Chapter 1: The Betrayal I Never Expected

Aria’s P.O.V

“My sister is the most gullible woman in the world. Even if she caught us right now—naked under the covers—I could tell her you were helping me rehearse for a play and she’d believe it.”

“That’s why I like you, Amara,” Landon replied lazily. “You know exactly what you want, and you’re not afraid to take it.”

“Take it?” Amara laughed softly. “Did I steal you? You came to me, remember? Begging for a taste of the forbidden fruit.”

“Then let me have another taste, mon amour,” Landon murmured. “I can never get enough of you.”

Their laughter filled the room.

Outside my sister’s bedroom door, I stood frozen. The floor felt like it had vanished beneath my feet.

If I told my parents what I had just heard, they’d probably say I was overreacting. Their perfect daughter—my younger sister—could do no wrong. Amara was the golden child, the pride of the family. The beautiful one. The charming one.

The one everyone loved.

Meanwhile, I stood in the hallway of my own house feeling like I’d been dropped into some ridiculous old soap opera—one filled with dramatic betrayals and painfully obvious plot twists.

Except this wasn’t a show.

It was my life.

Inside that room, my younger sister—the one person I thought was always on my side—was sleeping with my boyfriend of two years.

At first, I couldn’t move. I just stood there, listening as their laughter faded into soft moans and the creak of the bed.

Something inside me broke.

Slowly, I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor, my back pressed against the hallway wall. My hand flew to my mouth, swallowing the desperate cry threatening to escape.

Amara was right. I was the fool.

The gullible idiot who had practically delivered my boyfriend straight into my sister’s arms.

Landon Hunter and I had met at work. I worked in finance, buried in spreadsheets and deadlines, while he was the star of the IT department—the brilliant problem solver every woman in the office admired. When he started paying attention to me, I’d been shocked.

He brought me flowers. Took me to movies every Friday night. Twice a month we’d go somewhere fancy for dinner. He always opened doors for me, always remembered the little things I said.

Because our jobs were so demanding, we didn’t spend every moment together. But I never complained. I thought that was what a healthy relationship looked like—two busy people building something steady.

And when I told him I wasn’t ready to go further physically, he hadn’t pressured me. Not once. He’d just smiled gently and kissed me goodnight at my doorstep.

Sometimes he’d even say waiting made things more meaningful. That maybe the perfect moment would be our wedding night. At the time, it had sounded romantic. Pure.

“Oh… Landon… yes… right there…”

The sound snapped me out of my thoughts.

My hand pressed harder against my mouth as a strangled sob tried to escape. I couldn’t stay there.

Stumbling to my feet, I rushed down the hallway and into my bedroom. I closed the door quietly and slid to the floor with my back against it.

Then the tears came.

I buried my face in my hands, trying to muffle the sounds of my crying. My entire body shook as sob after sob tore through my chest.

It felt like the world I’d built—every dream, every hope—had shattered all at once.

How long had this been happening? How long had they been lying to me?

When Landon first met Amara, they’d acted like they disliked each other. Landon had been polite but distant. Amara had complained to me that he seemed “too perfect,” that men like that were usually hiding something.

I’d believed she was looking out for me. Now I realized the truth.

Landon hadn’t been the only fake one. Amara had been the best actress of them all.

And honestly… how could he not choose her?

My sister was stunning. Bright blonde hair, pale blue eyes, a flawless figure. She’d won beauty pageants growing up. In high school she’d been both Homecoming Queen and Prom Queen.

People noticed Amara the moment she walked into a room.

Compared to her, I was invisible. Plain dirty-blonde hair. Icy blue eyes that always looked a little too large for my face. The quiet older sister who stayed in the background.

Of course he wanted her.

Of course everyone did.

A burst of laughter in the hallway pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts and I froze.

My parents were visiting my grandparents in the next town and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow evening. Which meant only two people could be out there.

Amara and Landon.

“Come on, babe! We’re going to be late for the reservation!” Landon called.

I stopped breathing.

Babe?

He called her babe? He had never once called me that in our two years together.

To him, I was just Aria. Sometimes ‘sweetheart’ if he was feeling affectionate. He’d once told me nicknames like “babe” were cheesy.

Apparently not cheesy enough for my sister.

“Coming, baby!” Amara called back.

A door clicked open.

Then Landon let out a low whistle. “Wow. You look incredible. Maybe we should just stay home. Every woman there will be jealous of you.”

“Well, they should be,” Amara laughed.

Their footsteps moved down the hallway. A moment later, the front door shut. Seconds after that, I heard Amara’s car start and pull out of the driveway and silence settled over the house.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. With trembling fingers, I pulled it out to find a text from Amara.

Going out with friends. Don’t worry about me. Love ya!

I stared at the message.

Then another notification popped up, this one from Landon.

Hey Aria! Leaving the office early today. I’ll be out of town for the next two weeks so I’m heading to my parents’ place first. Don’t worry about me. Get some rest. I’ll see you soon. Love you!

For a moment, I just stared at the screen.

Then I started laughing.

At first it was quiet. Then louder, almost maniacal.

Soon I was laughing so hard I had to hold my stomach.

My sister and my boyfriend had just slept together across the hall from me and now they were out on a date. And both of them were texting me—at the exact same time—pretending they were in completely different places.

The words ‘love you’ at the end of their messages made something inside me snap.

I tossed the phone onto the floor and collapsed beside it, laughter still spilling from my mouth.

What a joke.

My life. My relationship.

The two people I trusted most, had just betrayed me in the worst way possible and called me the fool.

Eventually the laughter faded, leaving me lying on the floor staring at the ceiling.

And then a quiet thought crept into my mind.

What are you going to do about it, Aria?

I didn’t have an answer.

Nothing I said would undo what had happened. Nothing would erase the images now burned into my mind. No amount of anger could turn back time.

But one thing became painfully clear.

I couldn’t stay in this house tonight.

The same house where my sister and my boyfriend had betrayed me just a few feet away.

Slowly, I pushed myself up onto shaky legs. My body protested, exhaustion and heartbreak weighing me down, but I forced myself toward the closet.

I pushed aside my everyday clothes. At the very back sat a small box I’d hidden months ago.

Inside was a dress I’d never been brave enough to wear.

A sleek little black dress.

I had bought it for a special moment someday—maybe my wedding night. I’d imagined surprising Landon with it, watching his eyes light up the way they did in romantic movies.

Now the thought made me laugh bitterly.

I lifted the dress out of the box. The fabric was smooth between my fingers.

I had spent so long trying to be the perfect girlfriend. The good daughter. The dependable older sister. And where had that gotten me? Betrayal and humiliation were my only rewards.

My grip tightened around the dress.

If Landon could sleep with my sister without a second thought…then why should I keep being the faithful, gullible girlfriend?

Betrayal, after all, went both ways.

And if he could so easily replace me…what was stopping me from doing the exact same thing?