CHAPTER 1 – THE NIGHT EVERYTHING BROKE.
I used to believe love was safe.
That if you loved someone enough, they couldn't hurt you.
I was wrong.
The night it all ended, rain washed the streets like it was trying to erase sins that refused to disappear. I stood across the road from his house, my phone cold in my hand, my heart beating too fast for my body to keep up.
He told me to wait.
So I waited.
I always did.
Minutes passed. Then more minutes. My messages stayed unread. My calls went unanswered. Still, I stayed, because loving him had taught me patience… and blindness.
Then the door opened.
I smiled without thinking.
But the smile died before it fully formed.
He stepped out first.
Then she followed.
Her hand was in his. Not just holding — familiar. Comfortable. Like it belonged there. Like I never did.
The world tilted.
My legs felt weak, but I crossed the road anyway. Each step felt like I was walking into a knife.
"Who is she?" I asked.
My voice didn't sound like mine.
He froze. Just for a second. Then his face hardened, and the man I loved disappeared.
"You shouldn't be here," he said.
No explanation.
No guilt.
No shame.
Just distance.
The girl looked at me, confused, then curious. Her eyes moved over me like she was trying to understand why I mattered.
I felt small.
"Answer me," I said. "After everything… you owe me that."
He sighed, like I was a problem he didn't want to deal with.
"Go home," he said. "Please."
That word hurt more than the others.
Please.
Because it didn't mean he cared.
It meant he didn't want trouble.
I laughed. A short, broken sound. "So this is it?"
He didn't reply.
That silence shattered what was left of my heart.
I turned away before he could see the tears. Before I completely broke. My steps were fast, desperate, but I didn't get far.
A scream cut through the rain.
Sharp. Terrified.
I turned back.
The girl was on the ground.
Blood spread beneath her like a dark shadow, too much, too fast. The rain couldn't wash it away. Nothing could.
He stood over her.
Frozen.
His hands were red.
Shaking.
My breath disappeared. The air felt heavy, thick, like I was drowning while standing still.
"What did you do?" I whispered.
He looked at me.
And in his eyes, I didn't see fear.
I saw something worse.
Acceptance.
"It's not what you think," he said quickly. Too quickly.
I backed away.
Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my body refused to move. This didn't feel real. This couldn't be real.
The man I loved wouldn't be capable of this.
Would he?
"Call for help," I said. "We need help."
He grabbed my wrist.
Hard.
I gasped.
"You didn't see anything," he said quietly. His voice was calm, controlled — and terrifying. "Do you understand?"
My heart pounded violently.
"You're hurting me," I said.
His grip tightened, then slowly loosened.
"Go," he said. "Before things get worse."
Worse.
That word stayed with me as I ran.
I didn't look back.
I couldn't.
Because deep down, I knew the truth had already found me.
Love didn't just betray me that night.
It turned dangerous.
And whatever he was hiding…
Blood had already paid the price.
🩸 To be continued…