“I have never loved you, Alyssa!”

“I believe everything happens for a reason.”

***

~ Alyssa ~

“What do you mean?” I stared at them, dumbfounded and unable to utter a word.

“You are so gullible, Aly!” Mark spat, his words harsh and piercing. 

I stared at them both in confusion.

“Oh… you still haven’t figured it out yet?” Cassandra closed the distance between us and began to pace around me like the proud peacock that she was.

“Mark needed to build his architectural firm, and despite not having a degree in architecture, he was able to. Have you thought about how that happened?” It felt like I was suddenly slapped back to reality as I opened my mouth to speak… but closed it, like a fish plucked from water.

I couldn’t believe my eyes or ears. “You used me?” My gaze met Mark’s, my first ever boyfriend, the one who I believed taught me how to love and believe in love despite everything I had gone through.

“What does it look like?” His gaze, as sharp as his words, as Cassandra walked back into his arms. “Do you really think I was dating you for your body? The same one you never gave to me, claiming you promised yourself you’d wait for marriage before engaging in any sort of intimacy?”

“So you used me for her?” I stared at Cassandra now, really looking at her as she stood there, not as my best friend, but as Mark’s lover. Her skin was pale, her lips curvy and seductive. She had a well-defined body with curves and always made sure to flaunt it in tight-fitting clothes. Unlike me, who went around in jeans and tops because they made me comfortable. 

I have never doubted Cassandra’s acting skills, but at this point… she could easily win an Oscar.

“I have never loved you, Alyssa! Cassy has always been my first love and will always be,” Mark replied. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I refused to let them. I tightened my fists behind me.

“I thought we were best friends, Cassandra! I assumed you cared about me.” My words shook as I thought of the times I had revealed my plans, goals, and the development of my relationship with Mark to her. She had seemed so supportive and kind. But who would have thought?

“Best friends? With you? An orphan who has nobody to call her own?” Her words cut deeper than I anticipated.

My orphaned state had always been a sore topic, and we rarely mentioned, until now.

“Do you think you’d have been able to attend a prestigious university like this if the government hadn’t taken pity on you and granted you a scholarship? Do you?” I could only stare at her as she slowly advanced toward me.

“So… all those times when you stayed out late, you were with Mark?” I asked instead, attempting to confirm my doubts.

“What do you think? That I’d spend nights with an orphaned girl like you when I could be out making love to my boy—?” My palms acted on their own, slapping her face before she could complete her sentence.

“What the hell, Alyssa!” Mark’s angry voice followed as he rushed toward Cassandra and pulled her into his arms while she glared hatefully at me.

“Does it hurt, Cassy?” I asked with a smile, noticing the redness blooming on her pale cheeks.

“You bitch!” She tried rushing toward me, but Mark surprisingly held her back.

“Oh… it hurts?” I smiled again as I stared at them both.

“Enough, Alyssa! You’ve done enough! You will not say another word to hurt Cassy!” His words stung more than I’d like to admit. 

Mark had always been gentle and kind to me. He’d never raised his voice at me, even when angry. He was the ideal boyfriend I had always wanted. At a point, I feared he was love bombing me, but my doubts quickly faded after Cassandra assured me that it wasn’t the case. But what if that was indeed the truth?

“And I will no longer design buildings for your company!” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, realizing too late how foolish I sounded when I caught their smirks.

“What?!”

“It seems you’ve forgotten about the contract you signed with us, Alyssa.” I didn’t let the “us” in her statement affect me; that was definitely the least of my concerns. “What contract?”

“I have always known you were naive, Alyssa. But who would have thought you’d be stupid too?” She cackled, her laughter echoing through the quiet arena. I raised an eyebrow, quietly waiting for their answer.

“The contract you signed states that you lose the rights to the shares of the company the moment you stop working for us.” 

What the hell!

As if their betrayal wasn’t enough, I would still lose rights over the company I had helped build with him!

“And you made me sign that?” I thought of those moments when I had felt so loved and cared for. Were those moments a lie? Or were they simply a figment of my imagination?

“What do you think, stupid Alyssa?”

“You will both pay for this!” I ran out of the arena and didn’t stop until I reached our shared apartment. 

It wasn’t until I shut the door behind me that I finally let the tears fall. How could I have been so foolish and gullible to fall for a lie?

I stared at the promissory ring on my finger as tears streamed down my face. Mark had promised that we’d get married as soon as we graduated, yet he hadn’t even thought of an engagement ring, nor had he officially asked me to marry him. 

It all sounded absurd until Cassandra coerced me into believing it was normal and that he’d ask me eventually. I fell for that! How stupid of me.

“Mom, am I really that foolish?” I gazed at the framed picture on the wall, my gaze blurred by tears. It was a photograph of a woman I was told was my mom when I left the orphanage four years ago. 

“Is that why you abandoned me at birth?” Mom had died immediately after I was born, due to a nurse’s insensitivity. Who tells a newly operated woman that her husband died in a car crash with his girlfriend? Who does that?

The sound of my phone ringing interrupted my thoughts. I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. 

It was the hostel manager. 

I answered the call without thinking, already predicting how the conversation would go.

“Hey, Alyssa. I believe you are okay.”

“I am,” I replied in a small voice. If she noticed the hoarseness in my tone, she didn’t mention it.

“Good. As you know, your time here ends today, and you’ve got 24 hours to vacate the hostel.”

“Okay, Mrs.,” I acknowledged.

“Good. Also, congratulations on your graduation.” I nodded, even though she wasn’t in front of me.

“Yes, yes… thank you.” The call ended, and I realized how pathetic my situation really was. The plan had always been to move in with Mark after graduation. But now? I had to find an apartment, a job, and all of that.

And most importantly, 

How exactly was I going to survive the next few days in New York City with barely any savings? How?

….

A/N: I hope you are enjoying the story so far, guys! Because I am!