Chapter 3

The city lights blurred into a hazy glow through the rain soaked taxi window as Alexis sat frozen, her hands trembling on her lap.

Her heart pounded so loudly in her chest that she thought it might drown out the sound of her own thoughts.

The message replayed in her mind over and over again: "If you want to know the truth about Ryan, come to the Bellaire Hotel. Room 407."

The Bellaire Hotel.

Her special place with Ryan.

A place filled with memories of laughter, whispered promises, and love, or at least what she thought had been love.

How could this be happening?

It couldn’t be real.

She clung to the hope that it was some cruel joke, a mistake, anything but the truth. But the sinking feeling in her stomach only deepened as the taxi neared the hotel.

The air inside the cab was stifling, the sound of rain tapping against the windows doing nothing to calm her nerves.

Every rational part of her brain told her to stop, to turn around and go home, to pretend she hadn’t seen the message. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself.

There was a magnetic pull that urged her forward, even though every step closer to the hotel felt like walking into a nightmare.

When the taxi pulled up to the curb, Alexis hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering over the door handle.

Her chest tightened, her breath shallow as the weight of what she might find hit her like a tidal wave.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to move. She couldn’t live in uncertainty. She had to know.

Stepping out into the rain, the cold droplets soaked through her gown almost immediately. She hardly noticed.

Her legs felt like lead as she made her way through the lobby, past the concierge who greeted her with a polite nod, and toward the elevators.

Each step was heavier than the last, her heart pounding in her throat.

The elevator ride to the fourth floor was agonizingly slow, the soft hum of the machinery only heightening her anxiety.

When the doors finally slid open, Alexis’s feet dragged her down the dimly lit corridor toward Room 407, the number highlighted in gold on the door.

She stared at it, her mind whirling with the what ifs, the fears, and the disbelief.

But deep down, she already knew.

Her hand shook as she raised it to knock, but she stopped herself. Instead, she reached for the door handle, turning it slowly, and to her surprise, it opened without resistance.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stepped inside.

The scene before her shattered whatever fragile hope she had left.

Ryan stood near the bed, hastily pulling on his shirt, his hair disheveled. And there, in the tangled sheets, lay Sophia, her skin flushed and her eyes widening in horror as they locked with Alexis’s.

Time seemed to stop. Alexis couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move.

The sight before her felt like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of her, leaving her gasping for air.

Her world crumbled in an instant, the foundation of her life collapsing beneath her feet.

“Alexis...” Ryan’s voice broke the silence, but she didn’t hear it.

She couldn’t.

All she could focus on was Sophia, her best friend, the one person she trusted more than anyone else.

The betrayal cut through her like a jagged blade.

Sophia’s lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out.

Her eyes, once so familiar and warm, now felt foreign, cold and calculating.

“How could you?” Alexis finally choked out, her voice barely above a whisper.

The words felt strange on her tongue, as if she were watching someone else speak.

This couldn’t be real.

It couldn’t be happening.

Sophia sat up, pulling the sheets around her like a shield. “Alexis, please, I can explain...”

“Explain?” Alexis’s voice rose, the disbelief turning into something raw.

She felt the sting of hot tears burn in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Not yet.

“Explain what? How you’ve been sleeping with my fiancé behind my back? How long, Sophia? How long has this been going on?”

Ryan stepped forward, reaching out as if to touch her, but she recoiled.

The very sight of him made her feel sick to her stomach. “Alexis, I made a mistake....”

“A mistake?” Her voice cracked. “This is more than a mistake, Ryan. You’ve been lying to me, to my face, for God knows how long. You let me plan a wedding, let me believe that you loved me, while you were sneaking around with her.”

The silence between them was deafening. For a moment, she felt like she might crumble right there, that she might break into a thousand pieces on the spot. But then something inside her hardened, a wall building itself around her heart to keep the pain from spilling over.

Alexis turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, her vision blurred by the tears she refused to shed in front of them.

She heard Ryan call her name, but she didn’t stop.

She couldn’t.

Back in the corridor, the tears finally came.

They flowed freely, silently, as the weight of the betrayal settled into her bones.

She pressed her forehead against the wall as she turned a corner, her mind racing, replaying every memory, every moment with Ryan, now tainted by his infidelity.

And Sophia, her closest friend, her confidante. Alexis felt a fresh wave of nausea hit her.

The betrayal from her best friend hurt almost as much, if not more.

She had trusted Sophia with everything, shared her deepest secrets, her fears, her dreams. And all the while, Sophia had been stabbing her in the back.

How could she have been so blind?

So naïve?

Alexis felt completely and utterly alone.

She staggered down the stairs, her mind numb.

She collapsed onto the cold hard floor, burying her face in her hands.

Her chest ached with the weight of her broken heart, each breath painful as it caught in her throat.

She reached for her phone, instinctively scrolling through her contacts until she found Sophia’s name.

Her thumb hovered over the screen. For a moment, she felt an overwhelming urge to call, to demand answers, to scream and cry and ask why. But then, she dropped the phone onto the floor beside her.

There would be no answers that could mend the gaping wound left behind. Instead, Alexis curled up on the floor, hugging her knees tightly against her chest. She let the tears fall, sobs shaking her entire body as she cried until there was nothing left inside her.

No more tears.

No more strength.

Everything she had known, everything she had believed in, was gone. Torn apart by the two people she had loved and trusted most.