His Sweet Betrayal, Her Cold Vengeance

I thought my boyfriend, Dillon, was my knight in shining armor, the one person who saw me in a family that treated me like an intruder. I was wrong.

He and his best friend, Ethan, drugged me, took explicit photos, and leaked them to the entire university to shatter my reputation and force me out of their lives.

My own mother, more concerned with her social standing, called me a slut and abandoned me. Then, Ethan sent his thugs to corner me in an alley. They humiliated me, assaulted me, and in the struggle, I was stabbed and left for dead.

Lying in a hospital bed, I overheard the truth. Dillon's feigned apology was a lie; he was leaving me for his "true love," Erika. Ethan's only regret was that I hadn't died. "You're alone," he sneered. "No one will protect you anymore."

He was right. I was alone. But when I returned to the house to pack my things, I discovered the last precious thing I owned-my grandmother's jade bangle-had been stolen.

That was the moment something inside me finally broke. Or maybe, it was the moment I was finally pieced back together. They wanted me gone? Fine. But I wouldn't just disappear. I would make them pay for every single tear.

Chapter 1

Dillon Richardson POV:

"Are you sure about this, Ethan?" My voice was low, barely a whisper against the hum of the expensive ventilation system in Ethan's private study. The scent of aged leather and cigar smoke clung to the air, a constant reminder of the Reynolds' vast wealth.

Ethan just leaned back in his plush armchair. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass, not even looking at me. His gaze was fixed on the sprawling city lights outside the panoramic window. He loved this view. It made him feel powerful, invincible.

He took a slow sip. The ice clinked softly against the glass. A subtle, almost imperceptible gesture, but it sent a chill down my spine. It was a calculated move, just like everything he did.

"Sure about what?" His tone was languid, dismissive. He didn't need to ask. We both knew exactly what 'this' was.

"Jenna," I said, the name feeling foreign on my tongue, tainted. "The plan. It's... extreme."

Ethan finally turned, a predatory glint in his eyes. He set his glass down with a soft thud. "Extreme? You think this is extreme, Dillon? She's an intruder. A leech. My mother killed herself because of that woman's mother. And Jenna, she just exists here, taking up space, trying to fit into our world."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping, but gaining an edge. "We need to get rid of her. Permanently. And not just from the house, but from our lives. From this university. From any memory of ever belonging here."

His plan was simple, brutal. Drugging Jenna, taking explicit photos, leaking them. It was designed to shatter her, to publicly shame her, to make her disappear. "This will force her to leave the family," he continued, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "It'll clear the way for Erika. For us."

A knot formed in my stomach. "But what if... what if she can't handle it? What if she doesn't just leave, but completely breaks down?"

Ethan scoffed. He pushed himself out of the chair and walked over to me, stopping just inches away. His eyes bored into mine. They were cold, devoid of any warmth. "Breaks down? That's the point, isn't it? She needs to understand her place. She needs to understand that she doesn't belong."

He chuckled, a short, sharp sound that grated on my nerves. "Or is it something else, Dillon? Are you actually getting soft? Are you actually starting to feel something for your little art student?"

"No!" The denial was out before I could even think. My face felt hot. "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous."

I tried to regain my composure. "I just think... we need to be careful. About the fallout. The Reynolds family, your father especially, he' s sensitive about appearances."

Ethan waved a dismissive hand. "Appearances will be handled. Doris will handle it. She always does." He paused, his gaze narrowing. "But you, Dillon. You've been spending a lot of time with her. Taking her to those art galleries. You look at her differently."

"I'm just playing the part, Ethan," I insisted, forcing a casual shrug. It was a lie, a flimsy excuse I hoped he'd buy. "You know how it is. She's... convenient. A temporary distraction. But she's nothing more than that."

I needed to make him believe me. I needed to convince myself. "She's utterly insignificant. Naive. Pathetic, really. She clings to every scrap of attention like a starving dog."

My voice grew colder, harsher. "She's not worth anything serious. Not worth a second of real thought. Especially now."

I remembered Erika, her laughter, her face. Her return was imminent. The real reason for all of this.

"Erika is coming back," I said, my voice softening involuntarily. "Soon. We can't have Jenna in the picture when she does. Erika deserves better than to see... that."

Ethan smirked, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "Ah. The 'true love' returns. So, you see it my way now, don't you? No time to waste on someone like Jenna when our Erika is finally coming home."

My chest tightened, a strange mix of relief and unease. Erika. My Erika. She was the one. Always had been. Jenna was just a detour, a mistake I needed to fix.

"Exactly," I said, feigning confidence. "Erika. She's the only one who matters."