Chapter 2

~Camelia POV~

“Enough with the pretense,” Peter said, his eyes filled with so much hate toward me that I never thought he was capable of it. “What do you think? That I’m a fool you can lie to and I’ll just believe you and act like nothing happened?”

“No, please, Peter, that’s not what this is about,” I stammered, my voice unsteady as I tried to make sense of everything happening so fast. “I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t know what?” Peter cut in sharply, his jaw tightening. “If you didn’t want us to get married, you should have said it instead of cheating on me and then sending me videos of it.”

My lips parted in shock, and the tears I had been holding back since I walked into the living room finally slipped down my cheeks. My vision blurred as I shook my head slowly, my chest rising and falling unevenly. “I didn’t send you any videos, Peter… and I’m not lying to you.”

I took a step closer to him, my hand lifting slightly like I wanted to hold onto him, to stop everything from falling apart, but he slapped my hand away before I could even touch him.

“It’s over between us,” he said, his voice firm and final. “I’m calling off the wedding.”

My heart dropped so fast it felt like I might collapse. I shook my head quickly, panic creeping into my chest as I struggled to breathe properly. “You can’t call off the wedding, Peter. We’ve already invited people… everything is ready…” My voice grew weaker with each word, even I could hear how small and desperate I sounded.

I wiped at my tears with the back of my hand, trying to steady myself even though my fingers wouldn’t stop trembling. “This is a setup, Peter. Someone who doesn’t want us to get married is behind this,” I said, my voice lowering as doubt crept into my mind. Anya’s face flashed briefly, but I pushed it away immediately. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t.

But the moment Anya walked into the living room, that hope shattered completely.

She didn’t rush in or look confused. She walked in slowly, her steps calm and deliberate, like she already knew what was happening. There was a small smirk on her lips, and the look in her eyes made something in my chest sink painfully.

“Anya… how could you do this?” I asked, my voice trembling as I took a small step toward her. “Please, you need to tell Peter the truth. Tell him this was a setup.”

“Why would I do that?” she replied, her smile widening slightly, her tone light like this was all amusing to her. “You’re the one who didn’t want to marry him. Why should I lie for you?”

Her words hit me hard, my chest tightening as I stared at her in disbelief. For a moment, I couldn’t even recognize the person standing in front of me. “What are you saying…?” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“You’ve always been like this,” Anya continued, moving closer to Peter like she belonged there. “You just hide it well. Peter only needed to see it for himself.”

The room felt like it was spinning, my head pounding as memories from last night flashed through my mind again. The drink… the dizziness… everything going dark. My fingers curled tightly at my sides as the truth began to settle in, making my stomach twist.

“You drugged me…” I said slowly, my voice shaking as I looked at her. “Anya, you drugged me. How could you do that to me?”

She let out a soft laugh, placing a hand on her chest like she was entertained. “Is that what you’re going with now? Another lie?” she said, shaking her head slightly. “Good thing Peter isn’t stupid enough to believe you. I just wonder how many men you slept with last night.”

Something inside me snapped before I could stop myself. The anger, the hurt, the betrayal—it all rushed out at once. I moved forward and slapped her, the sound sharp as it echoed in the room.

She staggered back, her hand flying to her cheek as she glared at me. “Have you lost your mind?” she shouted angrily.

“You’re not my sister,” I said, my voice shaking as tears streamed down my face. “You’re evil. I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

I turned to Peter immediately, desperation taking over as I searched his face for something, anything, but before I could speak, his hand struck my cheek.

The force made me stumble back, my head turning with the impact as a sharp sting spread across my face. I froze for a moment, my hand slowly lifting to touch my cheek, my fingers trembling against my skin.

“Don’t you dare try to play the victim,” Peter said coldly. “And don’t come near me again.”

His voice felt distant, like I was hearing it from far away. I stood there, barely able to process what had just happened, as he walked past me and towards Anya.

I watched as his expression softened when he reached her, his hand gently touching her cheek where I had slapped her. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his voice filled with concern.

She leaned slightly into his touch, her lashes lowering as she shook her head. “I’m not… I told you she would try to deny it.”

Something twisted painfully in my chest as I watched them. The way he looked at her, the way his voice changed, the way she stood so close to him like it was normal—it didn’t feel new.

It felt like something that had been there for a while.

A slow, painful realization settled in my mind as I stared at them, my breath catching in my throat. This wasn’t just anger. This wasn’t just about what happened last night.

There was something else.

Something I hadn’t seen.

“Come,” Peter said softly, taking her hand. “Let me get you something for the pain.”

She nodded, her fingers slipping into his easily, like she had done it before. Before they walked out, Anya turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting mine. The smile on her lips deepened, and she mouthed the words slowly.

“He is mine now, Camelia.”

The door closed behind them, the sound echoing in the silence that followed.

My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, my body shaking as the tears I had been holding back finally broke free. A sob escaped my lips before I could stop it, my hands pressing against the floor as I struggled to steady myself.