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My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
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.
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.
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.
Lia Rivera is tired of being tongue-tied, blushing, and falling over herself every time Ethan Park walks by. So, she comes up with a brilliant (read: terrible) idea: humiliate herself enough in front of him until she's cured of her feelings. But as she dives headfirst into Operation Uncrush, things spiral - instead of pushing Ethan away, she accidentally becomes the weirdly endearing girl he can't stop thinking about. Now she's stuck between actually getting over him... or falling harder than ever.
Betrayed. Humiliated. Left with nothing but a shattered reputation. When Serena Lancaster, once the darling of high society, is publicly cast aside by her ex-fiancé, she swears never to let another man have power over her. Desperate to rebuild her life, she takes a job at Weston Sinclair's empire-the one man who has every reason to despise her ex. Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable. Weston built his billion-dollar legacy on control, and falling for his reckless nephew's ex is the last thing he should do. But from the moment Serena steps into his world, she becomes his obsession-one he refuses to deny. He should keep his distance. He should let her go. But when Serena's past threatens to destroy her, Weston makes a choice. She's his now. And he'll never let her go.
"Where am I?" She whispered desperately " If I am reborn...I won't have mercy on those evil scums" Then a flash of bright light......
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."