The halls of Willow Crest Manor were eerily quiet that night, the kind of silence that seemed to amplify the ache in Adriana Monero’s chest. She had spent hours lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, but sleep refused to come. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Javier Salinas flashed in her mind—the man she had loved for years, the man she was supposed to marry in just a few days.
Her heart tightened painfully, and she sat up, throwing the covers aside. The engagement party was still fresh in her memory, and with it came a wave of emotions she couldn’t control. It wasn’t just Javier’s betrayal that haunted her—it was who he had betrayed her with.
Yesenia.
The name felt like poison on her tongue. Yesenia Monero, her half-sister, born from her father’s affair with a woman who had wreaked havoc on their family over two decades ago. Adriana had spent years trying to coexist with Yesenia, trying to ignore the resentment that had always lingered between them. But now, after what had happened, all that buried anger was clawing its way to the surface.
Unable to stay still, Adriana made her way downstairs to the study. The polished wood floors were cold beneath her bare feet, but she didn’t care. She went straight to the mini bar in the corner, pouring herself a glass of tequila with shaky hands.
Her reflection in the glass door of the bar caught her attention. Her usually composed face was etched with anguish, her dark eyes rimmed red from tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed.
She downed the tequila in one gulp, welcoming the burn as it slid down her throat.
“One more,” she muttered to herself, pouring another glass.
As the alcohol worked its way through her veins, the memories became sharper, cutting deeper.
The engagement party had been perfect—or so she had thought. The crème de la crème of the city’s elite had been in attendance, raising glasses to the future of two powerful families uniting. Adriana had been glowing in a custom-made gown, her hand nestled in Javier’s as they moved through the crowd.
And then Yesenia walked in.
Adriana could still picture her half-sister in that blood-red dress, a smirk playing on her lips as she glided into the room like she owned it. Adriana’s heart had dropped at the sight of her.
She remembered the sharp sound of glass breaking, the warmth of wine spilling over her hand. The next moments were a blur—her demand for security to remove Yesenia, Javier’s cold reprimand, the humiliation of being called hysterical in front of their guests.
And then he left. Not with her, but with Yesenia.
Adriana let out a bitter laugh and poured another drink. The tequila wasn’t helping; if anything, it was making everything worse. But she couldn’t stop.
“Why, Javier?” she whispered to the empty room. “Why her?”
The thought of them together twisted something deep inside her, a mix of heartbreak and fury. Before she knew it, she had grabbed her car keys. She didn’t think—she couldn’t think. She just needed answers.
The drive to Javier’s estate was a blur. The streets were quiet, the city asleep, but Adriana’s mind was racing. Her grip on the steering wheel was tight, her knuckles white.
When she arrived, the sight of the grand gates of the Salinas estate was like a punch to the gut. She had walked through those gates countless times. Tonight, they felt like a barrier, keeping her out of a life she had thought was hers.
The guards didn’t stop her—why would they? She was Adriana Monero, Javier’s fiancée. For now, at least.
She pushed through the front doors and made her way upstairs, her heart pounding with every step. The house was quiet, the staff long gone for the night. She didn’t need anyone to tell her where to go. Her feet carried her straight to the master bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar, a faint glow spilling into the hallway. Adriana pushed it open, her breath hitching in her throat.
There, tangled together under the sheets, were Javier and Yesenia.
The world seemed to tilt as she took in the scene. Javier’s arm was draped over Yesenia, his face buried in her hair. They looked peaceful, their breathing slow and steady. The sheets were disheveled, barely covering their naked forms.
Adriana’s vision blurred, tears streaming down her face before she even realized she was crying. Her chest felt like it was being crushed, the pain so intense it left her gasping for air.
She wanted to scream, to storm into the room and rip the covers off them, but her feet wouldn’t move. She was frozen in place, staring at the man she had loved for years as he held the woman she hated most in the world.
Her fingers dug into the doorframe as she tried to steady herself. She felt like she was drowning, each breath harder to take than the last.
How could he do this? How could they do this?
Adriana’s mind raced, replaying every moment of their relationship. Every promise Javier had made, every time he had looked into her eyes and told her he loved her—it all felt like a lie.
She bit down on her lip, tasting blood, but the pain didn’t register. All she could see was the way Javier’s hand rested on Yesenia’s bareback, the way his body curled protectively around hers.
The man she had planned to marry, the man who had promised her forever, was lying in bed with her half-sister.
A strangled sob escaped her lips, and she quickly covered her mouth, afraid she might wake them. She didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she had seen them like this.
Adriana took a shaky step back, then another, her legs threatening to give out beneath her. The hallway seemed impossibly long as she stumbled away, her vision clouded by tears.
She made it to the stairs before she collapsed, clutching the banister as a wave of anguish washed over her. The sobs she had been holding back came rushing out, her body shaking with the force of them.
The betrayal cut deeper than she thought possible, leaving her hollow and broken.
Adriana Monero, the unshakable daughter of one of the most powerful families in the city, had been brought to her knees.
