Chapter 1: Betrayed

Lyra’s phone buzzed beneath the table and she glanced down—Unknown Sender.

For a moment, she wanted to ignore it. But another message appeared almost immediately. 

‘It's nobody's fault you can't satisfy Alex in bed.’

Her fingers trembled even before she opened the attachment.

Then the video loaded and everything inside her went still.

The video was muted because of her surroundings, but Lyra didn't need any sound to know exactly what she was watching.

Her fiancé, Alex, was thrusting aggressively into her best friend, Nadine.

Lyra stared at the screen, unable to breathe. Then she locked her phone, heart drumming as she shoved it into her purse.

Through blurry eyes, she looked toward the stage. Alex stood beneath the ballroom lights, perfectly dressed in a black tuxedo, smiling as he addressed the guests. He'd just asked Nadine to join him.

Nadine’s cheeks flushed red as she stood. She adjusted her dress briefly before walking. Just as she was about to climb the steps, she almost slipped, but Alex's reflexes were quick. He grabbed Nadine's waist, and they both paused in place, eyes locking like a cheesy romance scene. 

Lyra's nails dug into her palm at the sight. She felt the hall lights spotlight every crack in her makeup but she tried to maintain her composure. 

Four years. 

Four years she'd been with Alex. Four years he'd meant the world to her.

Behind her, she heard employees speak. 

“Their chemistry is undeniable. I wonder why they're not together.”

“You never know. Haven't you seen the way they look at each other?”

Lyra’s fingers tightened around her purse. How did she not notice this earlier?

“Word on the street is…” a voice lowered, conspirational, but Lyra heard it anyway. “They spend a lot of late nights at the office.”

“Really??”

“Shhh,” another hissed, voice urgent. “Keep it down. Someone might hear.”

For months, Lyra had suspected something was wrong. Late nights. Secret calls. Nadine suddenly knowing things she shouldn’t. The way Alex ran over whenever Nadine was having cramps. The way he always remembered the type of chocolates she liked.

She’d told herself she was just being paranoid. She was overthinking. They were all friends, after all.

A tear slipped out and she wiped it quickly before it could fall. 

When she paid attention to Alex’s words again, she suddenly heard, “And I’m proud to announce that Nadine Hale will be taking over as the new Director of Strategic Innovation.”

A weight slammed into Lyra’s chest, it almost felt physical.  No.

The room seemed to pause for a brief moment before an applause followed. 

Glasses were raised. Nadine wrapped her hands around Alex's arm and congratulations floated through the air like confetti. 

Her breath caught.

Impossible. She’d worked so hard for this—late nights at the office, nose bleeds, back pain. She’d been the brain behind their best-selling models for years now. In fact, she’d been the acting director since the last one left a year ago, and Alex had promised to make the position official today. 

He knew what that position meant to her. He knew it was what she’d always wanted. What she needed to complete her mother’s life work. He knew it meant that she’d have access to a team. Funding. Her own division.

Yet he’d handed it over to Nadine without a second thought. 

On stage, Nadine’s plump red lips curled into a flattered grin as her hands remained locked with Alex’s.

Lyra’s stomach dropped, feeling her lunch climb up her throat as she watched Alex hand Nadine a plaque while cameras flashed.

Alex.

The man who’d been there for her in her darkest moment. When she was just twenty, broken, grieving the death of her only parent.

But she’d been there for him too.

She'd poured into Alex as much as he'd poured to her. Right from college, she'd done his assignments and even down to Wilson Energy, she still did everything. Because of love. Or so she thought.

So she wasn’t going to be the other woman. Not to Nadine, not to any other woman and certainly not after what just happened.

She stood. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked up the stage.

Alex was the first to notice. Something flashed through his eyes—panic, maybe.

Then Nadine looked over too, her smile faltering.

As though the room had been expecting her to react, it went silent. 

Heavy silence—Conversations stopped mid-breath, mouths dropped, glasses hung mid-sip, all eyes focusing on her.

“Lyra?” Alex called as soon as she reached, voice cracking slightly. “Let's talk about this later.”

She moved to the microphone and Alex grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing?” he asked under his breath.

Lyra looked at him, like really looked at him. 

The usual butterflies she was supposed to get were… gone and all she felt was disgust.

“Look, we can talk about this later, okay? I’ll make it up, I promise,” he added almost immediately.

Then she glanced at Nadine. Underneath that smug smile, there was a hint of fear. “No hard feelings, Ly,” Nadine said. “It's only natural that the more competent person gets the role.”

Lyra faced Alex instead. “When did it start?” 

He frowned, acting confused. “When did what start?”

“You and Nadine.”

“Not here,” he whispered, glancing at the confused crowd. The murmurs were starting to grow.

“No. We need to talk here.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

More whispers spread through the hall. Lyra’s eyes stung with tears and she blinked a couple of times. Not now, not here.

Then she slipped off the engagement ring from her finger and pushed it into his breast pocket. “I'm done with you. I'm done with Wilson Energy.”

“Lyra, you’ve lost your mind?” Nadine snapped, her voice still low enough. “Do you think you'd get a job elsewhere? You're not even that good, it's a privilege we allowed you to work in our company.”

‘our’. 

Lyra didn't miss that word.

But she didn't pay attention to it. Instead she raised the microphone in her hand before anyone could stop her. “Uhm, pardon me,” she announced. “I just found out that my fiancé has been sleeping with my bestfriend—” 

Alex ripped her away before she had the chance to say anything more. “God, you're so fucking insecure. I told you there's nothing between us, we're just friends!” He snapped, dragging her away.

Lips parted in shock and gasps rippled through the crowd. Camera flashes filled the room. 

When they reached the exit hallway, Lyra finally used all her might to snatch her hand away. “Let me be!” 

She dusted invisible dirt from her dress and turned to leave.

“Think about your mother’s research before you make another stupid decision,” Alex hissed.

Lyra’s heart clenched and her feet stilled. 

Of course.

Even now, Alex would try to use something like that against her. “You wouldn't,” she said without looking back.

“Oh, with what you just did?” He scoffed, his expression turning colder. “Yes, I definitely will. Try me.”

For the first time that night, fear crawled up her throat, threatening to break through her anger. 

But without another word, she walked away.

Alex didn't try to stop her.

As soon as the night air hit her face, she allowed the dam to break. She clutched her gown, sobs racking from her chest. Then she stared back at the Wilson Energy building glowing behind her. 

Her mother’s research was the only thing keeping her tied to that place. She would get it. Then she'd leave for good.

She pulled out her phone and called her best friend. “Hey, Daph. Your guy at Wilson Energy… Can he get my mother's research?”