The Betrayal

Alina’s POV

I walked up the long stairs to Jason’s apartment. Every inch of my body ached, and my feet were sore. After a long day at work, all I needed was to be wrapped in his warmth, to let him rain kisses down my neck. A smile cracked my lips at the thought. The thought alone made the long series of stairs worth it.

Finally, I reached the apartment, my smile still intact. The living room was empty. Typical Jason. He was probably playing video games in his room.

I rolled my eyes and went straight to the bedroom.

I pushed the door open, and at that moment, my world stilled.

Jason was sitting in his gaming chair, the console held carelessly in his hands. His head was thrown back against the headrest, his eyes closed.

“Uhh… uhh… Becca!” He moaned my best friend’s name like it was a prayer.

My breath hitched.

Becca was kneeling in front of him, her face buried against him as she pleased him without a care in the world.

No.

No, no.

My fingers tightened around the door handle as I stared at the two people I trusted most.

I watched them, oblivious to my presence. This cannot be. No.

Even though it was all clear, I wanted it to be a lie so bad.

I wanted an explanation.

I hadn’t noticed how badly my hands were trembling until the keys I was holding slipped and made contact with the tiled floor.

Only then did the both of them pause, their heads snapping in my direction.

“A, A… Alina…” Jason gulped. “You…” He stood up and aggressively pulled his pants back up.

Becca, on the other hand, sat on the floor. And I could swear there was a small smile spread across her face. This wasn’t the Becca I’d known since third grade.

“Why…” My lips trembled, my teary eyes desperately moving between them.

“You aren’t supposed to be here,” Jason hissed. “You said you weren’t coming!” This time, he raised his voice.

I flinched and took a step back.

“I changed my mind,” I said, still fighting hard to hold back my tears.

Jason looked between Becca and me. I didn’t know what was going on in his head, but I knew it wasn’t gonna be in my favour.

“Well, you shouldn’t visit without asking! I always tell you this.”

Was he turning this on me?

Unbelievable. I wanted to speak, but I didn’t want to lose my cool.

“Jason,” I tried to reach for his arm. But he pulled away just in time.

“Just leave, Alina.” This time, his smile matched Becca’s!

I bit back the bitterness choking my throat.

“Jason,” I whispered. Tears rushed down my cheeks.

“Alina, babe, please leave.” My so-called best friend, Becca, came with the same dirty smile. “For the sake of our friendship, I won’t embarrass you by throwing you out.” She stood up, her arms circling his waist.

Anger boiled in my stomach. They were the ones who cheated; they were supposed to be the ones in shame and embarrassment, not me.

“For the last time, leave,” he said.

I wanted to fight. To yell, to break something, but all the exhaustion from the day was getting to me, and the pain in my chest was so numbing I wasn’t sure I would be able to stand any longer.

My hand reached for the door.

“Wait!” Jason’s voice made me stop.

I waited for him to say, It’s just a prank. We’re sorry.

But instead, he pointed at my finger.

“Give it.”

I looked down at what he was referring to.

My engagement ring.

The same ring he had gone down on one knee to put on my finger two years ago.

That was it.

More tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Fast,” he said.

Slowly, I pulled the ring off my finger. After taking a deep, shaky breath, I flung it across the room, not caring where it landed.

“Bitch,” I heard him yell as I walked out of the room and down the never-ending stairs.

I made it to my car in one piece. That was a surprise.

Finally alone, I let it all out.

The tears, the screams, the curses.

….

Time had no meaning or value to me. Not until the sun began to come up. I needed to put my shit together.

I cleared my eyes the best I could and practiced my smile to make sure it was neat before turning the engine on.

I drove as fast as I could. I had to get home on time.

Today was my sister’s wedding, the last thing I wanted was to bring any bad energy.

But the moment I opened the door and saw my mother’s teary eyes, I knew something bad had already happened.

“What happened?” I asked. “Why aren’t you guys ready?” They were still in their pajamas, and the wedding was at eight.

“She’s gone!” my mother cried out, while my father wore a stern, disgusted look.

“I’ve searched everywhere! She’s gone!” she repeated, sobbing harder.

I looked around. Aside from Mom and Dad, the only people present were my mom’s sisters.

