001

I walked into the hotel lobby. Everything looked expensive from the velvet armchairs and uniformed staff who moved like they were in a choreographed dance.

This was a place I wouldn’t normally splurge on, but tonight wasn’t supposed to be just any night.

Tonight was my date with my fiance, Elias. We hadn’t been perfect, far from it, but I thought we’d built something real, something worth celebrating.

I had even booked one of the fancy rooms to please him, using the money I didn’t have just to make this night special for the both of us.

I waited for Elias by the bar and began scrolling through my phone absently, trying to distract myself from the butterflies that twisted my stomach. That’s when my phone buzzed.

Sylvia’s name flashed on the screen.

Sylvia was my best friend and my only real friend.

“Hey, Sylvia,” I said, putting the phone to my ear. “What’s good?”

Her voice was breathless like she’d been exercising. “Tee… are you at the hotel already?”

“Yeah, I’m at the bar. Why?”

There was a pause and my heart beat for a moment. I knew that silence; I’d heard it before when she didn’t know how to break bad news.

“Tracy Bennett,” Sylvia finally called me by my full name, her voice lower now, “I just sent you something. Check your messages.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Just… check it,” she said quickly and hung up.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, frowning, and opened the message thread to see a photo.

It took me a moment to process what I was looking at.

My Elias was fully naked and sitting on the edge of a hotel bed. And beside him, in nothing but a pair of red socks wrapped around her legs, was Sylvia, my best friend. She was equally naked. And there were more intimate videos of the two having sex.

My stomach dropped. The room tilted slightly, and I grabbed the edge of the bar to steady myself.

No. No, this couldn’t be real.

I stared at my phone, willing it to change, willing it to be an edited video. But it wasn’t.

The bartender looked at me, concernedly, but I waved him off. My hand was shaking noticeably.

How could they? How could he? How could she?

The anger came first and then the tears threatened to drop, but I have always been a strong lady!

I shoved my phone into my purse and stood up, my heels digging into the plush carpet as I turned toward the elevators. I couldn’t just sit here. I needed to see it for myself. I needed to confront them.

How long has this been going on? Were all those late-night “work meetings” lies? And Sylvia, my best friend, the person I trusted with everything, how could she betray me like this?

I reached the elevator and jabbed the button. My reflection in the mirrored doors startled me. My makeup was ruined, and my eyes…? they were red-rimmed, brimming with tears I refused to let fall. Not here. Not now.

The elevator dinged open, and a couple stepped out, laughing softly, their hands entangled in a hug. The sight of them made my chest ache. I stepped inside, pressing the button for the top floor where the rooms were located.

As the elevator ascended, I thought about my family. My mom has been sick and everyone depended on me so much now, every bill, every expense, every little thing fell on my shoulders.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and I stepped into the hushed corridor.

I approached the door.

Room 204.

I stood in front of the door, my hand hovering over the handle while my pulse thundered in my ears. Should I knock? Burst in? What was I even expecting to find?

I couldn’t move. My fingers trembled as they grazed the door. And then, from inside, I heard them again. Elias’s low laugh, followed by Sylvia’s unmistakable giggle.

The sound broke something inside me.

I turned sharply on my heel and stormed back down the corridor. I didn’t want to see their faces, hear his silly excuses, or deal with the lies he’d try to spin.

I couldn’t.

I slammed the elevator button repeatedly, and when the doors opened, I stepped in and hit the button for the lobby.

As I reached the ground floor, the air felt heavier, almost suffocating. I needed to get out. I needed air.

I walked briskly through the lobby, ignoring the curious glances from hotel staff and guests. When I reached the bar near the entrance, I slowed, trying to steady my breathing. My hands gripped the edge of a tall stool as I tried to process what had just happened.

“Rough night huh?” a deep voice said from behind me.

I turned, startled, and found myself face to face with a man leaning casually against the bar. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a sharp suit that screamed money. His dark eyes studied me with a bit of curiosity and amusement.

“I’m not in the mood,” I snapped, stepping back.

His lips curved into a smirk. “Clearly. But you look like you could use a drink… or a ride. Whichever comes first.”

I glared at him, my anger bubbling to the surface again. “I don’t need anything from you. Get lost!”

“Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug, picking up his glass. “But wandering around like that, looking as upset as you do, someone less charming than me might take advantage.”

He might be right, but I didn’t have the energy to talk. “Thanks for the unsolicited advice, but I’m fine.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but didn’t press the issue. “If you say so.”

I turned and walked away, heading for the exit. The cool night air hit me as I stepped outside, and for a moment, I just stood there, letting the silence wrap around me.

I didn’t know where to go or what to do. My life, the life I thought I was building, felt like it had crumbled in the span of an hour.

Shaking my head, I started walking toward the street, to figure out my way home. I didn’t need some arrogant stranger to take me home.

That was when all the tears I had been holding broke free, and I cried like I never had before.