CHAPTER ONE

Mira

The smile on my face abruptly vanished as I gasped in horror. My tank top was nearly saturated by warm coffee that had been hurled at me, cascading from my hair to the floor. Luckily, it wasn’t scalding

“How dare you!” I screamed at the lady who wore a mocking smile. She erupted into laughter, as though something were amusing, and I could discern the ridicule laced within that laugh.

“Oh, did I strike a nerve? Don’t you know me? You filthy whore,” she spat angrily in my face.

I rose to my feet, the force causing my chair to screech loudly against the floor. I glared at the woman with so much anger that, had looks the power to kill, she’d have been six feet under. How dare she label me whore? I seized the bottle of water on the table, ready to douse it on the equally raging woman when I suddenly stopped. An epiphany coursed through my mind. I swiftly connected the dots and was certain this was the face I had once seen on Henry’s phone. He had her contact saved as “My Elixir.” I had been suspicious at first, but he claimed she was his cousin, dispelling all my doubts.

“You are really shameless. Well, since you want to play the fool, let’s do it. I am Vanessa, the fiancée of the man you’ve been sleeping with.” At this point, her voice was so loud it attracted the attention of everyone in the café. She saw my bewildered look and smirked.

“Henry is my fiancé.”

My mind went blank, and I became as pale as a ghost. Henry was my man, and I had never doubted him. Who the hell is this woman claiming to be his fiancée? I glanced at my phone and saw that the call had ended. Mere minutes ago, I had been speaking with Henry via video call, I had smiled happily when he informed me of his arrival later this evening—until I felt liquid sear against my skin.

“Your fiancé?” The words were difficult to utter, but I needed confirmation.

“Henry is my man, my fiancé, you whore!” She pulled out her phone from her bag and shoved it in my face.

My world slowed down as I saw a picture of her displaying a ring on her finger, while Henry held her close, affectionately pressing a kiss to her hair. Murmuring and whispering erupted from every corner of the café. I heard the snickering and subtle insults. I could only stare at her in shock. I held onto my chair for support as she ignored my already pale face, showing me more of their pictures. With each new image, her words became harder to deny. It was all real. For a few seconds, I couldn’t hear her voice—only a loud ringing in my ears and the pounding of my heart against my ribcage. This was real.

“You’re pretending like you don’t know he has me, you shameless prostitute. We’ve been together for three years, and I won’t let a bitch like you ruin all my efforts. So scurry back to the hole you came from.” She pointed her finger in my face. “Stay away from my man, slut. I’m warning you—protect your life and stay away from him, or you’ll get worse than this. Whore.” She flung the empty coffee cup at me and stormed out. I stared hard at my shoes as her words echoed in my head. I remained frozen in that position for a long time.

When I finally raised my head, numerous stares and mocking gestures met me. All eyes were on me, and I felt shame crawl down my spine, spreading to every part of my body. I clearly heard an old lady say I hadn’t been “properly dealt with,” while others laughed along. The humiliation was unbearable. With the speed of lightning, I grabbed my bag and ran out as the jeers grew louder behind me.

“Hey, wait! Excuse me, miss, please wait!”

I knew someone was trying to get my attention, but I was too broken to stop. Maybe it was one of those café customers pretending to offer sympathy. I quickened my pace, walking as fast as I could.

“Miss, you haven’t paid!” It was the waitress.

I stopped and turned to her with glassy eyes, holding back my tears with whatever pride I could muster, as I rummaged through my bag for some notes. I paid her and continued walking, taking long strides. The tears came rushing down, my hair shielding my face as I cried quietly. I kept walking aimlessly—my mind completely blank.

The loud honking of a car jolted me back to reality. “Get off the road, crazy lady!” the driver shouted angrily.

I snapped out of my daze and saw his furious face. Looking around, I realized I had wandered onto a busy road, with cars honking at me. I immediately ran to the other side. I kept my head down to avoid the questioning stares from passersby. It was then I noticed my hands trembling, my entire body shaking, and my tears still flowing. I was breaking down emotionally in the middle of a street. With trembling hands, I called Laura before things spiraled further out of control.

It’s been three days since Laura brought me to her place, and I had only sunk deeper into heartbreak and endless sobbing. I barely spoke, ate very little, and never left the house. Luckily, I was on a one-week leave from work. Laura had called in an emergency at her workplace so she could spend two days with me for comfort.

“Drink this. I made it to help with that headache you’ve been complaining about. It should lift your mood too.”

I turned my head slowly to see Laura carrying a tray with a mug on it. To avoid her nagging, I sat up and accepted the drink. She sat quietly beside me.

“Why don’t we go out so you can loosen up?”

“Don’t bother, I’m good,” I replied, my voice cracked and my throat sore.

“You are a mess, dear. You need to get out of this mood—he isn’t worth it.”

At her words, tears welled up in my eyes. Henry had been too good—too perfect. He seemed far too much for me, too right, as if I didn’t deserve someone as complete as he was. We had been perfect together. Nothing was wrong… until suddenly everything was.

“Why, Laura? Why?” I teared up for the umpteenth time that day. “I loved him so much. I did everything right. I gave him all of me, and all I get is lies and manipulation. All this time, I’ve been dating someone’s fiancé—how?”

Laura pulled me into her embrace, resting her chin on my head. “Some people are just good at pretending and lying. He’s a scumbag who abused your emotions, and I still can’t believe all of this mess.”

“Or maybe he fell in love with me genuinely, and it was hard for him to call off the engagement…” The moment the words left my mouth, I realized how dumb and foolish I sounded. What was wrong with me?

“So you’re making excuses for him? You’re clearly delusional. The fact is, you met this man a year ago and you two started something. He cheated on his fiancée by being with you. He lied about her being his sister, and you continued until she found out about you. You’d still be living a lie if she hadn’t confronted you. And you’re sitting here crying, making flimsy excuses for a liar and a cheat? Really?” Her voice was sharp with annoyance.

Her words cut deep, and I sobbed harder—this time for having such foolish thoughts about a man who hadn’t even called me since it all happened.

“Have you even thought about the woman who tried to skin you alive? She’s the real victim. Put yourself in her shoes and feel what she felt. No wonder she was ready to burn your skin,” Laura said bluntly. She wanted me to hate him.

“I haven’t thought about her at all. How did he do it? Cheating on his fiancée and making me feel like I was everything to him? Who knows—he might have married her and still kept me by his side. Guess I was too dumb to notice anything. Not even an instinct. Nothing seemed suspicious.”

“He was just too good at playing his cards. Drink up—we leave in twenty minutes.” Laura left the room while I stared into space.

Where had my feminine instinct been? Did he ever love me? If our relationship had progressed further, would he have asked me to marry him? We had once discussed marriage, and he seemed tense. That was the last time I brought it up. I had wanted him to mention it when he was ready.

I sat on the bed, my head heavy with questions.