happy smile when he opened the door. That smile always calmed every storm inside me. I held my small bag tight against my body and kept walking. Excitement and nerves mixed together in my stomach with every single step I took down the quiet hallway.

I stopped right in front of his door. My hand rested on the cold knob for a moment. Just as I started to turn it, a sound came from inside the room. At first I thought it was the TV playing something loud, but then it became very clear and loud.

A woman’s voice moaned. “Hmmmm, harder, Leo.”

My whole body froze on the spot. That voice was Ciara’s — my best friend. My heart stopped for a second. No. This could not be real. Leo would never betray me like this. Ciara would never hurt me this way after everything we shared as friends.

I shook my head hard and whispered to myself again and again, “You are imagining things, Bella. Calm down. Leo loves you. Ciara is like a sister to you. This is not happening. You are just tired and hearing things.”

But the sounds did not stop. Soft gasps. The bed creaking loudly. Skin against skin. My hands trembled badly, but I could not walk away. I pushed the door open slowly, my breath caught in my throat and my legs feeling weak.

What I saw destroyed everything inside me in one terrible second.

Ciara was on top of Leo, her dress pulled down to her waist, lips brushing his skin, hands pulling at his shirt. Leo lay beneath her, his face flushed red, eyes heavy and unfocused from the half-empty alcohol bottle on the table. He looked so drunk he could hardly move or think straight.

“Bella…” Leo’s voice broke through the air. Even while she moved on him, he clutched at Ciara weakly and slurred my name again. “Bella, don’t leave me.”

The sound of my own name while he was under her felt like sharp knives cutting deep into my chest. He was giving her what was supposed to be only mine. My legs felt weak. Ciara froze when she saw me standing at the door. For one short moment her face showed panic. Then her eyes hardened and she looked at me like she did not care at all. Like she had won something big.

Leo’s head turned slowly toward the door. His eyes tried to focus on me. His lips moved again. “Bella…”

I could not breathe. Sharp pain tore through my chest so deep that I thought my body would fall apart right there. I grabbed the doorframe tightly with both hands to keep my balance. Tears blurred my sight completely and ran down my face without stopping.

My mind filled with his old promises, but I pushed them away fast. I stumbled backward. I could not watch one more second of this horrible scene. My legs carried me down the hallway as fast as possible. The image of them together burned into my mind with every single step I took. I reached my own room, pushed the door open, and collapsed onto the floor. My body shook violently. Sobs came out in loud gasps that I could not control no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

“Why, Leo?” I cried out loud, my voice raw and broken. “If you wanted to betray me, why did it have to be with her? Why my best friend of all people? Why did you do this to us?”

Ciara’s moan kept repeating in my head like a curse that would not go away. I covered my ears but the sound stayed loud inside me. I stared at the engagement ring on my finger. The diamond sparkled cruelly in the dim light. It once meant real love and forever. Now it was only a painful lie that mocked me and everything I believed.

With shaking fingers I ripped the ring off and placed it on the table. It sat there shining and mocking everything we had built. I pulled my bag closer. My eyes landed on the red lingerie I had bought specially for tonight. My chest ached badly as I held the soft fabric in my hands. I had imagined Leo’s gentle touch and his love all over me. Now it felt completely worthless and stupid. I dropped it back into the bag and pushed the bag away hard.

I sat on the floor for a long time, trying to breathe normally. The pain would not leave my chest. It kept growing stronger every minute. I forced myself to stand up and started packing. Each piece of clothing I threw inside the suitcase felt heavy with sadness. My hands still trembled but I kept moving fast. I could not stay in this hotel any longer. Every few minutes the same images returned — Ciara on top of him, Leo whispering my name, her cold satisfied eyes looking straight at me without any shame.

I zipped the bag with force. A small thought came into my mind: what if he called for me? What if he sobered up and begged me to come back? But the memory of them together crushed that weak thought immediately. I put the bag on my shoulder and walked to the door. My heart felt like heavy stone. I turned the knob and stepped into the hallway. Behind me the ring still sat on the table, catching the light. Once it promised forever. Now it reminded me that forever had died tonight.

Tears fell silently as I walked. My chest heaved but I kept moving forward. I did not look back. I could not. That night the woman who believed in love, friendship, and loyalty died inside me. A new, broken, and wounded Bella walked out in her place. I reached the elevator and pressed the button hard. The doors closed and took me down. I stepped into the cool night air and called a taxi. While I waited, the same question kept turning in my mind. How could they both do this to me after everything? I climbed into the taxi and gave the driver the new address. I would not cry anymore tonight. I would find a way to survive this pain and start over. The taxi drove away and the hotel became smaller in the mirror. I looked straight ahead. The old life was behind me now.