Chapter 1: The Betrayal

Chapter 1 : The Betrayal

(Zara POV)

Ryan never left his door unlocked.

That was the first thing that felt wrong.

I stood outside his apartment for a second longer than necessary, staring at the slightly open door, my fingers tightening around my phone. His car was parked outside. I had seen it myself. And yet, ten minutes ago, he had told me he wasn’t home.

Pushing the door open slowly, I stepped inside. The living room was empty, but faint music drifted from down the hallway. It was soft at first, almost easy to ignore, but as I moved further in, it grew louder, clearer.

Maybe he had rushed out. Maybe he forgot to lock up.

“Ryan?” I called

No answer.

I walked toward his bedroom, each step slower than the last. The music grew louder, but it wasn’t the only thing I could hear anymore.

Voices.

I stopped just outside the door, my hand hovering over the handle. A woman’s voice filtered through.

Soft, familiar. Too familiar.

“Ryan… when are we going to tell her?” she asked quietly. “We don’t need to hide anymore. I can’t keep pretending like someone else isn’t with the father of my child.”

My fingers froze. Every part of me went still.

No. No, I must have heard wrong.

Ryan’s voice followed, low and calm “I told you, I’ll handle it soon. Just give me time. I need to finish setting up the company first. You know I need her friend’s father to back me if I want that first contract.”

Her friend's father. The phrase snagged somewhere in the back of my mind, but the next words buried it completely.

" But..."

"Shhhh, I'm just using her. I will soon dumped her."

Using her? Could he possibly be talking about me?

“I don’t like her. I’m scared she might try something.”

Ryan let out a quiet laugh. “Relax. I won’t let anyone touch you or our baby.”

Baby.

The word hit me like something physical. My hand moved before I could think. I pushed the door open.

“What baby?”

The room snapped into focus all at once. Ryan was sitting on the edge of the bed.

And beside him—

Keisha.

My half-sister. Her hand rested casually on his arm like it belonged there, like it had always belonged there.

For a second, no one spoke. Keisha’s eyes widened slightly when she saw me, but the surprise didn’t last long. Ryan, on the other hand, didn’t even look guilty.

“Ryan,” I said, my voice shaking despite how hard I tried to steady it. “What is this? What are you doing with her? What pregnancy are you talking about?”

He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was the one being unreasonable.

“What does it look like?”

“What?”

“We’ve been seeing each other for weeks,” he said flatly. “Don’t make a scene.”

Don’t make a scene. Something in me almost laughed at that.

Keisha shifted closer to him, her fingers curling more tightly around his arm as she let out a soft, exaggerated sigh.

“Zara,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t blame Ryan. You’re just… not fun. He needed someone, and I was there.”

I stared at her.

“So that’s how it happened?” I asked slowly. “You just ended up in your sister’s boyfriend’s bed by accident?”

Her lips curved slightly. “Half-sister,” she corrected. “Let’s not get carried away.”

Ryan rolled his eyes like this was all exhausting him.

“I didn’t force her,” he added. “We care about each other.”

“Care about each other,” I repeated. “That’s what we’re calling it now?”

Keisha crossed her arms. “God, Zara. Why do you always make everything so dramatic?”

I let out a short laugh that didn’t sound like me.

“You’re sleeping with my boyfriend,” I said quietly, “and I’m the dramatic one?”

Ryan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You want the truth?” he asked.

I didn’t answer. He shrugged anyway.

“You stopped being fun a long time ago.”

“I’m boring?” I asked, my voice coming out sharp. “After everything? After you took my virginity and promised I was the only girl you’d ever want?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wished I could take them back.

Ryan’s expression tightened immediately. “Zara,” he muttered. “Don’t start that.”

Keisha rolled her eyes.

“Oh please,” she said. “You’re acting like that was some sacred ritual. People have sex. It’s not a marriage contract.”

Ryan nodded like she had said something reasonable. “That was months ago,” he added. “You’re still stuck on it.”

Something cold settled deep in my chest. So that was what it meant to him. Nothing.

“You’re always working,” he continued. “Always tired. Always stressed about school or that job. It’s like you don’t even know how to live anymore.”

“That job pays my tuition,” I said.

“Exactly,” he replied with a small smirk. “You’re always the responsible one.”

Keisha laughed quietly.

“And honestly,” Ryan added, glancing at my outfit like he had just noticed it, “you didn’t expect me to be stuck with a bartender forever, did you?”

