The Truth Hurts

Chapter Two: The Truth Hurts

I sat in the dim living room, my body trembling, my chest so heavy it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Tears kept falling, no matter how hard I tried to stop them. I thought I was strong. I thought I could handle anything. But nothing had ever hurt like this.

Adrian.

The man I loved. The man I trusted. The man I had built my life around.

Had been lying to me all along.

I went to his office today to surprise him, to remind him that we were still a team. That after everything, we were still us.

But I was wrong.

The name Sophia wouldn’t leave my head. The way they called her Mrs. Brennan. The way everyone knew her—but no one ever told me.

I had given up everything for Adrian.

I sold my father’s land, the last piece of his legacy, so Adrian could build his company. I stood by him, supported him, believed in him. I thought we were building something together.

But now… I realized I was building a dream alone.

The front door opened, snapping me back to reality.

I didn’t need to look up. I knew it was him. His presence filled the room like a storm waiting to explode. Adrian walked in like nothing was wrong, dressed in his perfect suit, carrying the weight of his betrayal as if it was nothing.

“I heard you came to the office today,” he said, his voice calm, too calm. “You shouldn’t have. It wasn’t the right time.”

I didn’t respond.

What could I even say?

I couldn’t look at him.

I heard his footsteps come closer, but I stayed still, my hands gripping the fabric of my dress like it could hold me together.

Finally, I spoke. My voice was barely a whisper.

“Sophia.”

The name felt like poison on my tongue. The moment I heard it in his office, my whole world shattered.

“Who is she, Adrian?” My voice shook. My hands trembled. “Why didn’t you tell me about her? Why didn’t you tell me about your fiancée?”

He sucked in a sharp breath.

Silence.

That silence said more than any excuse he could have made.

He stepped even closer. I felt him, but I still refused to look at him.

“You’re mistaken,” he said smoothly, his voice too controlled. “Sophia has nothing to do with us. She’s just… someone who works at the company.”

I shut my eyes tight, trying to block out his lies.

“Stop lying to me, Adrian!” My voice cracked as I shouted, raw with pain. “I saw them call her Mrs. Brennan! I saw how they respected her—how they treated her like she was the one who mattered!”

I stood up too fast, my legs shaking, but I didn’t sit back down. I was burning from the inside out. My grief, my rage, my disbelief—it was too much.

For a second, his face changed.

He didn’t deny it this time.

His lips pressed together, his gaze dropped. He couldn’t even look at me.

And then, in the coldest, calmest voice, he said, “It’s true, Lily. I’ve been with Sophia for years. She’s part of my life. I never wanted you to find out.”

Everything inside me went still.

My heartbeat stopped.

My breath caught in my throat.

For years?

He had been with her for years?

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think.

Something inside me broke.

All these years, I had believed in us. I had believed in him.

But it was never real.

My voice was barely a whisper when I spoke again. “You lied to me.” My hands clenched into fists. “For years.”

I wiped my tears, but they wouldn’t stop. “You let me believe I was the one who mattered. You let me sacrifice everything for you. I sold my father’s land for you! I gave you everything I had, Adrian!”

My voice cracked, but I didn’t care.

Tears ran down my cheeks, hot and endless, but I didn’t stop them.

“I gave you my love, my trust, my whole life,” I choked out. “And you gave me this?”

Adrian stepped forward, reaching for me. “Lily, I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you—”

I flinched away, stepping back like his touch would burn me.

His sorry meant nothing.

Nothing.

I stared at him, my vision blurred by tears. “I trusted you. I loved you. And you destroyed me.”

Adrian didn’t speak.

He didn’t defend himself.

He didn’t fight for me.

He had already made his choice.

And it wasn’t me.