Chapter 1| How dare you talk to me like that?

Eve

I have always mocked women who froze, women who stood there, unmoving, while their partners betrayed them. I couldn’t understand it. Why didn’t they storm in, scream, slap someone, demand answers? I had always imagined that if it were me, I would throw open the door and tear into them both without hesitation.

I mean, who would allow such nonsense? Who would cry when it was never their fault? It was the man's fault for betraying them. It was the man's fault for humiliating them and breaking years of trust and love.

I gripped the edge of the doorframe so tightly my knuckles turned white, the air was heavy, and suffocating, rooting me in place. My chest tightened, a raw, aching pain spreading from my ribs to the pit of my stomach.

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

This isn't happening.

But it was.

My fiancé, the man I had promised myself to, the man I had loved for four years, the man I wanted to build a family with, was fucking another woman.

And I stood there, just like the women I once mocked—stunned in place, watching everything unfold like a fool. I wanted to scream, to fight, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move.

The sounds hit me first. Ragged breathing. Desperate moans. I felt my stomach churn, my pulse roaring in my ears.

"Oh God, faster, Nick. Please, faster," the woman gasped, her voice trembling with pleasure. “Daddy please!”

"Shit! You feel so good, Catherine” He responded with a low groan, her name tumbling from his lips like a plea. “Move those sexy hips for daddy.”

Nick was pressed against her, his body moving with an urgency I had never seen in him. His hands gripped her hips tightly as her fingers dug into his shoulders, her head thrown back in ecstasy.

I couldn't look away, no matter how disgusted I felt.

I pressed a hand against my heart as though I could physically hold it together, but nothing could stop the cracks spreading through me.

How could he do this to me?

My eyes were blurry with tears, and I couldn’t stop them from falling any longer. My legs felt weak, and I had to lean against the door to keep myself from collapsing. I looked down, tears falling onto the cold marble floor.

This must be a dream, a terrible dream. I just had to wake up and everything was going to be okay. Right?

“Ah, I’m close,” Nick groaned louder, his head tilting back as his movements quickened. “Fuc—”

No, this was reality, a really cold reality that I couldn't run away from.

“Enough!” I screamed, my voice tearing from my throat before I could stop it.

The sound that came out of my mouth was heartbreaking, terrifying, and full of sorrow. I almost didn't recognize my own voice. Both of them froze mid-motion, their heads snapping toward me, finally realizing that someone had been watching them all along. The woman’s legs were still wrapped around his waist, her flushed face morphing into shock. Nick’s eyes widened, his body jerking backward as though he’d been burned.

“Eve!” he stammered, scrambling off the bed and away from the woman. His face twisted into panic as he took a hesitant step toward me. “I… this isn’t—”

I looked down at his naked body and pure disgust surged through me.

“Don’t,” I said sharply, taking a step back as his hand reached out toward me. My voice trembled, and so did my entire body. “Don’t you dare touch me.”

“Eve, listen—”

“Why?” I whispered, my voice breaking. My hands clutched at my chest, trying in vain to hold myself together. “Why, Nick? Why would you do this to me?”

He dragged a hand through his hair, his frustration spilling out in a low growl as he avoided my gaze. “It’s not what it looks like, I swear. I—”

“Oh, is she the one you were talking about?” the woman interrupted, as she sat up, making no effort to cover herself. She adjusted her disheveled hair with the ease of someone completely unbothered by everything around her. I didn't blame her, I didn't even hate her. She wasn't the one who promised to love me, to stay by my side. It was the man who she slept with.

“The stiff, smart little idiot?”

My breath hitched, my tears momentarily forgotten as I turned to her, my eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “What?”

Nick’s head snapped toward her, his face darkening with anger. “Shut up,” he hissed, his voice low and threatening.

But the woman wasn’t finished. She smirked, tilting her head as she looked at me like I was something pitiful. “He told me all about you. You’re that smart, gullible intern working under him in the hospital, right? The one who’s so eager to help him ‘achieve his dreams.’” She laughed, the sound sharp and cruel. “He’s using you, sweetheart. That’s all you ever were—a tool to help him become a professor.”

My stomach dropped, the words hitting me like a slap to the face. “Using me?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“He’s—”

“Stop it!” Nick barked, his fists clenching at his sides as he turned on her. “I said shut your mouth, you stupid whore!”

He cut her off, but it was too late. I’d heard enough. My chest heaved as the truth I’d refused to see unfolded in front of me like a cruel joke. He never loved me. Every promise, every touch, every sweet word—it was all a lie.

The woman shrugged, unfazed by his anger. “What? She deserves to know. Honestly, you’d think a ‘smart’ girl like her would’ve figured it out by now.” Her eyes darted back to me, mocking. “I mean, look at you. Did you really think someone like him would ever settle for someone like you?”

“You look terrible hon, my grandmother dresses better than you, and she is dead.” She laughed, clearly enjoying the way her words affected me. “What did you call her again? Oh, yeah, the emotionless little toy.”

My heart shattered with every word, the pain so deep it left me gasping for air. I need to get out—no I had to get out. I turned around, about to walk out but his hand held mine.

“Eve, wait. Don’t—”

But I didn’t want to hear it. I glared at him. “You’re a coward,” I said, my voice cracking with the weight of my grief. “You played with my heart, and I was stupid enough to trust you. Now, I want nothing to do with you. ”

“Eve, stop!” he shouted, his voice rising in desperation.

But I wasn’t finished. “I gave you everything, Nick. I believed in you. I believed in us. And all along, you were using me! Fine, I hope you find another idiot that would let you play her. I hope you find another little to—”

The slap came out of nowhere.

The sound of it echoed in the room, sharp and deafening. My head snapped to the side, the sting blooming across my cheek as I stumbled back and fell to the floor.

For a moment, everything was silent. My hand flew to my cheek, my eyes wide with shock as I looked up at him.

What just happened? Did he just raise his hand to me? Him? The gentle, kind man who would take care of me, someone I thought wouldn’t hurt a fly?

“N-Nick, did you just—”

“Shut up!” he spat, his face twisted in rage. “You useless, ugly woman. How dare you talk to me like that?”