Chapter Two

~Emilia 

I parked right in front of the courthouse and stepped out, attracting a few stares from passersby. 

Today was my day. I walked in, heels clicking softly against the marble floor, scanning for Malik in the small crowd of people standing at the entrance of the courthouse.

 But as I searched every face, Malik’s wasn’t one of them.

My heart skipped a beat.

Adjusting my gown,I took a deep breath. 

Maybe he was just parking. 

Or maybe he was stuck in traffic like he said last night. I told myself not to panic as I stepped aside and took out my phone. I dialed his number once. 

No response.

I dialed again. Still no response. 

My fingers began to tremble slightly as I stepped into the courthouse.

I waited. Five minutes turned into fifteen. 

Thirty minutes slipped by. I was beginning to be super worried as I sat patiently. I could feel the stares from passersby as I stood there in my pristine white dress, bouquet in hand—alone.

By the time a full hour had passed, I was pacing, trying to keep my breath steady.

“What could have held him from coming, today of all days?” I whispered to myself, my voice dry and cracked. My mind was racing with questions, each one louder than the last.

I needed answers.

I couldn't wait any longer as I rushed back to the car, my heels no longer sounding confident but desperate as I climbed in and drove straight to Malik’s office.

His car wasn’t parked out front, and when I asked the security guard about him, he confirmed Malik hadn’t shown up at all that morning.

My chest tightened. Something was wrong. Something was deeply, painfully wrong. I was beginning to panic.

My first instinct was to call someone—anyone—who might know what was going on. So I dialed the one person I trusted the most: my sister, Charlotte.

She didn’t pick up.

I tried again. No response.

That was unusual. Charlotte always answered my calls, especially today of all days. 

My hands shook as I gripped the steering wheel.

I decided to drive straight to her house. Maybe she was asleep. Maybe she’d know something.

When I reached her place, I knocked on the entrance door and waited.

No answer.

Just as I was about to knock again, I heard soft moans from behind the door. 

Embarrassment flushed through me and I almost turned away. I couldn't believe my sister was hooking up with a man when she was supposed to attend my wedding and be by my side.

But then, I heard a familiar voice that made me freeze.

A voice I knew far too well.

Malik.

I stood there frozen, my brain refusing to process what my ears were hearing.

“You're so much better than her,” Malik's voice drifted through the door, muffled but unmistakable. “Emilia doesn’t even excite me anymore. She’s so uptight in bed. But you make me feel alive.”

My breath caught in my throat.

My hand trembled against the doorknob as I heard Charlotte giggle. “You’re such a bad man, go harder,” she moaned in pleasure.

“You’re the one I want, Charlotte,” Malik replied smoothly. “I wondered how stupid she had to be to think I’d marry someone like her. God, how dumb can she be?”

I was dumbfounded. Hot tears were beginning to well up in my eyes as I pushed the door open.

The moment felt like a scene from a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

There they were. My fiancé. My sister. Naked under tangled sheets, their bodies glued together as they moaned, with clothes scattered on the floor. The air sucked out of my lungs.

They both froze when they saw me.

“Emilia!” Charlotte gasped, covering herself with a pillow.

Malik’s face twisted in a mix of shock and regret as he rushed to put on his clothes. “Babe… it’s not what it looks like...”

“Don’t you dare!” I screamed, feeling something inside me crack—something that could never be repaired. “Don’t you even dare lie to me right now!”

Charlotte smirked, shameless and smug. “You weren’t satisfying him. He needed someone who could, so I decided to help you out.”

I was filled with bitterness and rage as I raised my hand to slap her across the face.

But Malik jumped out of bed and caught my hand in the air.

“Don’t you touch her!” he barked, his body shielding hers.

I stared at him in disbelief. “You’re defending her? After what you’ve done to me?”

Malik’s eyes narrowed. “You weren’t enough, Emilia. I wanted more—and she gave it to me.”

The words struck me like a punch in the stomach.

Tears filled my eyes. I freed my hand from his strong grip and took a shaky step back, holding onto the last piece of dignity I had left.

“You lied to me,” I said, sniffing. “You promised me forever. You promised we’d grow old together.”

“You believed that fairytale?” Charlotte scoffed, stretching lazily. “You were always so foolish and naive.”

I looked at her—my own sister—and for the first time in my life, I saw a stranger. “You betrayed me.”

She shrugged. “He chose me.”

I turned toward the door, shaking. “I hope you two rot together.”

Malik stepped forward, trying to grab my hand. “Emilia, don’t go like this. Let me explain…”

“Explain?” I laughed bitterly. “You explained everything in that bed.”

“I was going to come back,” he stammered. “But you blew up my phone. I just... I got caught in the moment.”

“Don’t ever speak to me again.” My voice cracked, but I stood tall.

He followed me out, wearing nothing but his pants, trailing behind like he still had a right to be concerned.

“Don’t drive off in my car,” he warned coldly, pointing at the Rolls Royce in the lot.

I turned and gave him the most pitiful smile I could muster. “I wouldn’t touch anything that belongs to you ever again.”

I gripped my purse and my phone—the only things I had left with me.

My eyes were already bloodshot from crying as I stormed out of my own sister’s house. The pain was unbearable.

"Wiping my nose with the back of my hand, I refused to let this betrayal break me."

I was going to rise.

And they were going to regret everything.

I didn’t know how yet, or when—but vengeance was coming.

And the first step… was already in motion.