How it all began

Flashback…

“Seriously?” Zoe’s voice cut through my misery, sharp and annoyed. She stood by the door, arms crossed, looking at me like I was weak. “You’re really going to keep crying over him? Over Tyler?” Zoe was the same as me, same face same height and body size everything was same except that she has a total different personality from me. She was the bold, wild and always the centre of attention.

I was curled up on the bed, my face buried in a pillow, tears soaking the white sheets. My chest hurt like something sharp had been driven through it. No matter how hard I tried to breathe, it felt like I was choking on my own sobs.

I sniffled, turning my face away. “You don’t understand… I loved him.”I said still sobbing.

She rolled her eyes dramatically and walked over, yanking the pillow from under me. “Love? Please, Chloe. Stop humiliating yourself. You’re Chloe Rodriguez, daughter of Alejandro Rodriguez, one of the richest men in Venice. We don’t cry over boys. Boys cry over us.”

Her words stung, but I stayed silent.

Zoe sat on the edge of the bed, her smile turning sly. “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to get up, wear that black dress I bought you, put on some lipstick, and come out with me tonight. We’re going to party, drink, and remind this city who we are. Everyone should know the Rodriguez twins don’t waste their time on heartbreak.”

“I don’t feel like partying,” I whispered.

Zoe grabbed my wrist, pulling me up. “Too bad. I’m not letting my twin sister rot away in bed like some abandoned puppy. You’re coming with me.”

I wanted to resist, but I was too drained. Maybe she was right. Maybe drowning myself in noise and lights was better than drowning in tears.

Hours later, we were standing under the flashing lights of a crowded nightclub. The music thumped through my veins, the air heavy with perfume, sweat, and smoke. Zoe was in her element, tossing her hair back, laughing too loudly, drinking like the night belonged to her. She was proud, bold, untouchable.

I, on the other hand, felt like a shadow trailing behind her. Every time a man looked our way, she leaned closer to me and whispered, “See? Everyone wants us. Forget Tyler. Forget pain. You’re Rodriguez blood, act like it.”

Drink after drink blurred the night. I tried to keep up with Zoe, but my head grew heavy. My feet stumbled on the dance floor, laughter spilling from me without control. At some point, a stranger’s hand slipped around my waist. I didn’t even push it away. Zoe only smirked and winked, as if proud of herself for dragging me here.

The music got louder. My vision spun. I remember lips brushing my ear, warm breath saying something I couldn’t catch. I remember laughing, though I didn’t know why. Then, black.

The night disappeared into nothingness.

When I woke up, the morning sun stabbed through my eyes. My head pounded, my body ached, and there were pieces of the night missing like torn-out pages from a book. I couldn’t remember what happened after the dance floor. I couldn’t remember how I got here, or who I had been with.

But I knew one thing with terrifying certainty.

That night changed everything about me.