Chapter 1 - The Fall

Chloe Bennett couldn’t believe her ears. For a moment, everything went dark and hazy, as if she were trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.

She shook her head, desperate to shake off the wave of hurt coursing through her.

“What are you saying, Ryan? I… I don’t understand,” she stutters, fighting back the warm tears already gliding down her cheeks.

She stands frozen in the living room, her heart hammering against her ribs as the harsh reality of Ryan’s betrayal hit her like a tidal wave. His words echo through her mind, each syllable cutting deeper than the last.

Her breath grows unsteady. The room seems smaller, suffocating.

Across from her, Ryan her boyfriend and Sienna her older sister sit side by side on the sofa, their hands intertwined. Their closeness was a cruel confirmation of what she had just heard—what she had lost.

Chloe’s stomach twists violently. She clenches her fists while trying to control her breath.

“I asked you a question,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean, Ryan?”

Ryan looked away, shame darkening his features. “Chloe, we’ve been wanting to tell you…” he began, his voice faltering.

“Sienna and I… we’ve been seeing each other. It started a while ago, and we just didn’t know how to break it to you.”

“While you were with me?” She asks, her voice firm yet gentle.

“You’ve been seeing each other while you were with me” she repeats.

Ryan swallows…..guilt clouding his face, he nods slowly while breaking eye contact with her.

Chloe feels the air suddenly leaving her lungs. A sharp ringing filled her ears.

She blinked rapidly, her mind rejecting his words.

“No,” she whispers, shaking her head slowly. “No, this isn’t real. This has to be a joke.”

Sienna flinched. Her face was flushed as she stood up abruptly, letting go of Ryan’s hand. “Chloe, I’m so sorry,” she pleaded, stepping toward her. “I never meant for this to happen. It just did.”

Chloe’s body stiffened.

It just did….

It just did?

A bitter laugh broke through her lips. Her voice, once fragile, hardened with fury.

“It just did? Really, Sienna?” She repeated angrily, her pulse pounding. “You went behind my back, and all you can say is it just happened?”

She turned to Ryan, her eyes burning with betrayal.

“And you,” her voice wavered, no longer angry but broken. “After everything we’ve been through? Everything we built?”

“This is what you do?”

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, looking pained. “Chloe, please—”

“Don’t.” Chloe held up a shaking hand, charging towards him. “Don’t stand there and tell me you didn’t mean to hurt me. Because you did. You both did. This wasn’t some accident—you chose this.” Chloe yelled, hitting her fists against his chest.

Sienna’s lip trembled. “Chloe stop please, just please stop” she yelled, her voice laced with fear. “I never wanted to hurt you, but I also…I love you Chloe.”

Chloe let out a hollow laugh, cutting her off with a sharp gesture.

“Love me?” she spat. “You call this love? You betrayed me in the worst way possible, and you still have the audacity to say you love me?”

The room was charged with a thick, suffocating tension.

Chloe felt her world collapsing around her. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps. The walls felt like they were closing in, pressing against her chest.

She needed to escape, to get away from the suffocating reality of her betrayal.

She needed to get out. Now.

Without another word, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room.

Sienna called after her, but Chloe didn’t stop.

She charged down the hallway, her mind racing, her vision blurred with unshed tears. Her heart felt too heavy for her chest.

Why is this happening to me?

She threw open the front door, slamming it behind her with a force that sent the sound echoing down the quiet street.

Outside, the night air was cool against her burning skin, but it did nothing to soothe the storm raging inside her.

Chloe let out a deep breath, the only relief she’s gotten in the past hour.

She walked, faster and faster, needing to put as much distance between herself and the house as possible.

Sienna’s voice rang behind her. “Chloe, wait!”

She ignored her.

“Go away, Sienna!” she shouted over her shoulder, her voice breaking. “Just leave me alone!”

Sienna stopped. “I’m sorry Chloe, please come back” she yelled, knowing that it would do no good either way.

Sienna stopped, tears streaming down her face as she watched her sister disappear into the night. Chloe’s silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the darkness.

She didn’t turn around, she just kept walking.

The farther she went, the more the numbness took over. The rage, the heartbreak, the humiliation—everything blurred into a dull, unbearable ache.

She had lost them both in the same night.

Her boyfriend. Her sister.

Everything.

Her feet carried her aimlessly through the streets, the city lights blurring as fresh tears welled in her eyes.

She didn’t know where she was going.

She just knew she couldn’t go back.

Chloe walked aimlessly through the city streets, her mind was in chaos and her emotions were swirling. Her anger gave way to an aching numbness. She needed something to distract her from the pain.

As she wandered, she stumbled upon a bar with a flickering neon sign. The temptation was too strong to resist.

She pushed open the door and stepped inside, seeking refuge in its dim, comforting haze.