I should’ve thrown the letter away. I should’ve burned the photo, torn it in half, flushed it—anything but what I actually did. I kept it. Tucked it inside the drawer beneath my lingerie, like a secret I wasn’t ready to admit, let alone let go of.
What did that say about me?
That even after everything—after the betrayal, the silence, the ghosting—I still clung to Kade in the smallest, most dangerous ways?
I hated myself for it.
“Earth to Alina.”
Julian snapped his fingers in front of me, and I blinked.
We were in the middle of a photoshoot for a new campaign—a luxury fashion house collaboration. Models flitted around in thousand-dollar gowns, the creative team fussed over lighting, and yet here I was, standing in the middle of the chaos, miles away in my head.
“Sorry,” I muttered, rubbing my temple. “Didn’t sleep well.”
Julian raised a brow. “Nightmares? Or just haunted by the past?”
I flinched. He noticed.
“Right,” he said softly. “It was him again, wasn’t it?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.
Julian’s jaw tightened. “Look, Alina. I’m not here to play second fiddle to your ex. Either you’re with me, or you’re still his.”
I shot him a glare. “You don’t get to pressure me, Julian. You knew what this was.”
He leaned in, voice low but sharp. “Yeah, and I also know what it could be. But you won’t let go of him. And maybe you never will.”
“Is that what this is about?” I asked, folding my arms. “Your ego?”
“No,” he said coldly. “It’s about self-respect.”
And then he walked away.
BY THE time I got home, my head was pounding.
I tossed my bag on the couch, kicked off my heels, and collapsed into the cushions like a broken marionette. It was only Wednesday, but I felt like I’d survived a war.
And then—Buzz.
My phone vibrated across the glass coffee table. An unknown number. But I already knew. It's Kade.
Kade:“I need to see you. Now.”
Kade: “Don’t ignore this. It’s important.”
Kade: “I’m outside.”
I jumped to my feet, heart in my throat. I yanked the curtains aside and froze. There he was. Leaning against his matte black Aston Martin, hands in his pockets like he had every right to be here, like he hadn’t disappeared from my life for a year and waltzed back in with a cryptic note and a photograph.
I didn’t move. But he didn’t leave either. So I opened the door.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
He looked me over slowly, like he hadn’t seen me in years. “You look tired.”
“Thanks,” I snapped. “You still look like a ghost that won’t go away.”
“That’s because I don’t plan to.”
I stared at him, stunned. “Excuse me?”
He stepped inside without permission, the scent of his cologne—dark and expensive—clinging to the air between us.
“Is this how you show up now?” I asked. “Uninvited, unannounced, unwelcome?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I had a choice.”
“You always had a choice, Kade. You just didn’t choose me.”
He turned to face me, eyes burning. “That’s not true.”
“Then prove it.”
Silence. Then… “You’re in danger.”
I blinked. “What?”
He stepped closer. “Julian isn’t who he says he is. He’s using you. Tracking you.”
“Stop,” I said, backing away. “This is pathetic, even for you.”
“I’m serious. He’s involved in some shady dealings—dirty investments, offshore accounts. He got close to you for leverage.”
I laughed. “So let me guess—you’re my savior now? After ghosting me for a year? You think you can barge back in and play the hero?”
“I have proof,” he said quietly. “I wouldn’t come here otherwise.”
“You’re lying.”
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small USB stick.
“Plug it in. See for yourself.”
I stared at it like it was a ticking bomb.
“I’m not doing this,” I whispered.
“You need to know the truth, Alina. Even if it hurts.”
I clenched my fists. “Where was this version of you when I was screaming for answers? When I lost my brother? My best friend Leo? When I lost myself? You left me to drown and now you think a USB can undo all of that?”
“I couldn’t face you,” he said, voice cracking. “I blamed myself.”
“You should,” I spat. “Because I waited for you. I begged for you. And you chose silence.”
He nodded slowly, eyes rimmed red. “And I regret it every day.”
I looked at the USB in his hand. My stomach twisted.
“Why now?” I asked.
He hesitated. “Because I think someone’s trying to destroy you.”
I STARED at the stick long after he left.
His words echoed in my mind, wrapping around me like vines. Was Julian really playing me? Or was Kade manipulating me with paranoia and guilt? I paced the room, debating. Then finally—I plugged it in.
The files were heavily encrypted. But I knew someone who could open them.
“ARE you insane?” Trixie hissed, eyes wide.
She was my best friend and also the most paranoid tech genius I knew. If I wanted answers, she was the one to dig them up.
“You brought this to me without even scanning it for malware first? What if this nuked your whole system?”
“I didn’t know where else to go,” I whispered.
She sighed. “Okay, fine. Let me see what I can pull.”
Twenty minutes later, her eyes were glued to the screen.
And then—She froze.
“Alina... you might want to sit down.”
My stomach dropped. “What did you find?”
She turned the laptop toward me. Bank statements. Shell companies. Wire transfers to Julian’s name from a company flagged for money laundering.
“Jesus,” I whispered.
And then—an audio file.
I clicked play.
Julian’s voice. Calm. Chilling.
“I don’t care if she finds out eventually. The point is, she gets me into the firm, and I’ll bleed them from the inside out. Alina Cruz is just another stepping stone. Pretty. Smart. Disposable.”
My chest cracked wide open. I couldn’t breathe. He used me. Everything. The late-night talks. The dates. The quiet smiles. All of it—calculated. Kade had been telling the truth. And I hated that more than anything. Because it meant I was still too blind where he was concerned. Too easily fooled. Too easily broken.
I sat in silence, the weight of it all crushing down.
Trixie touched my arm gently. “You okay?”
I nodded. But I wasn’t. Not even close.
LATER that night, I walked back to my apartment with my fingers shaking.
I pulled out my phone and texted Kade.
Alina: “We need to talk. Tomorrow. My place.”
Three dots appeared instantly.
Kade: “I’ll be there.”
And then, as I unlocked my door, another message popped up. But not from Kade. From Julian.
Julian: “Dinner tomorrow. Just you and me. No excuses.”
I stared at the screen. Two men. One betrayed me in the past. One betrayed me in the present. But only one of them was still lying.
