Before Aria Monroe could even recover from the shock of everything that had just happened, she saw something that made her heart drop.
Her best friend, Bella Parker, walked in, with Ryder Vaughn's arm casually draped around her.
What?
Aria's eyes widened in disbelief.
She couldn't understand what was happening.
How could this be?
Was it really Bella?
With Ryder?
Bella's cold, indifferent eyes swept across the messy, wrinkled sheets as she entered the room, and her gaze lingered just a bit too long.
Aria's mind raced, trying to piece everything together.
The sheets were white, but... there was no bloodstain.
That was unexpected!
Could it be that this wasn't the first time?
Had Aria really been so blind?
If only she had known earlier, maybe she wouldn't have bothered with any of this.
A smug look appeared on Bella's face, but she quickly masked it with a fake expression of regret.
She sighed and spoke in a sorrowful tone.
"Aria, today is my father's birthday. Can't you just bear it? Why do you have to do... do this kind of thing? And make such a big fuss? I've been nothing but sincere to you this year, and Ryder has always been thinking about you."
The meaning behind her words was clear: This wasn't the first time she had done something like this.
Ryder, looking more impatient than anything, scoffed and added, "What can I even say to a hypocritical bitch like her?"
Aria's stomach twisted in shock. Was this really happening?
Ryder, the man she thought she had loved all this time, was now speaking like this?
The words he said hit her like a punch to the gut.
"Ryder, don't be like this! After all, I can't help falling for you... and I feel so guilty," Bella said, her voice dripping with fake emotion.
"You're just too kind," Ryder muttered sarcastically, his face twisted with disdain.
The two of them spoke as though they were acting in some kind of play, their words flowing seamlessly together.
Aria stood frozen, her mind swirling.
Hypocritical?
Bitchy?
She wanted to scream, but the words stuck in her throat.
Damn!
Was she really supposed to believe this?
Ryder had claimed to love her, yet left her alone at the wedding, breaking her family apart.
He hadn't even given her an explanation!
And now, here he was, calling her a hypocrite.
Then there was Bella, pretending to care about her while secretly being with Ryder.
Who was more hypocritical here?
Who was the real "bitch"?
Aria felt her heart shatter as she looked at the two of them standing there.
The man she had loved and waited for all these years, now speaking in the most vile way.
It was as if something inside her had broken, and she couldn't take it anymore.
She pushed past the two of them, standing up with shaking legs.
"Same here," she muttered bitterly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's nice to see we're finally on the same page with our 'understanding' of each other."
Ignoring the shocked looks from both of them, Aria grabbed her clothes from the floor and made her way to the bathroom.
She didn't remember how she got home.
All she knew was that she closed the door behind her and couldn't stop the tears from falling.
---
Later that night, in The Velvet Lounge Nightclub, Carter Montgomery stood at the entrance of a private room when he bumped into Kai Weston.
The moment their eyes met, Kai's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Big bro, your eyes—" he gasped, his voice full of surprise. "What happened to your eyes? They've changed color!"
Kai stared at him, disbelief written all over his face.
Carter's eyes, which had always been a familiar dark shade, were now a striking blue-black.
He couldn't believe it.
Had Big brother... lost his virginity?
Carter's face turned as dark as if someone had splashed ink across it. He was angry, but mostly embarrassed.
Kai's teasing was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
"Big brother, whose little chick is so charming that she caught your eye?" Kai teased, still unable to hide his surprise. "I thought it would be your brother Feng Yiting, not you!"
Carter, irritated, shot him a quick glance and replied with a bitter smile, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're dumb." He turned around and strode into the private room without waiting for Kai's response.
---
The next morning, Aria Monroe woke up feeling groggy, the events of the previous night still clouding her mind.
Her hand instinctively reached out, and she found herself holding a blue brocade box.
Inside, there were a pair of butterfly-shaped diamond earrings, sparkling brightly in the morning light.
Aria's breath caught in her throat.
These earrings... they were the ones Ryder had given her.
They were the symbol of the love he had promised her. But now, looking at them, her heart suddenly ached.
Why did I keep them? she thought, her throat tight with emotion. Why couldn't I let go of him?
With a sharp, painful stab in her chest, she threw the box into the drawer and quickly ran to the bathroom.
The overwhelming nausea hit her before she could even make it.
She leaned over the sink and gagged, the sudden rush of everything she had been holding in spilling out of her.
"Ugh—" she whispered to herself, her body shaking.