chapter 2

I stopped dead in my tracks.

What the...

My heart pounded against my ribs. The air around me suddenly felt too thick, too heavy.

I didn’t even think...I just started walking faster, my brain scrambling for an explanation that made sense. Was this some sick prank? Some stalker? Or...

No.

I wasn’t going to let some random text scare me. I squared my shoulders, shoved my phone into my pocket, and quickened my pace toward my apartment.

But the uneasy feeling in my stomach? That wasn’t going anywhere.

By the time I reached my building, my hands were clammy. I took the stairs two at a time, gripping my keys so tight my knuckles turned white.

I unlocked the door and pushed it open, already ready to shake off the nerves.

But then I saw them.

A pair of sneakers. Jake’s sneakers.

Relief hit me like a wave, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.

“You got me worried, baby, so you’re...”

I stopped mid-sentence.

Because right next to Jake’s sneakers, on my freaking chair, was a lacy black bra. And a matching pair of panties.

Not mine.

My ears started ringing. My feet felt like they were glued to the floor.

No. No. No.

This wasn’t happening.

I felt my body move before my brain even caught up, storming toward my bedroom like I was on autopilot. The door was cracked open, and all it took was one push....

And there he was.

Jake. My boyfriend. The man I had defended. In my bed. With her fucking her mercilessly, he doesn't even fuck me that way

and the funny thing is that it's her

Kara. The same girl he swore up and down that he hated. The same girl who, according to him, was "so annoying" and "desperate for attention."

Well, she definitely had his attention now.

Jake’s head snapped toward me, his face going pale. Kara let out a small gasp, yanking the covers up over her bare chest, as if that would somehow make this less disgusting.

“Sofia—” Jake started, scrambling to sit up.

I didn’t even think. My hand moved before I could stop it, and the sharp crack of my palm against his cheek echoed through the room.

My breathing was ragged, my vision blurry. Anger, betrayal, disgust....everything was hitting me at once, colliding inside me like a car crash.

Jake held his cheek, eyes wide. “Baby, I—”

“Don’t you dare.” My voice was shaking, but I didn’t care. “Don’t you freaking dare try to explain this to me.”

He opened his mouth, but I wasn’t done.

“I defended you,” I hissed, my hands trembling. “I ignored those messages. I called your neighbor because I was worried about you. And the whole time, you were here—in my bed—with her?”

“Sofia, please, just let me—”

I laughed. A hollow, humorless laugh. “Let you what? Lie? Again?”

Kara sat there, wrapped in my sheets, looking anywhere but at me. Like she was suddenly shy. Like she wasn’t just naked in my bed with my boyfriend.

I turned to her, my lip curling. “You can have him. I hope he lies to you just as well as he lied to me.”

She didn’t respond.

I felt my throat tighten, but I refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

I took a step back, then another. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

Jake reached out like he was going to stop me, but I stepped out of his reach. “Don’t. Touch. Me, .”

I didn't know when I gave him a slap ...

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t move.

The sharp sting in my palm hadn’t even faded when I stepped back, my breathing ragged. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, but I refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

Jake held his cheek, his jaw tight, his eyes searching mine for something—sympathy? Forgiveness? He had to be delusional.

I straightened my shoulders and stared him down, my voice cold and steady. “You listen to me, Jake.” I took a slow step forward, just enough to watch him squirm. “You will never—ever—come near me again. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to hear from you, I don’t even want to breathe the same air as you.”

“Sofia, please, just let me—”

“Shut up.” My voice was sharp enough to cut. “You made your choice. You don’t get to explain your way out of this.” I turned to Kara, who still had the audacity to sit there in my bed, wrapped in my sheets, looking guilty but not guilty enough. “And you? Congratulations. You win.” I let out a bitter laugh. “Enjoy your prize. Hope he cheats on you too.”

Neither of them said a word. Good.

I turned on my heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind me so hard the walls shook.

I didn’t stop moving. Not when I hit the hallway. Not when I reached the elevator. Not even when I stepped outside into the cold night air. I just kept walking, my chest burning, my hands shaking, my mind racing with a million thoughts I couldn’t process fast enough.

This wasn’t real. This wasn’t my life.

Except it was.

I don’t even remember how I got to the bar. One second, I was outside my apartment, and the next, I was sitting on a barstool, staring at a half-empty glass of whiskey.

The bartender, a woman with tired eyes and an eyebrow piercing, gave me a once-over. “Rough night?”

I let out a dry laugh. “Something like that.”

She didn’t ask more questions, just refilled my glass. Good. I wasn’t in the mood to explain.

I took another sip, the burn in my throat barely registering compared to the fire still raging in my chest. Betrayal, anger, humiliation—it all twisted inside me, making my skin feel too tight.

Jake.

I had given him everything. My time. My trust. My love. And what did he do with it? Tossed it aside like it meant nothing. Like I meant nothing.

I clenched my jaw, gripping the glass so hard I thought it might shatter.

No.

He wasn’t getting away with this.

Jake thought he could just humiliate me, rip my heart out, and move on like it was nothing?

He had no idea who he just messed with.

I wasn’t just going to sit here, cry, and let him walk away Scott-free.

No.

He was going to pay for every tear, every ounce of pain he put me through.

One way or another.