Chapter 3: Shattered Loyalty

Ivy.

“Yeah, fuck me, Daddy.”

The voice carried through the apartment like a slap, raw and breathless. I stood dripping in the entryway, rain pooling at my bare feet, my soaked clothes clinging like a second skin.

Noah was on the couch, head thrown back in ecstasy, and a woman straddled him, back to me, grinding down hard. Her hair—dark, wild, the same messy waves I’d woken up to this morning after crashing on her couch.

Nyx snarled low in my mind, hackles rising. “Please let it not be her.”

“Please let it not be…” I whispered, voice cracking.

“She’s here,” Noah said, eyes locking onto mine even as he moaned, hips bucking up. He didn’t stop.

“No, wait… I’m about to cum,” the familiar voice gasped, riding him harder, faster. Their rhythm built, obscene and unashamed, moans filling the space until they shattered together—her cry sharp, his growl deep and satisfied.

The woman turned.

Maya.

My best friend. My anchor.

“N—Maya.” My voice came out ragged, barely human. “What… what’s going on here?”

“Oh, darling.” Maya stood slowly, not bothering to cover herself, that sharp-tongued confidence now twisted into something cruel. “It’s exactly what you think it is.”

“No… no…” I stuttered, the room spinning. Nyx thrashed inside me, claws scraping at my ribs. “Is this some kind of prank?”

“Prank my foot,” Noah echoed from the couch, his expression still satisfied, completely unbothered. He leaned back like he owned the world.

“Noah… if this is because of the leak, please stop this. It wasn’t me… I promise.” I begged, voice breaking as tears burned hot down my cheeks. The spare key slipped from my fingers, clattering on the floor.

“She’s dumb to the core, really,” Maya said with a laugh, stepping closer. Her scent—familiar perfume mixed with fluids and Noah’s musk—twisted my stomach.

“How stupid can you get, Ivy…” Noah added, finally tucking himself away but not bothering to stand. “Are you that blinded by your useless feelings that you can’t see what’s been under your nose?”

“What… are you talking about?” I stuttered, eyes flooding red with tears. The betrayal sank deeper than fangs.

“The leak,” Noah said finally, his smile now sharp as a blade. “It was me. I leaked it.”

My eyes widened. “No. That’s not possible.”

“Except it is.” He shrugged, casual as if he was discussing game stats. “I intentionally lured you there. Told you I forgot my lucky charm that day. You rushed over like the loyal little shadow you are. It was all a setup.”

The pieces slammed into place—the sudden text, the urgency, the way he’d smiled when I left to help.

Nyx howled in rage.

“What did I ever do to you to deserve this, Noah?” I asked, tears spilling freely now.

Four years. Four years of putting him first, defending him, loving him while he climbed the sports ladder—and this was what I got in return.

“Entertainment,” Noah said, eyes cold. “I just found it rather fun. And besides, the league was closing in on me. I needed a believable fall guy. Or girl.”

My gaze snapped to Maya, who wore a wide, satisfied grin. “How could you do this to me? You’re my best friend. You hated him—you said you hated him!”

“Noah was always mine from the start,” Maya said, sauntering back toward him. “You were only just a means to an end. The loyal, soft-spoken doormat who kept him stable while I waited in the wings. Pathetic, really.”

Several years of friendship. Of late nights where Maya had been my rock, warning me about everyone except herself. I was just… disposable. A tool for their amusement and ambition.

I broke down, sobs wrenching from my chest as I sank to the floor. Nyx whimpered and raged in equal measure, her presence a storm under my skin threatening to shift if I didn’t get control. The rain outside pounded harder, mirroring the wreck inside me.

“Now, if you don’t mind,” Maya said, pushing Noah back onto the couch, “we’ve got sex to finish.”

Their sounds filled the room again—loud, deliberate, mocking. I couldn’t watch. I stumbled up, legs numb, and fled back into the rain.

No destination. Nothing. Just barefoot steps through Chicago’s downpour, the city lights blurring into nothing.

Sunlight on my face woke me. I was lying on a pavement by the roadside, curled against a storefront, soaked and shivering. No clear memories of how I got there—just flashes of walking, crying, Nyx’s snarls keeping me from fully breaking.

My body ached, bare feet raw and bloody, clothes stiff with dried rain and grime. I stank of the streets.

What do I do?

Where do I start from?

Noah and Maya were all I had. My life revolved around them—his career, her sharp humor, our little apartment. Now they’d turned their backs, laughing while they’d fucked over my ruins.

The investigation still loomed.

My mind flashed to last night. The lawyer. The penthouse.

Tyler Vane.

He was really the one who saved me.

I picked myself up, ignoring the stares from early morning passersby, and headed for his compound. Every step burned, but resolve hardened in my chest.

After what felt like thirty minutes of limping through the city, I reached the guarded gates.

Security blocked me immediately—two burly men in dark suits.

“I want to speak to Tyler,” I said, voice hoarse.

“Ma’am, you can’t go in,” one replied, eyeing my disheveled state with disdain.

“Please. It’s really urgent.”

They didn’t budge until the heavy doors of the main building swung open. Tyler Vane stepped out, his presence instantly commanding the courtyard and stirring Nyx into attention. He was wearing workout clothes—black tank clinging to his massive, tattooed chest, sweatpants low on his hips.

“Leave her,” Tyler ordered.

The guards parted and I slipped past them, heart hammering.

Tyler walked up to me, his cold eyes surveying my matted hair and torn clothes. “You look like you got hit by a trailer.”

I squared my shoulders. “The deal from yesterday,” I said, locking eyes with him. “I’m taking it. But I have my own conditions.”

A slow, predatory smile crossed Tyler’s face. “What are they?”

“I want protection, the investigation buried, and I want revenge on Noah.”

Tyler’s smile vanished. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. “I told you last night, Ivy. If you walk out my door, don’t come back.”