Chapter 1 - THE DOOR THAT DESTROYED EVERYTHING
The first thing I saw was my wedding dress on the floor.
The second thing I saw was the man I was supposed to marry lying in bed with another woman.
And the third thing I felt was my heart breaking into pieces.
I stood frozen in the doorway of Room 200, unable to breathe.
The luxury penthouse that was supposed to become the place where I celebrated the happiest day of my life suddenly felt like a crime scene.
Outside the giant glass windows, the city lights of New York sparkled like nothing had changed.
But my entire world had.
“Emily…”
My fiancé’s voice cracked the silence.
He looked at me like he had just seen a ghost.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Then he quickly grabbed the sheets and tried to cover himself.
“Wait,” he said, raising his hands. “Please, wait. I can explain.”
I stared at him.
Explain?
What explanation could possibly exist for the scene in front of me?
The man I had loved for five years.
The man who held my hand and promised me forever.
The man who stood beside me last night during our rehearsal dinner and told everyone I was the only woman he would ever need.
He was here.
With someone else.
My fingers tightened around the small bouquet I was still holding.
The roses were crushed.
Just like me.
“Emily, listen to me,” he said quickly. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
I didn’t even recognize my own voice.
“What does it look like, Jason?”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
The woman beside him pulled the blanket higher around herself.
She looked nervous.
But not surprised.
That hurt more than anything.
Because it meant this wasn’t an accident.
It wasn’t a mistake.
It was a secret.
“How long?” I whispered.
Jason looked away.
That single movement gave me the answer.
My eyes filled with tears.
“How long have you been lying to me?”
“Emily, please—”
“No.”
My voice became stronger.
“No more excuses.”
Jason climbed out of bed, trying to approach me.
“Baby, I swear, she came onto me. I didn’t want this.”
The woman suddenly looked offended.
“Seriously, Jason?”
He turned toward her.
“Not now.”
I looked between them.
And suddenly everything made sense.
The late nights.
The strange phone calls.
The sudden business trips.
The way he stopped letting me touch his phone.
All the little moments I ignored because I trusted him.
Because I loved him.
“You made me feel crazy,” I said quietly.
Jason froze.
“You made me think I was paranoid. You told me I was imagining things.”
Tears fell down my face.
“But I was right.”
“Emily, please,” he begged. “Don’t ruin everything over one mistake.”
One mistake.
Those words hit harder than the betrayal itself.
“One mistake?”
I looked at my wedding dress.
The dress I spent months choosing.
The dress I dreamed about wearing while walking toward him.
“You destroyed our entire future and you call it a mistake?”
Jason stepped closer.
“Please. Let’s talk privately.”
I looked at him.
Then I reached into my purse.
His face changed.
“What are you doing?”
I pulled out my phone.
“Emily…”
I ignored him.
My hands were shaking.
Not because I was weak.
Because I was trying everything I had not to collapse.
I pressed one number.
Jason’s panic grew.
“Who are you calling?”
The phone rang.
One time.
Two times.
Three times.
Then someone answered.
“Hello?”
I took a deep breath.
“Mrs. Carter?”
The room went silent.
Jason’s face lost all color.
“No…”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“Please come to Room 200.”
A few seconds later, Jason grabbed his shirt.
“Emily, don’t do this.”
But I stepped away.
“You wanted everyone to believe your story.”
My voice trembled.
“So now everyone is going to hear the truth.”
Jason’s expression turned desperate.
“You don’t understand.”
“No.”
I wiped my tears.
“I understand everything now.”
Five minutes later, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the penthouse.
Jason looked toward the door.
Then back at me.
Fear was finally replacing his confidence.
The door handle began to move.
And Jason realized the secret he had protected for months was about to be exposed in front of the one group of people he feared most.
May you like
His family.
TO BE CONTINUED...
