Bella’s POV

The moment I stepped inside my room, I collapsed onto the bed as if the weight of the world had dropped on my shoulders. My chest burned with pain I couldn’t even name. I pressed my face into the pillow, but it didn’t stop the flood of tears.

Leo. My Leo. The man I was supposed to marry in less than a week. I trusted him with everything, with my heart, my dreams, my life. And Ciara—my best friend. My other half, or at least that’s what I thought she was. She had held my secrets, wiped my tears, whispered advice into my ear like she cared.

But tonight, I saw the truth with my own eyes.

The image refused to leave my mind. The sound of their voices, the way Ciara leaned into him as if she had always belonged there. His lips moving, calling her “Bella” in that hushed tone that once made my knees weak. I had stood frozen at the doorway, my throat closing, my heart tearing into pieces I couldn’t gather. They didn’t see me, not at first. They were too wrapped in each other, too close, too familiar.

I thought I would scream. I thought I would storm in and tear them apart. But instead, silence swallowed me. The kind of silence that hurts worse than shouting. My legs gave way, and I stumbled back, choking on my own breath, the reality searing into me like fire.

My best friend. The woman who once told me, “Leo isn’t right for you. He doesn’t even have money, Bella. You deserve more than that.” Those words echoed inside my skull like cruel laughter. She had pretended to be looking out for me, but all along she was sinking her claws into him.

And Leo… he had called her by my name. He had touched her like she was me.

Tears spilled hot and fast, blinding me. How could life be this cruel? How could the two people I trusted most turn into strangers overnight?

I curled into myself on the bed, shaking, as my eyes drifted to the wedding gown hanging by the window. The soft fabric glimmered in the faint light, mocking me. That dress was supposed to carry me into the happiest day of my life. I had pictured myself walking down the aisle, Leo waiting with that smile of his that always made my heart skip. Now, all I could see was his lips on Ciara’s skin. My dream had turned into a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to rip that dress apart, shred every memory, burn everything that tied me to him. But I couldn’t even move. I just lay there, drowning in my own grief, wishing I could erase the night.

The knock came suddenly, sharp and heavy against the door. My head jerked up, my swollen eyes darting toward the sound. My heart lurched into my throat.

Another knock, louder this time. Then a voice. His voice.

“Bella, please. Open the door.” I froze. My breath caught.

"Leo." I muttered softly to myself 

I dragged myself to the mirror, my reflection almost unrecognizable. My eyes were red and puffy, my hair a tangled mess. I looked like a ghost of myself, broken and hollow. I didn’t want him to see me like this. I didn’t want him near me at all.

The knocking wouldn’t stop. My hand trembled on the doorknob. Part of me wanted to ignore him forever, to let him stand out there in the cold until he gave up. But another part—weak, desperate—wanted answers. I needed to know why. I needed to hear it from his mouth, even if it destroyed me further.

Slowly, I opened the door.

Leo stood there, his eyes heavy with guilt, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world had fallen on him too. For a second, I almost hated myself for noticing how broken he looked.

“Bella, can I come in?” His voice was low, almost pleading.

I didn’t move. My fingers tightened on the edge of the door. Rage boiled under my skin, but my heart was a mess of love and hate colliding until I could barely breathe.

“What do you want, Leo?” My words cracked with anger. “Haven’t you done enough?”

He winced, taking a step back like my voice had cut him. “Please, let me explain.”

“Explain?” My laugh was bitter, empty. “Explain how you slept with my best friend? How you called her my name? How you held her the way you were supposed to hold me?”

“I didn’t—Bella, listen.” His voice shook. “I don’t remember what happened. I thought I was with you. Please believe me. I swear, I never wanted this.”

His excuses stabbed at me like knives. I could still see Ciara’s smirk when she tilted her head against him. I could still hear his whisper, soft and intimate, like the ones he used to save only for me.