“Where’s Aria?” I felt chills asking the question. Why would the bride be missing?

“Didn’t you hear your mother? She’s not here!” Dad’s voice echoed so loud the walls could crumble.

“Where is she? You are her sister! You should know!” he added.

My brows furrowed instantly. I knew where this was going. They would find a way to blame me for her absence. Just as they always did.

“Me?” I gasped, but kept quiet. Arguing with Dad wouldn’t help. Instead, I pulled out my phone and dialed her line.

The call went straight to voicemail. Switched off.

I let out a deep sigh, sweat beads forming on my forehead. I didn’t even notice my hands trembling until my phone slipped from my grasp and hit the floor.

“I’ll look for her,” I grumbled, half worried, half mad at Aria. This wasn’t the first time she’d gone missing, and it usually ended with her sneaking off to some crazy weekend party.

But today wasn’t just any weekend. It was her wedding, for God’s sake!

“We’ve looked everywhere, called every friend and acquaintance. We’ve been searching for her all night long,” Mom said weakly, sounding as though she was about to collapse.

“I don’t have time for this!” Dad snapped, raising his phone in the air. An incoming call from Mr. Vale, Aria’s soon-to-be father-in-law.

“They’re already at the wedding hall!” he roared.

“You have to let him know about the situation,” I said calmly. “We need an extra hour. Maybe we’ll find Aria before then.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Dad yelled, pacing toward me. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the corridor.

“Uhm, Dad…” I tried to break free.

“They’ll cancel the wedding! This is the only hope I have to fix my bankruptcy!” he yelled again, like it was my fault.

He pulled me into a secluded room, and Mom followed, locking the door behind us.

“But what else can we do except tell the truth, Dad?”

He paced from one end of the room to the other, rubbing his chin. When he finally looked at me, a sinister grin spread across his face.

“You, my dear, will have to fix it. You’ll have to fix Aria’s mess.”

This man was up to no good.

Then he spoke, and his next words shattered the last piece of sanity I was holding on to.

“You look exactly like her. The wedding is in thirty minutes. You can make it, and no one will know.”

I staggered and held the wall to stop myself from falling.

“What?” I looked at Mom, but she wore that same pleading look she always had whenever she wanted me to cover up for Aria’s misdeeds.

“No!” I shook my head. This was what they’d always seen me as, the twin who existed only to fix their favorite’s mistakes.

It has always been this way, all our lives. Whenever Aria got in trouble, I took the blame. I even served her detentions in school.

And their excuse? “Aria has always been a sick child.”

Yeah, right. She had a little flu when we were babies, that was it!

What I still don’t understand is why.

We look and sound exactly the same. Shouldn’t they love us the same, too?

“I won’t do this. Not today.” I stood firm.

“You have to do it! You’ll just act for the wedding, and once Aria is back, you’ll switch places again,” Dad said.

“What if she refuses? What if she leaves me stuck in the mess she made?”

“Oh, my dear, she wouldn’t leave such a wealthy man for you. I’m sure she’s absent for a reason,” Mom chimed in, her pathetic tears now dried.

“Okay, what if she’s actually in danger? And I’m out there taking her place at the altar? Isn’t that cruel?” I was the one yelling now. “And you know what the Vales will do if they find out we deceived them!”

“They’ll never find out!” Dad barked.

I looked at Mom, hoping she’d interfere, but of course, she was with her husband.

“Look, if you don’t do this, my business is done for. I can’t help you with the startup for your fashion brand. I’ll take back everything I’ve ever given you. Your car, your apartment, every last penny. And I’ll disown you!” Dad spewed every word without a single care.

Mom’s warm arm brushed my shoulder lightly before she cupped my face.

“Darling, you’re not doing this for us, you’re doing it for Aria. Please, save her marriage.” Her voice softened. “Mr. Vale would definitely cancel everything and cut us off. Please, I’m sure you can’t watch your sister live the rest of her life heartbroken. She loves Edrick.”

I took a deep, shaky breath and looked at both my parents. It hit me then that my heartbreak didn’t end with Jason. It lived here too, in this house, disguised as family.

I hate them for this.

But even more… I hate myself for saying yes.