Chapter One: Betrayed By The Man I Love

Elizabeth

“Jason, are you sure you don’t prefer the blue tie over the brown one? Paris deserves your best look, you know.” I pressed the phone closer to my ear, teasing him with a smile I couldn’t contain. Just the thought of our honeymoon in two days made my heart swell.

His deep chuckle filled the line. “Elizabeth, you know I’d wear anything if you picked it. Stop worrying.”

“Don’t say that. You’ll regret it when the pictures come out,” I laughed softly, already imagining us strolling along the Seine, his arm wrapped around me.

“I’ll regret nothing,” he said smoothly, his voice carrying that charm that had once made my knees weak. “We’ll talk later, love. I have to run into a meeting.”

“All right, but don’t forget,.blue suits you better.” I ended the call reluctantly and set my phone aside.

Traffic had stalled, a sea of honking cars trapped on the city’s busy street. With a sigh, I leaned my head against the window, watching the restless movement of people outside.

That was when I saw him.

At first, my brain refused to register what my eyes were screaming. Jason. My Jason. My brand-new husband, stepping out of a glittering hotel lobby. And he wasn’t alone.

He was holding someone’s hand.

I blinked once. Twice. Convinced it was a trick of light, a mirage born of exhaustion. But no, it wasn’t. My chest tightened as my gaze locked on the woman’s face.

Jessica.

My best friend.

My lips parted, trembling. “No… no, this isn’t real.”

I fumbled for my phone, fingers shaking as I dialed his number. My heart nearly stopped when Jason paused mid-step, glanced at his buzzing phone, and then… slid it back into his pocket. He didn’t even flinch.

“Jason?” My voice cracked as tears blurred my sight.

I dialed again. This time he answered.

“I’m in a board meeting, Elizabeth. We’ll talk later,” he muttered curtly, his tone colder than the man I’d just spoken to minutes ago.

“A board meeting?” My laugh was bitter, shaky. “Jason… I can see you.”

But before I could say more, the line went dead.

I froze, staring across the traffic at him. His eyes were scanning, searching, and then… they found me. For one long, heart-wrenching second, we were caught in each other’s gaze. His expression shifted, and I couldn’t tell if it was shock, guilt, or fear.

The blaring of a horn ripped through the air. My world tilted. Metal screeched. Something slammed into the side of my car, shoving me forward violently.

Everything spun. My head hit something hard.

Yet somehow… I wasn’t inside anymore.

I was standing on the pavement, watching in disbelief as my car crumpled beneath the weight of a truck. Flames spat from the hood, smoke rising thick into the air.

“What…?” My voice trembled as I stared at the wreck. “How did I…?”

Footsteps thundered behind me. Jason. His face was pale, eyes wide with horror as he sprinted toward the wreckage.

I spun on him, rage and grief clawing at me. Tears streamed down my face. “Why?” My voice cracked. “Why are you acting worried now? Didn’t I just see you with Jessica? My best friend?”

But he wasn’t looking at me.

He ran right past me, straight toward the destroyed car.

I froze. Cold dread slid down my spine as I turned back. Jason was leaning into the wreck, his hands trembling as he reached into the mangled frame. His lips were moving, shouting words I couldn’t hear, his expression twisted in a way I had never seen before.

My fists clenched as I watched him tug at the crushed door, desperation carved across his face. He groaned and cursed, then slammed his shoulder against the metal.

Fueled by fury, I charged forward and struck his back with my palm.

A jolt shot through me like lightning. My entire arm tingled, my skin prickling as if I had plunged it into an electric storm. Jason didn’t even flinch.

My breath hitched. I stumbled backward, clutching my trembling hand. “What… what just happened?”

Jason was muttering something under his breath, his phone pressed to his ear. Then suddenly he shouted, his voice breaking, “Elizabeth! Hold on!”

My heart lurched. Hold on? What the hell was he talking about?

“Jason, I’m right here!” I screamed, my voice raw, but he didn’t so much as glance my way.

Sirens wailed, cutting through the chaos. Red and blue lights painted the street as an ambulance skidded to a halt beside me. Men in white gowns spilled out, rolling a stretcher toward the wreckage.

I stared as they swarmed my car, barking instructions I couldn’t quite catch. Jason’s fists pounded the door once more before he winced and kicked it with everything he had. With a groan of metal, the door finally fell open.

And then—

I froze.

They pulled someone out of the mangled seat.

A woman. Her face bloodied, her eyes shut, her skin ghostly pale.

My eyes widened, my lungs emptied of air. She looked exactly like me.

“What the hell…” I whispered, stumbling backward, my vision spinning.

The stretcher wheeled past me, and for a second, I could swear I smelled the faint metallic tang of my own blood.

Footsteps clicked to my side. I turned to see Jessica.

Her hand was clamped over her mouth, eyes wide as tears pooled.

Rage ripped through me. “You!” I screamed, storming toward her. My chest heaved with betrayal so sharp it burned. “How could you? With my husband? I trusted you. I took you in as my sister, and this is how you repay me? You evil, lying bitch!”

My hand lashed out, fueled by every ounce of hatred and hurt—

But it passed straight through her cheek.

I gasped, jerking back. “What the hell is going on?”

I spun wildly, crying, shouting, but nobody looked my way.

Through my blur of frustration, my gaze caught on a man in a crimson suit. He stood at the edge of the chaos, a phone pressed to his ear. Unlike the others, his eyes weren’t on the wreck.

They were on me.

And he was smiling.