Chapter 1 Discovery
Ariana Cole stepped out of her car, her body aching from exhaustion. The dull throb in her abdomen reminded
her of the pain she had been enduring all day, a sharp contrast to the warmth and comfort she had hoped to
find in Liam’s arms. She had called him earlier, her voice weak as she told him about her worsening condition.
He had sounded rushed, dismissive even, as he claimed he was in a ‘business meeting” that couldn’t be
interrupted.
Now, standing in front of his penthouse door, something felt… off.
She reached for the handle, the key in her grip slick with sweat. She hesitated. The air was eerily silent, except for the faint hum of the city beyond the floor–to–ceiling windows. Then-
A muffled giggle.
Ariana’s heart clenched. She knew that sound. Knew it intimately. It was a laugh she had heard a thousand times over late–night cocktails, whispered secrets, and inside jokes.
Sienna.
Ariana’s breathing shallowed. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to turn the key. The lock
clicked open, the sound slicing through the silence like a warning shot.
She stepped inside.
The penthouse smelled of lavender and musk–a scent she didn’t recognize. The living room was dim, only the glow from the city lights illuminating the sleek furniture. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she took slow,
deliberate steps toward the bedroom.
A quiet moan. A breathless whisper. Sheets rustling.
Her vision blurred at the edges, her stomach churning. Still, she moved forward, the pull of truth stronger than
her dread.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Through the narrow gap, she saw movement–bare skin against silk sheets, limbs entwined. A low, intimate chuckle. Liam’s chuckle.
The room tilted. Ariana gripped the doorframe, her fingers digging into the wood. Her breath came in uneven gasps, a storm raging inside her, but she refused to crumble. Not yet. Not before she saw.
With a final surge of determination, she pushed the door open.
Time slowed.
There, tangled in the bed she had once considered her sanctuary, were Liam and Sienna.
Sienna’s head was thrown back, her golden hair fanned out on the pillows like a mockery of innocence. Liam hovered over her, his bare back shifting as he pressed kisses along her collarbone. The sheets were a mess of tangled limbs, silk against sweat–slicked skin.
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Chapter 1 Discovery
For a split second, neither of them noticed her. And for that split second, Ariana’s world crumbled
The man she had loved for years. The best friend she had trusted with everything. Together. Like this.
Then Sienna’s eyes fluttered open.
Ariana saw it–the moment realization struck, the split–second widening of her pupils, the flicker of horror
before she scrambled away, clutching the sheets to her chest.
“Liam!” Sienna gasped, shoving at his shoulder.
Liam turned, confusion morphing into panic when he saw Ariana standing there. His mouth opened, closed,
then opened again, as if scrambling for an explanation.
“Ariana-”
She laughed. A sharp, humorless sound that burned in her throat.
“Wow,” she whispered, stepping further into the room. “This is… unbelievable.”
Liam shot out of bed, yanking the sheet around his waist. “Baby, this–this isn’t what it looks like.”
Ariana arched a brow, arms crossing over her chest to keep from shaking. “Oh? Because it looks like my
boyfriend is screwing my best friend while I was out dealing with excruciating pain and thought i could count
on him.”
Sienna flinched. “Ari, please-”
“Shut up,” Ariana snapped, her voice shaking. “Just… shut up.”
She turned to Liam. “What do you want to explain? How you lied about your ‘business meeting‘ while you were
busy with her? Or how, when I called you earlier, barely able to stand from pain, you barely pretended to care?”
Her voice cracked, but she refused to cry.
Liam raked a hand through his hair, his movements frantic. “I–I made a mistake.”
Ariana laughed again, but this time, there was venom laced in every syllable. “A mistake?”
Liam took a step toward her, his eyes desperate. “Baby, listen, I swear to you, this meant nothing. It was-”
“Meaningless?” she interrupted, shaking her head. “You expect me to believe that? My best friend? In our bed?”
Sienna whimpered, still clinging to the sheets. “Ariana, please, you have to understand-”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Ariana said, her voice calm now. Too calm.
Sienna’s lip trembled. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
Ariana’s gaze locked onto hers, cold and unforgiving. “But you did. You both did.”
Silence hung between them, heavy and suffocating. Liam’s face was twisted in guilt, but there was something else lurking beneath the surface–fear.
Good.
Ariana took a step closer instead of leaving. She wanted to see them squirm. Wanted them to feel even a fraction of the humiliation and pain that clawed at her chest.
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She tilted her head, studying Liam. “How long?”
His lips parted, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
“Don’t lie,” she warned, voice razor–sharp.
Liam swallowed hard. “Ariana, please.”
“How long?” she demanded, her voice rising.
Sienna let out a quiet sob. “It just happened-”
“Liar,” Ariana spat, her gaze snapping to her. “How long, Sienna?”
Sienna shrank under her glare, her fingers tightening around the sheets. “A few months…”
Ariana sucked in a sharp breath, her hands clenching into fists. Months, Not days. Not weeks. Months
She felt something inside her snap. The last fragile thread holding her together burned away into nothing
A slow, eerie smile curled her lips. “You know what? I should be grateful.”
Liam’s brows knitted. “What are you talking about?”
Ariana let out a small, humorless chuckle. “I was blind. So, so blind. And now? You’ve both given me clarity.”
She walked over to the nightstand, grabbing Liam’s expensive Rolex–the one she had bought for his last birthday. She held it up, inspecting it as if it were some foreign object, then with a flick of her wrist, she hurled
it across the room.
It smashed against the wall.
Sienna yelped. Liam flinched.
Ariana stepped forward, her gaze burning. “You don’t get to explain. You don’t get to beg. You had your chance, Liam. You too,
Sienna.”
Her voice dipped lower, chilling. “I want you both to remember this moment. Because I will. And when you least expect it… I’ll remind you
what betrayal feels like.”
Sienna trembled. Liam opened his mouth, but for once, he had no words.
Good.
Ariana turned away, but this time, she wasn’t retreating. No, she was planning.
She wasn’t leaving yet.
Not until she had all the information she needed to destroy them both.
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