“You’re lying,” I said through clenched teeth. “I saw it with my own eyes. You and her. Don’t you dare stand here and tell me it didn’t happen.”

He stepped closer, desperation in his eyes. “She drugged me, Bella. I swear I didn’t know. Ciara put something in my drink—I didn’t realize anything until it was too late.” His voice cracked, his hands shaking. “I thought I was calling you. I thought I was holding you.”

I shook my head violently, tears spilling again. “No! Don’t twist this. Don’t you dare make excuses. You think that makes it better? You think saying her name by mistake hurts less? It broke me, Leo. It killed me.”

He reached for my hand, but I yanked it back like his touch burned.

“Bella, please,” he whispered. “I love you. I never stopped loving you.”

My chest ached, but anger roared louder. “You don’t love me. If you did, you wouldn’t have let this happen. I trusted you, Leo. I trusted you with everything. And you let her take it all away.”

His face twisted in pain. “Don’t say that. I can fix this. I’ll make it right. Just don’t leave me, Bella. Please.”

But it was too late. Something inside me snapped.

“I don’t want to hear it anymore.” My voice was sharp, final. “You and Ciara destroyed me. My best friend and the man I was supposed to marry. There’s nothing left to fix.”

His lips parted as if he wanted to fight back, but I slammed the door before he could. The sound echoed through the room, sealing the end of us.

I slid down against the wood, my body trembling with sobs. He kept knocking, kept begging, but his voice was nothing but noise to me now. I pressed my palms over my ears, desperate to drown him out.

The wedding dress caught my eye again, glowing pale in the shadows. For years I had dreamed of that moment, of wearing it with joy in my heart. Now it was nothing but a cruel reminder of everything I had lost.

I buried my face in my hands and let the tears consume me. My heart felt shattered beyond repair. Leo’s love, Ciara’s friendship—gone. Everything is gone.

Bella’s POV

I sank to the floor, my body trembling, tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t believe it. Could this really be happening? The clock on the wall told me it was 8:00 PM. Four hours. Four hours I had been sitting there, frozen in shock, unable to move, unable to think. I didn’t even know if I had eaten. My stomach was empty, but so was my heart. The pain I felt was nothing like I’d ever known. My best friend—my sister in everything but blood—had betrayed me. Ciara. How could she? How could she do this to me with Leo, the man I loved with every part of my being?

Memories of the scene replayed in my mind like a cruel movie. The hotel room, the laughter that wasn’t mine, the way she smiled at him as if she owned him—it made bile rise in my throat. My hands shook as I rubbed my eyes, trying to erase it, trying to tell myself it wasn’t real. But it was. It had been real. And now, I was broken.

A knock at the door pulled me from my nightmare. My chest tightened. I knew who it was. Ciara. I didn’t want to see her. I didn’t want to hear her voice. I didn’t want to feel her smug presence in my home. Not after what she had done. Not after what she had taken from me.

I dragged myself to the door, my anger and hurt fighting inside me. I opened it slowly, bracing for her false innocence. And there she was—smiling, as if everything was fine, as if nothing had happened. Her fake cheer cut me deeper than any knife.

“Hey, Bella! Ugh, I’m so tired,” she said, her voice heavy with pretence. She sighed and smiled, but it was the kind of smile that mocked the world, that hid every sin behind a mask of charm. I felt my blood boil. How dare she act like nothing had happened? How dare she stand there after everything, expecting me to forgive her with a smile?

I didn’t say anything. I just stared, letting the tears fall freely, my chest tight, my heart raw. I wanted to scream, to hit something, to make her feel a fraction of the pain she had caused. My body shook as I remembered every detail: the way she had leaned over him, the way she had whispered in his ear, the way he had laughed at something she said. My best friend. My Leo. Both of them had turned their backs on me, and I was left to pick up the pieces.

“Bella, please. I need to get inside. Can you move out of the way?” she said, stepping forward.

“No,” I said, my voice firm despite the tears. “You cannot come in. Not after what you did. Not after what I saw.”

