Chapter 1
Chapter One
Ariana
Betrayal. The pain and rage that consumed me was unbearable. My perfect reality had become my hurtful one. Loss of illusion settled inside me and constricted the air I breathed. I felt as if my entire life was a lie. That was the only truth I had. The burning hole in the middle of my soul was the start of my life Armageddon. This betrayal changed everything for me. In the blink of an eye, my entire life was altered. The security I once had was gone. The comfort that blanketed me my whole life was ripped off, leaving me numb and cold. They say time heals all wounds, but there wasn’t enough time in the world to heal a wound this deep.
Their justification sucked. The people I trusted with my life had done the unthinkable. They could have changed it years ago, but they didn’t. I found out after hearing a conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear. They didn’t know I was there. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I had just graduated from law school—top of my class. I excitedly delivered the valedictorian speech because all my hard work had finally paid off. I was rewarded in the best possible way with an associate position at one of the top law firms in Boston, where I interned. All I needed was to pass the bar exam. I wasn’t worried. I would nail it, and my future looked bright.
But this. This changed everything. The fog in which my mind was enveloped wasn’t lifting. It had been four hours since I’d found out. We all had words. Mine were angry, while theirs were apologetic. Tears were shed, and my screams could be heard throughout our quiet neighborhood. My eyes were flooded, and my vision was blurry. I couldn’t think straight nor stand there and listen to the apologetic lies spewed from their mouths. I had to leave and get away from them to clear my head. But I had to be careful and play it right.
I swallowed hard as I stood and stared at the people who had betrayed me. I wanted to tell them all to fuck off, but I couldn’t. Not yet. I needed a plan.
“I’m in shock, to say the least, and I need some time to absorb and process all of this,” I spoke calmly but shaky. “I’m going to my room to think, so I’m asking you to please leave me alone and give me the time I need.”
“We understand, baby.”
I slowly walked upstairs and went to my room. Locking the door behind me, I sat on the bed momentarily and stared at myself in the mirror. My long brown hair was a mess from my hands tangling through it as the destruction of my life unfolded. Streaks of black ran down my face with every tear that I’d shed. I didn’t wear waterproof mascara because there was no need to. Today was supposed to be a day of joy and happiness. I stood up and changed out of the white silk sleeveless dress I had carefully picked out for this day. The shakiness I felt hadn’t subsided, and my pounding heart failed to slow down. I knew what I needed to do. I couldn’t live here anymore and certainly couldn’t live in this town.
I went into my closet, pulled out my suitcase, and began packing the essentials. In a couple of hours, when I knew they’d be sound asleep in their room, I’d leave and never look back. I would run to the only person that came to mind—another who had betrayed me. I swallowed hard at the thought. It wasn’t going to be easy, but compared to staying here, it was my only option until I figured out my next move.
I didn’t have her number anymore. It had been four years since I’d shut her out of my life. Shut them out of my life. I opened my laptop and searched for her on Facebook. Found her. Her profile picture was of the two of them—posted two weeks ago. They seemed happy, and both still lived in New York. I typed a message in the message box and hit send.
“Olivia, I need you.”
Within a matter of seconds, she replied.
“Ariana? My God, it’s so good to hear from you. Are you okay?”
“No. Things here have changed. I’ll explain everything later. I’m heading to New York tomorrow. Would it be okay if I crashed with you and Harry?”
“Of course. Do you need us to pick you up from the airport?”
“No. I’ll just take a cab.”
“Okay. I’ll text you my address and leave the key under the mat. We’ll both be at work tomorrow, but I should be home around six o’clock.”
“Thank you, Olivia. I appreciate it.”
“Have a safe flight, and I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s really good to hear from you, Ari. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
Olivia Shallow and I had been best friends since the time we were five years old when we met in kindergarten. On the first day of school, she curled into a ball and cried because she missed her mom. I felt sorry for her, so I walked over and sat down on the floor next to her, hooked my arm around her, and told her that she’d be okay and that her mom would be back to get her after school was over. I asked her to sit next to me at my table. We’d been inseparable since, until that night four years ago—the night she and Harry told me that they had fallen in love with each other. Harry was my boyfriend then, and we’d been dating for about a year. Olivia attended Boston University with me right after high school and then decided to transfer to NYU when the New York Giants recruited her boyfriend of two years. I warned her that it wasn’t a good idea, but she didn’t listen and went anyway.
Two months later, he cheated on her with not one but several girls, and she finally dumped him. Harry was offered a summer internship in New York at a prestigious financial firm, and when he got there, Olivia showed him around. Apparently, New York wasn’t the only thing she showed him. They spent a lot of time together since neither one of them really knew anyone else. She was broken, and he was there. Shit happens, I guess. I just never thought my best friend would steal my boyfriend. After that, I cut all ties with them, and we hadn’t spoken in four years. But, even after everything we’d been through, she was the one I needed the most right now.
After I finished packing, I went into the bathroom and washed my face. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I only saw a little girl lost—the product of deception and lies. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and then they suddenly stopped. I turned off my light to make it look like I’d turned in for the night. Their bedroom door shut, so I waited until I knew they were asleep. An hour later, I saw the cab's headlights from my window. Picking up my suitcase and duffle bag, I carefully opened my door, crept down the stairs, and slid out the patio door.
After climbing into the cab, I stared at the brightly lit house where I had grown up for the past twenty-five years. Tears crept into my eyes as the driver pulled away and drove me to a hotel for the night.