It started like any other morning, the same crowded hallway, the same whispers following me like a shadow.
I could feel eyes on me as I walked past the lockers, my books tight against my chest. People stopped talking when I got close. Then they started again, quieter, sharper.
I didn't have to ask what it was about. I already knew.
My ex-boyfriend, Daniel.
And my ex–best friend, Clara.
They'd made sure I couldn't forget them, not even for a day.
"Look who finally showed her face," a voice said behind me. I didn't need to turn. I'd know Clara's tone anywhere sweet enough to sound innocent, sharp enough to draw blood.
"Morning, Clara," I said, keeping my voice calm.
"Oh, don't be so formal," she laughed. "You used to call me babe, remember?"
The girls around her snickered. I kept walking, but she followed, her heels clicking on the floor like a warning.
"Still can't believe you thought he'd stay with you," she said. "You're too boring, Elena. Guys like Daniel want someone fun."
Her words hit harder than I wanted them to. I bit the inside of my cheek and kept my head high.
"Guess you'd know," I said quietly. "You took him."
The laughter stopped for a second. Then one of her friends, a tall girl with pink braids, stepped forward. "Careful how you talk, princess. You think being rich makes you untouchable?"
I didn't answer. I didn't want a scene. But it was too late Clara stepped closer, close enough for me to smell her perfume, the one I used to borrow.
"See, the thing is," she said softly, "people like you only look strong. You fall apart too easily."
Then, before I could react, she knocked the books out of my hand. They scattered across the floor. Laughter echoed through the hall.
Something in me cracked, but I didn't let it show. I knelt to pick them up, my fingers shaking slightly.
"Take a picture!" someone called. "Post it!"
And they did.
Phones flashed. I stood up, clutching my books, and walked away as fast as I could.
In the bathroom, I locked myself in a stall and sat down on the closed toilet seat. My chest hurts. Not because of what they said but because I used to love them. Both of them.
Clara had been my closest friend since middle school. We did everything together: sleepovers, secrets, matching necklaces. Daniel was my first everything, my first crush, first kiss, first heartbreak.
And now they are together.
I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying not to cry. I didn't want to give them that satisfaction. But the tears came anyway, hot and angry.
Why did you pick her, Daniel? Why her?
A soft chime from my phone pulled me out of my thoughts. I hesitated before unlocking it.
Mistake.
There it was. A video is already spreading fast. Me on my knees, picking up my books while Clara laughed in the background. Someone had captioned it:
"When you lose your man and your dignity."
My stomach dropped. The comments were worse.
"Rich girls are weak."
"She deserves it."
"Clara's glow-up >>>"
Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.
I turned off my phone, pressing it to my chest. My hands were trembling.
I hated them.
But more than that, I hated how small they made me feel.
By lunchtime, everyone had seen it. I could feel it in every glance, every whisper. No one wanted to sit near me. Even people I barely knew looked at me with pity or amusement.
When I stepped outside for air, the sky was gray, heavy with clouds. The air smelled like rain. I wished it would pour, just so I'd have an excuse to cry in public.
I sat alone on a bench, watching the trees move in the wind. A group of girls passed by and I caught my name in their conversation.
"She used to date Daniel, right?"
"Yeah, before Clara."
"I heard she begged him to stay. Pathetic."
I clenched my fists. It wasn't true but nobody cared about the truth. They only wanted the drama.
For a second, I imagined disappearing. Transferring schools. Starting over somewhere no one knew me. But I couldn't. My brother would never allow that.
Mateo had already warned me once. "You let people walk over you too much, Ellie. Stop hiding behind silence."
He didn't understand. He was strong, ruthless, the kind of man who never showed weakness. He'd kill Daniel if he saw that video.
And maybe that's why I didn't tell him.
But secrets don't stay hidden for long.
By evening, I thought maybe things would calm down. I was wrong.
The video had spread beyond the school. It was all over social media reposted, mocked, even remixed with music. Someone had slowed down the moment my books fell, turning it into a meme.
I stared at the screen in disbelief.
There was no escaping it now.
My hands shook as I threw my phone onto the bed. "Stupid… stupid," I whispered. "Why do people enjoy this?"
A single notification popped up at the top of my screen. Mateo: Call me. Now.
My chest went cold.
I picked up the phone slowly. Before I could type, it rang. I answered with a trembling hand.
"Elena," his voice came through, low and dangerous. "What the hell is this I'm seeing?"
My heart thudded. "Mateo"
"I said, what is this?"
"It's nothing," I tried to say, but my voice cracked.
"I told you to stay out of trouble."
"I didn't start it"
"I don't care who started it. I'm not letting this slide." His voice went from cold to sharp, every word cutting. "Who are those girls?"
I hesitated. "Clara and her friends."
"The same Clara you trusted?"
The lump in my throat made it hard to speak. "Yeah."
There was a long silence. Then I heard him curse under his breath. "I'll handle it."
"Mateo, don't"
But the line went dead.
I sank down on the floor, phone still in my hand. I knew that tone. He wasn't angry, he was furious.
And when Mateo was furious, people disappeared.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying every word Clara said, every laugh, every cruel look. My chest hurt like something was breaking inside.
I wasn't just humiliated. I was betrayed. By the people I loved.
I didn't know what Mateo would do next. But deep down, I knew this wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
Across town, in his office filled with smoke and shadows, Mateo tossed his phone aside and muttered a single name to the man beside him.
"Adrian."
The man raised a brow. "What's wrong?"