YOU SLAPPED ME?

The next few minutes were a blur.

I don’t remember driving home, nor do I remember how my trembling hands were able to clench the steering wheel, or how my legs even managed to reach the pedal.

The only thing I could recall was Evan calling Lyra’s voice, but not mine.

By the time I drove into the parking lot at our… no, his home, my chest felt hollow. It was like Evan had scooped every single thing out of me and left nothing else but pain behind.

My legs trembled as I stepped out of the car and began to walk straight to the home. My plan was simple: walk to the bedroom, pack my clothes and leave this nightmare of a relationship behind.

But the moment I pushed the door open, I froze, again.

This time, Lyra was sitting on the couch.

She was wrapped in a blanket, and was resting against the cushions as though this was her home. Evan sat beside her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Neither of them had noticed the door opening and me stepping in.

Evan held a glass of water to her lips, brushed her hair away with gentle fingers while whispering to her.

This was my fiancée, and he was comforting another woman in my home.

“I had no idea you were pregnant.” Evan whispered,

Lyra lowered her lashes as her hands moved protectively over her slightly swollen body.

Pregnant?

My heart stopped beating for a moment as an absurd thought crossed my mind.

Was Evan the father?

“I’ll get you some ginger ale,” Evan whispered, then stood up and, without glancing at the door, he hurried towards the kitchen.

My nails dug into my palms as I watched him practically run to bring her some ginger ale.

The second Evan was out of earshot, Lyra’s entire demeanor changed. Her soft, scared expression shifted into an entirely different expression, one of a sharp, mocking glare.

On the other sofa was her blonde friend and the girl leaned closer, “So… that fight earlier?” she gasped, “What really happened?”

Lyra flicked her hair over her shoulder as a triumphant smirk filled her face, “Oh please, those idiots were fools, and they were not trying to hurt me, just send a message,” she replied, “Besides, I already dealt with the pregnancy situation.”

Her friend blinked, then gasped, “Wait, you didn’t?” she asked, staring at Lyra with wide eyes, “Did you…?”

Lyra grinned, “Yeah, I had a miscarriage last week, but Evan doesn’t need to know that.”

I almost choked, but kept my cool, standing as still as I could as they both aired out their affairs to the world.

“But what happens when he finds out?” The friend asked with raised brows,

Lyra laughed, it was a cold, threatening sound that sent shivers running down my spine.

“Evan? Find out? Please,” she kept on chuckling, “I have that fool wrapped around my fingers. He’ll believe anything I say,” she glanced down and traced a finger down her exposed belly. “Honestly, all I have to do is cry, and he comes running over. The baby wasn’t even his, and he was already ready to take responsibility for it.”

My heart stopped, and my lungs tightened as if a weight had settled over them. Breathing became a chore, each breath forced and shallow.

Lyra wrinkled her nose, feigning exaggerated distaste. "Ugh, what’s that disgusting smell?" she muttered, almost to herself. Her gaze then swept over the room and landed on me. A wicked smirk curled at the edges of her lips, like she’d just found something amusing.

She let the moment hang, relishing my discomfort, before her smile stretched wider. "Honestly, all of this is just too fun to watch," she drawled, flicking her wrist as if dismissing something trivial. "Seeing him dance around, thinking he’s in control—it's almost cute," she continued, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Her eyes flickered to her friend, who nodded in agreement, but then—almost imperceptibly—her gaze shifted toward me.My heart stopped, my lungs tightened until breathing became a chore.

Lyra's lips curled into a sneer, “Oh, I didn’t even know you were there, sweetie,” she whispered, “Don’t look so heartbroken. Evan was always mine, you were only useful for keeping the spot warm.”

I stepped forward, the disgust in me being consumed by an ever-rising rage. “You are lying,” I said, my voice shaking in anger, “Evan deserves to know the truth of the woman he is leaving me for.”

Lyra threw her head back and laughed, “The truth, Vera?” She chuckled. “Please go ahead, and let's see who he believes. I don’t think you get it yet, I am taking your man just because I can, and nothing more.”

Lyra tilted her head, her eyes glinting with malicious delight. Her voice dropped to a whisper, so laced with venom that it practically hissed. "Don’t look so heartbroken. Evan was always mine. You were just... useful for keeping the spot warm."

I felt the words settle like ice in my veins, but something deep within me began to boil. I took a step forward, my disgust quickly morphing into something far more dangerous—rage. My voice trembled, not from fear, but from the force of the anger that surged within me. "You’re lying," I spat, each word laced with fury. "Evan deserves to know the truth about the woman he’s leaving me for."

Lyra’s head tilted back in a laugh so sharp it almost seemed to slice the air. "The truth, Vera?" She chuckled, her tone dripping with mockery. "Please, go ahead, tell him. Let’s see who he believes." Her smile deepened, colder now. "You still don’t get it, do you? I’m taking your man—just because I can. And nothing more."

My throat tightened and for the first time in a long time, I thought about letting my fists do the talking.

“You are cruel, Lyra,” I whispered, “I’m only sad that Evan is too blind to see it.”

Lyra raised a brow, “And that you are far too weak to stop it.”

I felt the heat rush through my veins, I held back my anger, but I wasn’t going to let that go unanswered.

I took a step forward, and pointed at her. At the same time, I saw Lyra’s eyes widen as her gaze darted behind me. And at that moment, her entire expression and demeanor changed,

She shifted from being smug and content, to looking like she was staring down the barrel of a gun.

It only took a moment for me to realize what was happening, and that moment was far too long .

Because before I could react, Lyra let out a large scream and crumbled hard to the floor.

“A-ah!” she screamed, “Help, Evan.”

The sound of Evan running over filled the home. Lyra did not stop screaming even when he was running over.

“V-Vera pushed me!” she roared, “She pushed me. Oh my god, my baby, what will happen to my baby?”

Lyra was crying now, not just sobbing, crying, and she kept on wailing and pointing at me.

Evan dropped the mug of ginger ale with a loud crash. Without even looking at me, he rushed to Lyra's side and helped her up.

“Lyra,” he called out, his voice cracked with genuine panic and pain. “What happened?” he asked, but his gaze barely brushed past me, a flash of disgust flickering in his eyes as he took in the sight of me—drenched in grime, a mess from crawling out of the trash heap, his gaze filled with anger as he looked at me. .

My lips parted, a flood of words racing up to my throat, but before I could speak, Lyra beat me to it.

“Evan. She pushed me, and I think I am losing the baby.”

The words hit like a sledgehammer. A primal surge of anger, confusion, and helplessness coiled within me. “I DIDN’T TOUCH HER!” I screamed, more shocked by Lyra’s acting than anything now, “Evan, she is lying to you! She’s staging this, look at her!”

His eyes didn’t even flicker in my direction. Not even a single, fleeting glance. He turned his back to me and started cradling her in his arms while his other hand searched his pockets for his car keys,

“Evan please, she staged all this. I did not touch her, I did not even - "

“SHUT UP!” Evan looked me in the eyes and roared,

I flinched, and the world froze around me,

Lyra kept on trying, but I wasn’t going to stop until he knew exactly what happened.

“Evan, please listen to me,” I continued, “Lyra is lying, she’s not even pregnant anymore. She’s - “

He stood, took two steps toward me, and before I could blink,

His hand struck my face.

The pain exploded like a firework behind my eyes, the jagged metal edges of the key fob and the serrated teeth of the ignition key had sliced into my skin on impact.

I staggered backward, my legs buckling beneath me as I collapsed.