1: Gut-wrenching News

CIARA

“I-I like you,” I stammered, my voice cracking for the second time.

The old cab driver then glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes reflecting sympathy, which almost made me want to sink into a hole.

When I first blurted it out earlier, he had assumed I was confessing to him, but I quickly clarified that I was merely rehearsing. After all, tonight was the night I would finally reveal my feelings for Austin, the man who had captured my heart over the past five years.

He was my first college friend, the one who helped me heal after my high school heartbreak when I discovered my first boyfriend had been cheating on me right before graduation.

Surprisingly, it had only taken a year for me to fall for Austin. But no matter how much I wanted to say something, I just couldn’t. The fear from my past relationship, the way it ended, and the way our friendship broke always seemed to hold me back.

“Miss, your phone’s ringing,” the driver said, jolting me out of my spiraling thoughts. I fumbled in my bag for it, and when I saw my childhood friend’s name on the screen, I answered right away.

“Yuri, what should I do? I’m so nervous I don’t think I can confess to Austin properly.” My voice was tight and rushed as I stared at the city lights flashing past the window. We were getting closer to the restaurant, the one I had picked out just for tonight.

Outside, the streets were bursting with bright colors, hearts, and couples everywhere, hand in hand, like the whole world was in love. Well, of course it was. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all.

“You can do it. You’ve been in love with him since our second year of college. We’re 24 now, I’m sure you’ll manage.” Yuri reassured me, her calm voice soothing my racing heart.

She’d been cheering me on ever since I first admitted how I felt about Austin, and maybe tonight, I could finally do it.

“You think so?” I asked, my heart hammering so loudly I could almost hear it as the restaurant finally came into view. When the car rolled to a stop, panic rose in my chest. “Oh my gosh! I already arrived. I’ll call you again later to update you if he accepts my confession.”

“Yeah, good luck, Ciara!”

When the call ended, I just stared at my phone for a second, not sure if I’d heard her laugh under her breath or if my nerves were just getting the best of me. My hands were trembling as I slipped the phone back into my bag, paid the driver, and stepped out of the car.

“Good luck with your confession, miss,” the driver said, his voice unexpectedly gentle, causing me to bend down to glimpse his face inside the car.

“Thank you.” I managed a smile before closing the door. Then I turned to the restaurant, drew in a shaky breath, and squared my shoulders. “Here goes nothing,”

Once inside, the receptionist guided me to my reserved table. I sat down, practicing what I wanted to say to Austin, repeating the words over and over in my head for five straight minutes. I waited, nerves stretched tight, watching the entrance every few seconds until, finally, he appeared.

He was holding a bouquet.

“Hi,” he said, and I couldn’t help smiling. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I accepted the flowers, still stunned that he’d brought any.

“Thank you. Happy Valentine’s Day. I actually made a cake, but I left it at my apartment. Is it all right if I give them to you tomorrow?”

He sat down across from me; his honey blonde hair was slicked back tonight, like he’d actually taken time to get ready. His gray eyes then lit up as he nodded, and for a moment, I felt hope flicker, the kind that made me believe something between us might finally change.

Austin had always been gentle, always kind. Sometimes he sent signals I couldn’t quite read, and that’s what gave me the courage to confess tonight. Maybe, just maybe, our feelings were mutual.

“Shall we order now?” he asked, and I nodded before I set the bouquet down.

The first few minutes went by in a blur, our conversation flowing easily: work, his family’s business, little things that we usually talked about whenever we were together. Everything seemed to be going well, and just as I started to gather myself, to finally say what I’d been practicing all night, Austin blindsided me, which made my heart lurch.

“Actually, I agreed to meet you tonight because I have something to tell you, too.” He looked at me as he swirled the dark red wine in his glass, “I know this might be shocking…”

The words made me pause in the middle of a sip, the rim of the glass cool against my lips. I waited, expecting a confession that would match the one I carried in my chest. But the words that came next didn’t just surprise me—they hollowed me out, leaving a cold, empty ache in my ribs.

“Yuri and I are dating.”

I sat there, frozen, the glass still in my hand before I forced myself to set it down, careful not to let it slip from my trembling fingers. My voice sounded strange and far away when I finally managed to speak.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I tried to laugh, but it came out brittle. “You’re kidding me, right?”

But Austin shook his head, his gaze holding onto mine tightly, like he was telling me he was serious, that the gut-wrenching news he told me was nothing but the truth.

“No, I’m not kidding, Ciara.” His voice was softer now, almost apologetic. “We’ve been together since the third year of college. We kept it a secret because... well, because we didn’t want you to feel left out, or like a third wheel, since the three of us were always hanging out.”

I couldn’t answer. My mind was a blur of splintered thoughts, and all I could really hear was the sound of my own heart breaking, echoing in my ears.

I didn’t know if it hurt more because it meant I’d lost him for good, or because of the betrayal. It was one thing for Austin to keep it from me, but Yuri? She knew I liked him. She even encouraged me to confess.

“I’m sorry, I know this is sudden, but I thought I should come clean now, especially since we’re getting married.”

The chair scraped against the floor as I stood up suddenly, the sound sharp and jarring, causing him to look up at me. Concern was etched across his face, but I didn’t want to see it.

“Ciara?”

“Sorry, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” I tried to keep my voice even, but it trembled anyway.

Scared that I might start crying ugly, I walked away without looking back, somehow holding myself together until I reached the restroom. Once inside, I leaned heavily against the sink, gripping the edge until my knuckles whitened.

I looked at myself in the reflection of the mirror, only to see my pathetic self. I had spent hours at the salon today, made sure every strand of my strawberry blonde hair was perfect, bought a red maxi dress that cost more than I’d ever spent before, all for this night. All for him.

I stared at the effort, the hope painted on my face. Worthless now.

What a joke.

I let out a shaky breath, almost laughing at how ridiculous I looked.

“Fuck, this is pathetic,” I muttered, my voice raw. Just then, tears threatened to spill from my blue eyes, but before I could let them fall, the restroom door opened behind me.

A man walked in, causing me to glare at him through the mirror before spinning around.

“What the hell?”

He just raised an eyebrow at me, pushing his glasses up with his middle finger. Something about the way he did it felt so careless, yet I knew it was intentional.

“Shouldn’t I be the one reacting like that, missy? This is the men’s restroom in case you don’t know how to read signs,” he said, looking almost amused.

“What?” I blinked, trying to make sense of his words, before glancing around and seeing the urinals lining the wall. The realization hit me, burning my cheeks with embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry, I made a mistake—”

I started to inch past him, determined to leave, but then I heard voices echoing from outside the door, a group of men, coming this way.

Panic rushed up my spine.

If they caught me stepping out of the men’s restroom, there would be absolutely no way to explain myself, none. The last thing I needed was for them to think I’d been doing something inappropriate with a man I didn’t even know and then let the whole restaurant hear about it.

“Shit, this night is so fuck up,” I muttered under my breath.

Just then, the man in the three-piece suit and glasses caught my arm, pulling me into the first stall, the movement quick and decisive. At that moment, my heart hammered in my chest, especially when he locked the door and pressed a hand over my mouth, muffling any protest.

I stared up at him, fear prickling along my skin, the sound of approaching footsteps growing louder outside.

“Relax, I’m not going to eat you,” he whispered, but it slid over my skin and left goosebumps. The way his amber eyes locked onto mine, holding me in place, made my whole body shiver. “If you don’t want them to see your heels from below, you’d better cooperate with me.”