The next morning, a gentle knocking stirred me awake. My eyes were puffy from crying through the night, my throat raw from screaming into the silence of my locked room. I didn’t want to open the door, not even a crack—but then I heard her voice.
“Alyssa… it’s me.”
Sabrina.
My body froze instantly.
The door creaked, and she stepped in—my so-called best friend, the woman who had betrayed me in the most unforgivable way. Her eyes were red, rimmed with tears, though I didn’t believe a word of it. Without asking, she crossed the room and hugged me tightly, pressing her cheek to mine.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, voice soft against my shoulder. “I never meant for it to happen. Things… they just got out of hand.”
I stiffened, hands falling to my sides. “Got out of hand?” I repeated, bitterness cutting through my voice as I stepped back.
“Yes,” she hurried on. “I thought you were talking about Raphael—that’s all. You’d mentioned him before, your first love. I assumed maybe you had reconciled, and that’s why you were talking about divorce with Julian.”
I stared at her, incredulous. “You’re serious?” I raised my voice. “That’s your excuse? You thought I wanted a divorce because of Raphael? Not because you’ve been sleeping with my husband for years?”
Her lips parted in feigned offense. “Of course not! You’re my best friend, Dani. I would never—”
The sharp sting of my hand against her cheek cut her off.
Her head snapped sideways, palm flying to her face. “What—?”
“Do you think I’d be blind?” I whispered, voice trembling with fury and heartbreak. “You’ve been sleeping with my husband, Sabrina. And Max—your son—is his child, isn’t he?”
For a heartbeat, she froze, her expression an act of innocence. Then it slipped. Her lips twisted into a faint, mocking smile, and a quiet laugh escaped her.
“Oh, God,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m tired of pretending.” Her tone dripped with venomous amusement as she locked eyes with me. “Good to know you finally caught on.”
My stomach churned, but I didn’t flinch.
“So what’s next?” she continued, smirking. “Are you finally going to leave him?”
I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “He won’t divorce me,” I said deliberately. “So you’d better do something about it.”
Sabrina tilted her head, chuckling. “Don’t worry. I will. Just make sure you actually go through with it.”
“Fine.” I slipped my wedding ring off, holding it up as it caught the morning sunlight. “Here. Wear it. Enjoy it. You’ve already taken everything else.”
She hesitated before taking it, her smirk softening into a playful pout. “Well… thanks, Alyssa. Really, thank you for giving me your husband,” she murmured. I brushed past her without answering.
As I moved toward the living room, a small voice called out.
“Auntie Dani!”
It was Max, clutching a toy car, his face lighting up when he saw me. “Look! Daddy fixed it!”
For a fleeting second, I froze. I had once adored this boy. I had held him, fed him, read him bedtime stories when Sabrina was too busy pretending to work. He had called me “Auntie” so sweetly that I had almost forgotten my own loss.
But now… every time I saw him, all I felt was betrayal.
“I’m busy, Max,” I said softly.
“No! Please, Auntie! Look, it moves now!” He pressed the toy toward me eagerly.
I stepped back, shaking my head. “Not now, Max.”
He followed me, tugging at my dress. “Please, Auntie! Just look!”
Something inside me snapped. My voice cracked as I pushed him away. “I said I’m busy!”
He stumbled. I didn’t catch him in time. He fell, the toy shattering beside him, his tiny body trembling as sobs ripped from his chest.
Sabrina burst into the room, horror written across her face. “What did you do?!”
“It was an accident,” I said quickly. But she was already scooping him up, glaring at me as if I were a monster.
“What’s going on?” Julian’s voice boomed from the doorway, eyes darting between me and the crying child, face hardening.
“Really, Alyssa?” he hissed. “This is why you don’t deserve to be a mother. You can’t even care for a child properly.”
I felt my throat constrict.
“This,” he said, gesturing to Max, “is why we’ll never have another child. I’m giving my heir to him. He’ll be adopted officially. He deserves it more than you ever could.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, voice quiet, almost serene. “Do what you must.”
He blinked, thrown by my calm. “That’s it? You don’t care? Is that true? Are you seeing another man?”
“What?” I whispered, stunned.
He looked to Sabrina. “She mentioned a guy. Who is it?”
Sabrina raised her hands innocently. “Julian, stop. Don’t hurt her. Remember, she’s my best friend.”
He glared between us, jaw tight, then sighed. “Be thankful Sabrina’s considerate, Alyssa. Now, apologize to Max.”
I clenched my fists but couldn’t bear another fight. I knelt before the boy, voice trembling. “I’m sorry, Max. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He sniffled, nodding. “It’s okay, Auntie. Can we play later?”
“Sure,” I said softly. “We’ll play later.”
But I knew there wouldn’t be a later.
Once in my room, I locked the door and collapsed onto the bed, mind spinning, heart breaking all over again.
Raphael.
The name echoed in my thoughts. The man I had loved once. The one I had left for Julian because my father had insisted I marry into a powerful family to “protect” me.
Maybe Sabrina’s gossip about him wasn’t useless after all. Maybe I could use it.
Hands trembling, I pulled out my phone and scrolled to his name: Raphael Mendoza. My pulse raced as I tapped it.
The line rang once… twice… then—
“Hello?” His voice, familiar and gentle, filled my ear.
“It’s me,” I whispered. “Alyssa.”
A pause. “Alyssa?” His tone was stunned. “After all this time…”
I took a shaky breath. “Are you… still single?”
He laughed softly, surprised. “I… yeah, I guess.”
“Good,” I said, voice wavering but steadying. “Because I need to ask you something… important.”
“What is it?”
I closed my eyes, heart hammering. “Do you… want to marry me?”