For a second, everything inside me went completely still. “So that’s what this is about,” I said slowly. “My job.”

“No,” Keisha cut in sweetly. “It’s about your personality.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

“You try too hard to be perfect,” she continued. “Like you’re better than everyone else. Ryan needed someone who actually knows how to have fun.”

“And that someone just happened to be you?” I asked.

She shrugged lightly. “I didn’t have to try as hard as you.” she leaned in and whispered into my ear" This is only the beginning Zara, I'm going to take everything from you, your life, and position"

That did it. Before I could think, my hand flew up.

The slap was meant for Ryan. I never reached him.

Keisha shoved me hard, and I stumbled backward, my heel slipping as I barely caught myself against the table behind me.

“You’re crazy,” she snapped.

“You pushed me,” I shot back.

“You tried to hit him!”

“He deserved it!”

Ryan stepped between us, his expression darkening.

“Enough.”

But Keisha wasn’t done. Before I could react, her hand came down across my face. The sound cracked through the room.

My head snapped to the side, and for a second, everything went quiet.

“You always act like you’re better than everyone else,” she said coldly.

I slowly turned back to face her, my cheek burning.

“You’re really proud of yourself right now,” I said quietly.

“At least I’m not pathetic,” she replied.

Ryan grabbed a drink from the bedside table and handed it to her like I wasn’t even there.

“Forget her,” he muttered.

But Keisha didn’t. She looked at me one more time, then tipped the glass forward.

Cold liquid soaked into my shirt, dripping down my skin and onto the floor.

I stood there, frozen.

Ryan let out an annoyed sigh.

“See?” he said. “This is exactly why I didn’t want you here. You can’t handle anything.”

My hands were shaking, but I kept them at my sides.

I looked at him one last time. This was the same man who once held my face and said he loved me.

“Enjoy each other,” I said quietly.

He frowned, like he expected more. A fight. A breakdown.

I gave him nothing. I turned and walked out.

---

I walked for three blocks before I realized I had no idea where I was going. Six hours earlier, I had been a completely different person.

At 6:47 a.m., I received an email from a boutique fashion agency offering me an interview for a junior styling position. I read it four times before I believed it was real.

I wore something simple jeans, a soft blouse, light makeup. I wanted to look like myself, not like someone pretending to belong.

Ryan had called that morning.

“Morning, sweetie,” he said, his voice too bright.

“I have an interview,” I told him.

“We should celebrate after. Or before,” he added lightly.

“I need to focus.”

He had gone quiet for a second.

“You take everything too seriously,” he said. “Relax for once.”

I ended the call early, ignoring the unease in my chest.

The office was everything I expected—polished, expensive, intimidating. Clean lines, glass walls, and the kind of silence that made you sit up straighter.

Miranda, the woman who greeted me, was sharp-eyed and direct.

“Your portfolio is good,” she said. “You have instinct.”

For a moment, I let myself believe this could work.

Then he walked in. Richard. Older. Confident. The kind of man who didn’t need to raise his voice to be heard.

His attention settled on me in a way that made my skin crawl.

The interview started normally enough, but it didn’t stay that way.

“You have potential,” he said eventually, leaning forward slightly. “I can make things easier for you. All you need to do is be… flexible.”

My stomach dropped. “I’m here for the job,” I said carefully.

His smile didn’t change. “And I’m offering you an opportunity.”

“I’m not interested,” I said, standing up.

He chuckled like I had said something amusing. “This is how the world works, Zara.”

“Not mine.”

I walked out without looking back.

---

By the time I got home, I was already exhausted.

My stepmother was at the door, dressed to leave, her expression tight with disapproval as her eyes skimmed over me.

" How dare you filthy witch!..."

I didn’t stop. I walked past her and headed for the stairs. I barely made it halfway before my father appeared, I opened my mouth to greet him but the slap came before I could say a word.

The force of it snapped my head to the side.

“Dad—” I started.

“What did you do?” he demanded.

I blinked at him, stunned. “What?”

“How could you beat someone pregnant?” he snapped. “Are you even human?”

The words didn’t make sense. “I didn’t touch her,” I said.

His expression hardened. “You expect me to believe that?”

Realization hit me like a second blow.

“Wait,” I said slowly. “Even if I did… the baby she’s carrying is my boyfriend’s.”

Another slap landed across my face.

“And so?” he said coldly.