chapter 1: Not His Type

There’s something cruel about having your heart broken on what should be the happiest day of your life.

I stood at the entrance of the Golden Palace Hotel’s ballroom, still wearing my graduation cap, the taste of achievement fresh on my lips. Four years of fighting to maintain my scholarship, four years of proving I belonged here, and four years of loving Derek had led to this moment.

The same Derek who was now wrapped around Amanda Wilson on the dance floor, his fingers trailing down her back like he used to with mine.

My breath hitched, the noise of the celebration around me turning into a dull roar in my ears. The chandeliers overhead glowed with golden light, casting a warm hue over everything, but all I saw was red.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I whispered, gripping Lisa’s arm so hard she winced.

Lisa, my best friend since freshman year, followed my gaze and cursed under her breath. “Sonia, breathe. Just breathe,” she said, trying to pull me back. But my feet were already moving, driven by something stronger than reason—by heartbreak, by betrayal, by the sheer need to make sense of what I was seeing.

The champagne-soaked air felt thick in my lungs as I pushed through the crowd. My blue sequined dress—bought with my final scholarship stipend—caught the light, throwing sparkles that felt more like accusations now. I had spent hours choosing this dress, imagining the way Derek’s eyes would light up when he saw me in it. I had dreamed of this night as our perfect ending, our grand farewell to college before stepping into the real world together.

How foolish I had been.

Around us, our graduating class laughed and celebrated, their expensive perfumes mixing with the scent of success and promises. My world was crumbling, and yet life continued as if nothing had changed.

“I heard they’ve been seeing each other for months,” someone whispered as I passed. “Ever since Amanda started tutoring him in Advanced Finance.”

The words hit me like physical blows.

Advanced Finance—the class I’d helped him study for countless nights, holding his hand through every panic attack before exams. The class I’d lost sleep over, quizzing him on formulas, reminding him that he was smarter than he believed.

And now Amanda had taken my place in more ways than one.

“Derek.”

My voice sliced through the music, clear and sharp despite the lump forming in my throat. Heads turned. Conversations hushed.

Derek froze mid-dance, his face draining of color as he met my eyes. Amanda didn’t step away. Instead, she pressed closer, as if staking her claim, her red Valentino dress making my carefully budgeted purchase look like bargain leftovers.

“Sonia?” Derek’s voice cracked. “I… we were just—”

“Just what?” I took another step forward, even as my heart pounded violently in my chest. “Just celebrating? Just dancing? Or just making a fool out of me in front of our entire graduating class?”

Amanda’s laugh cut through the tension. It was a soft, condescending sound, designed to humiliate.

“Oh honey, you did that all on your own,” she purred. “Following Derek around like a lost puppy for four years, pretending you could ever be part of his world?”

The slap came before I even registered the movement.

A sharp, resounding crack echoed through the suddenly silent ballroom. Amanda gasped, clutching her cheek, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her own skin.

“Sonia, stop!” Derek grabbed my wrist, his grip tight, his eyes wild.

“Don’t.” My voice trembled with rage as I yanked away. “Don’t you dare touch me with the same hands that were just all over her.”

He took a step back, looking as if he wanted to say something—something to justify, to explain, to smooth this over. But there was no justification.

“Was anything real?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Or was I just your charity project—the scholarship girl you could show off to prove how generous you were?”

“That’s not fair!” His face reddened. “You don’t understand the pressure I’m under. My family’s expectations—”

“And I was never going to meet them, right?” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Poor Sonia, with her student loans and her discount store clothes. Did you laugh about me with Amanda? Did you two joke about how pathetic I was, believing someone like you could actually love someone like me?”

The crowd around us grew larger. These same classmates who had copied my notes, begged for my help during group projects, concealed their fascination as my world imploded.

“It wasn’t like that,” Derek insisted, his voice softening as if he were trying to be reasonable.

“We were good together, Sonia. But college is over. Real life is starting, and I need—”

“Someone who fits your country club lifestyle?”

The realization settled heavily in my chest. Derek had always talked about the future in vague terms, about the expectations placed upon him. I had foolishly believed we would face them together. But no—he had been preparing to walk away from me long before tonight.

I reached into my clutch, my hands shaking.

“Here,” I said, pulling out the small envelope I had guarded so carefully all evening. “I saved every penny of my last stipend for your graduation gift.”

I threw it at his chest. The envelope slipped from his fingers and hit the champagne-wet floor between us. Someone gasped—probably at the waste of such an expensive ticket.

“A ticket to that New York business conference you wouldn’t shut up about,” I continued, my voice eerily calm. “I hope you and Amanda have a wonderful time.”

Derek’s eyes flickered between me and the envelope, regret flashing across his face.

“Sonia, I didn’t know…” He stepped forward, but I shook my head.

“No, you didn’t know,” I said, voice hoarse. “Because you never bothered to ask. You were too busy replacing me.”

I turned, my vision blurred by unshed tears.

But as I spun away, my heel caught on the hem of my dress.

Time seemed to slow.

The world tilted dangerously, and I braced for the inevitable impact with the marble floor.

But it never came.

A strong pair of arms caught me before I could hit the ground.

For a moment, everything felt still. My breath hitched as I realized someone was holding me, steadying me. The scent of fresh cologne, something warm and vaguely familiar, filled my senses.

I lifted my head, blinking up at the man who had just saved me from complete humiliation.

Dark eyes met mine, filled with something I couldn’t quite decipher.

“Are you okay?” his voice was deep, steady, grounding.

I swallowed hard, nodding, even though nothing about this moment felt okay.

“Let’s get you out of here,” he murmured.

And just like that, the night that was supposed to be my happiest became the beginning of something I never saw coming.