Chapter One

"I want to break up with you." Those were the first words Nicolas spoke after not seeing Aria Williams for two weeks—the love of her life. The moment he uttered them, they cut through the air like a blade.

"What!? Are you serious? Why would you say something like that, Nicolas?" Aria cried, her voice trembling with disbelief. But he just stared back at her, his eyes cold and filled with anger.

"Don't touch me with your disgusting hands." He jerked away from her, refusing her touch. "I don't want to see your face ever again."

Three hours earlier.

Aria had been anxiously waiting for Nicolas to pick her up for their weekly date. They had been together for a year, inseparable from the day they met at her half-sister’s birthday party. Nicolas had been best friends with her sister, Natalie, long before their relationship began, and though it had made things difficult at times, they had always found a way to make it work.

Carefully, she crept down the stairs of her home, trying not to draw attention. Her father, Peter Williams, and stepmother, Rachel, were sitting in the living room, deeply engrossed in a conversation. If they found out she was sneaking out to see Nicolas, the consequences would be severe. She had almost made it out the door when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Where do you think you're going, you ugly bitch?" Her half-sister Natalie’s voice rang out from the top of the stairs.

Aria froze, a cold sweat forming on her forehead as her father and stepmother turned their attention to her. Rachel’s eyes blazed with anger, her expression harsh enough to make her wish she could disappear. Natalie stormed down the stairs, her steps thunderous, closing the distance between them with a malicious grin on her face.

"Where are you going?" her father demanded, his voice cold and indifferent. He had never cared for her, only tolerating her presence because her grandfather had forced him to take her in.

"Nicolas is picking me up for dinner," she whispered, terrified of their reaction. Rachel’s face turned an alarming shade of red, and she moved swiftly toward her, slapping her across the face.

"Didn't I tell you to end things with him? Why are you still whoring yourself out to him?" Rachel spat, her voice dripping with venom.

She looked toward her father for help, silently pleading for him to intervene. But, as usual, he simply ignored her, engrossed in his phone, as though her pain was an inconvenience he couldn’t be bothered with.

"You stole my daughter’s future," Rachel continued, her voice filled with hate. "She’s supposed to be the queen of the King empire, not trash like you."

"We love each other! He sees Natalie as a friend, nothing more," she tried to explain, her voice trembling, but her defiance only earned her another slap, this time harder. Natalie stepped forward, grabbing her hair and yanking it viciously.

"Nicolas is mine, and you’re going to break up with him today," Natalie hissed, leaning in close. "Or I’ll have that old hag of a grandmother of yours killed."

Her breath hitched as Natalie pulled out her phone, showing her a picture that made her blood run cold. It was an image of a figure in black, holding a gun to her grandmother’s head—the only family she truly had. Two years ago, she had discovered her grandmother was living in a care home in the next city, and since then, she'd secretly taken care of her. But her family had found out, and now they used that knowledge as a weapon against her.

"Please don’t, why are you doing this? I never did anything to you," she pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.

"You seduced my man. Now break up with him, or there will be consequences. Do you understand?" Natalie yanked harder on her hair, her tone sharp and threatening.

Sobbing, Aria nodded, feeling utterly defeated. Natalie released her and shoved her to the ground, causing her to hit her elbow hard on the floor. She lay there for a moment, gathering herself as they walked away, laughing at her pain. After a few minutes, she forced herself to her feet and stumbled into the nearby bathroom, where she threw up the little food she had eaten that day.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her tear-streaked face smeared with mascara, her hair disheveled from Natalie’s assault. She felt hollow, the spark in her eyes long gone. With shaking hands, she tried to fix her makeup and brush her hair, wanting to look presentable for Nicolas. Maybe if she looked perfect, he would still love her.

As Aria stepped out of the bathroom, she heard voices in the hallway. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Nicolas, standing tall in his navy blue suit, chatting with her family. But something was wrong. Natalie was standing close to him, her arms wrapped possessively around his waist, and he… he was smiling at her, ruffling her hair affectionately.

Her heart sank. She didn’t like how close they were, even though she knew they had been best friends for years. After everything Natalie had done, it made her skin crawl to see them together like this.

As they heard her approaching, Nicolas’s smile faded, and his expression turned cold and distant.

"Nicolas, let’s go. We haven’t seen each other in weeks, and I—" she began, but Rachel cut her off with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"Oh, Nicolas has agreed to stay for dinner. Isn’t that wonderful?" Rachel said, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"No, we’re going to—" she tried again, but this time Nicolas interrupted her.

"Actually, I’d love to stay. It’s been too long since I’ve had a home-cooked meal," he said casually, keeping his arm around Natalie.

Her chest tightened. What was happening? Why was he acting like this? She hadn’t heard from him in two weeks, and now he didn’t even want to spend time with her.

Fighting back tears, she forced a smile. "Can we talk? Please, I haven’t seen you properly in so long."

Nicolas’s eyes flashed with irritation. "Are you blind or just dumb? Can’t you see we’re talking here?"

Her heart shattered as his words hit her like a punch to the gut. Natalie smirked beside him, clearly enjoying every moment of her pain. Nicolas said nothing,  he just stood there as if he didn’t care at all.

Aria looked at him one last time before turning and walking away, her heart heavy with the realization that everything was falling apart.