Her eyebrows lifted in mock confusion. “What are you talking about? Why can’t I come inside?” she asked, her voice calm, pretending she had no idea. I felt rage rise like fire in my chest. She wasn’t innocent. She never had been.

“I can’t stay with you anymore, Ciara. I can’t believe you did this. You betrayed me—both of you,” I said, my voice breaking. I could feel my heart cracking with each word. Images of them together—the way they looked at each other, touched each other—assaulted me. My blood boiled, my body trembling from a mix of grief and fury.

Ciara tilted her head, a slow, smug smile spreading across her face. It was a smile that mocked me, that showed me just how little she cared. “Bella, I still don’t know what you’re talking about. Can I come in?” she asked, keeping that poisonous calm.

“You’re my best friend, Ciara. And you betrayed me,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “I saw you with Leo. All of it. You weren’t hiding anything from me—you were enjoying yourself while I trusted you both!”

Her smile widened, cruel and satisfied. “Leo finds me more attractive than he does you, honey,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. Her laughter echoed in the room, a harsh, mocking sound that stabbed through my soul.

I felt my stomach drop, bile rising, tears streaming harder. How could she do this? How could she mock me after everything? She had told me Leo wasn’t good enough, that he didn’t have money, that he couldn’t give me the life I deserved. And all this time, she had been planning this. Watching, waiting, scheming.

“You’ve been lying to me all this time!” I shouted, my hands trembling. “You told me Leo wasn’t right for me! You told me he couldn’t give me anything! And all along… all along, it was you? You wanted him!”

Ciara laughed again, slow and deliberate. “Why not me, Bella? Why should you have everything? He’s mine now,” she said, her words cutting through me like knives. “I told you he was never good enough for you. Now you see, I was right.”

My fists clenched at my sides. “You knew we were getting married soon. You knew! And you still did this!”

She shook her head, as if I was the crazy one. “Oh, Bella. You think I would just sit back and let you marry a ‘poor boy’? Please. Don’t pretend you didn’t know your life isn’t what you thought. Leo was deceiving you. He doesn’t love you like I can.”

I froze. My mind spun. “What are you talking about? Leo isn’t rich… he isn’t…”

Ciara smirked, a predator enjoying her victory. “You think you know him. You think you understand him. You don’t. I see things clearly, Bella. He belongs with me. And soon, he will be mine.”

Every word felt like a punch to my chest. The betrayal, the lies, the mockery—it was too much. Rage and despair collided inside me. I grabbed her belongings, hurling them out onto the floor. Her perfume bottle shattered. Her shoes went flying. Every piece I threw was a piece of my shattered trust.

“I don’t want you here anymore, Ciara. You’ve lost my friendship. You’ve lost everything!” I screamed, tears blinding me.

She just stood there, watching, smirking as if my pain was entertainment. “I wasn’t really your friend anyway, Bella,” she said, voice full of contempt. “Why did it have to be you? You always think you’re better than everyone. You’re such a loser.”

Her words stung, but I refused to let her see my weakness. I didn’t need her. I didn’t need Leo. I didn’t need anyone who could betray me like this.

I turned my back to her, letting my tears fall freely. She called after me, “You’re such a loser, Bella,” but I didn’t respond. I didn’t want to. I was done. Everything I had believed in was gone. My trust, my love, my life—they had all been stolen in one cruel night.

Ciara walked away, her back to me, laughing softly, but I didn’t care. My heart was heavier than I could ever remember, full of a dark, cold fury that promised I would never be weak again. I was alone. My fiancé was a stranger. My best friend was gone. And I—Bella—had to figure out how to survive a world where betrayal was the only truth left.

I sank back to the floor, holding my chest, letting the pain consume me. The tears didn’t stop. I didn’t know how to fix anything, didn’t know if I could ever trust anyone again. But one thing was certain—I would never let anyone hurt me like this ever again.