I stood outside Damian’s office, my breath caught in my throat as his words cut through the air like a blade.

“So don’t let your people tell Lynn anything about me and Seraphina,” Damian ordered, his voice steady and deep. A voice that I have always been entranced in.

“They wouldn’t dare let slip even a word about Seraphina in front of Lynn,” another voice assured him.

The thermos in my hands felt unbearably heavy. My fingers clenched around it as an icy wave of realization crashed over me.

Tomorrow was supposed to be our engagement party. Just three hours ago, Damian had called to postpone our engagement party. He said some business he had overseas was encountering issues, and he needs to travel. He also added that he was busy with work and that I should get some rest. Feeling sorry for him, I had decided to surprise him with a warm meal.

Instead of me surprising him, I had been the one to be surprised and served with a cruel betrayal.

My chest tightened as memories of us played in my mind like scenes from a movie.

Damian, filling the city with billboards, declaring his love.

Damian, holding my hand as we traveled the world together.

Damian, down on one knee, proposing by the sea.

Had it all been a lie?

Tears blurred my vision.

I wiped my face quickly, but the pain in my heart didn’t fade.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a message from a potential client, offering a major job in Dubai. Before, I wouldn’t have considered leaving, but now…

The voices inside the office fell silent. I took a step back, unsure if I should stay or walk away. Before I could decide, the door swung open, and Damian’s secretary stepped out.

“Miss Callista, what a surprise. When did you get here?” Her voice wavered, nervousness siping into her tone.

I forced a smile and lifted the thermos. “Just now. I thought Damian could use something warm.”

Relief washed over her face as she opened the door for me. Damian turned at the sound, his amber eyes locking onto mine. He rushed over, taking the thermos from my hands.

“It’s cold outside,” he chided gently. “You should’ve stayed home.”

His concern felt like poison seeping into my veins. The man who had just been discussing keeping secrets from me now acted as though I was his whole world.

He led me to the couch in his office and had me lie down. He adjusted the thermostat and draped a blanket over my shoulders.

I curled up on the couch, watching as his friends and secretary left the office, their smiles filled with meaning I had once been too blind to see.

How many times had they smiled at me like that? How many times had they known the truth while I played the fool?

Damian sat beside me, his brows furrowed. “Are you cold?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. You should have the soup first.”

He hesitated, but then took a sip.

Watching him take a sip, a thought suddenly flashed in my mind.

“What if I had poisoned the soup?”

I shook the thought away, knowing fully well that I will only gain momentary satisfaction, but my life will be ruined.

The warmth in his eyes, the way he grinned after finishing—it was all an act. He pulled me into his private lounge, tucking me into the bed there, his arms wrapping around me protectively.

“Sleep, Lynn,” he murmured. “I’ll be here.”

His steady heartbeat should have comforted me. Instead, I felt trapped. Suffocated.

Hearing his slowed breathing I knew he was asleep. I turned to look at the face I always thanked God for. The same innocent face I was entrapped in.

Just looking at him, reminded me of the illusion he had slowly crafted and I had never noticed.

The soft glow of his phone caught my eye. Curiosity clawed at me, refusing to be ignored. I reached for the device. The device looked different from the one I knew and a hollow laugh couldn’t help but escape my lips.

Trying his usual password which was my birthday. It didn’t work. His birthday? Still wrong. Then a thought struck me.

Seraphina.

With trembling fingers, I entered a series of numbers connected to her. On the third attempt, the screen unlocked.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. He had changed everything for her.

A message from his assistant popped up: Mr. Sinclair, the transfer deed for the beachfront tower, is finalized.

Attached was a file. I clicked on it. The owner’s name appeared: Seraphina Caldwell.

More messages followed. Luxury cars, properties, bank accounts. Everything was for her.

I scrolled further. The earliest file was a will. Damian had left his entire fortune to Seraphina.

I stared at the screen, my vision swimming. I had spent years managing his wealth, yet I had never realized that most of it had been funneled to another woman.

Then I saw it—a certificate for an engagement ring.

My breath hitched. It was the same ring I had wanted when we picked out wedding bands. The same one he had rejected for being too plain. Three days ago, Seraphina had posted a photo wearing that ring.

I clicked on the audio embedded in the image, my hands shaking. Damian’s voice filtered through, low and affectionate. “I knew you’d love it.”

A sob built in my throat, but I swallowed it down. It had never been mine. None of it had.

My fingers clenched around the phone. I had been so blind. So foolish.

I clicked on everything and sent them to my own phone.

As I placed the phone back, my mind drifted to another troubling thought. Alos Vaugh. A dangerous mafia lord known for his ruthlessness. My kidnapping had been at his hands, something I had never truly understood. Damian had saved me from him, but why had I been taken in the first place?

Why had a man like Alos been involved in my life at all?

From the earlier conversations today, I realized that despite the fact that Damian had saved me, he was still the one who had asked Alos to kidnap me. But why? Was he afraid that after realizing Seraphina’s betrayal, I will do something terrible to her? Or was there something else?

Could it be that Damian and Alos have been working together? If Damian had wanted me out of the way before, had he ever really intended for me to come back?

A shiver ran down my spine.

Another thought crossed my mind. Could Damian also be part of the Mafia, since most of the wealth I had handled seemed to be everything Damian had, yet those weren’t enough to actually qualify him as the richest man in Everon City.

At this point, it seemed like everything I had overlooked where unfolding before me.

“I couldn’t stay here for another moment.” The thought popped in my mind. I realized how deep the waters I was in and how dangerous my situation was. Even the thought of revenge dissipated like smoke from my thoughts.

Setting the phone back on the nightstand, I grabbed my own and booked a one-way ticket to Dubai. By tomorrow, I would be gone.

Damian Sinclair had built a world of illusions for me.

It was time I shattered it myself and escape from this dangerous mire.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty room.

Damian was gone.

The silence stretched around me, pressing down on my chest. It was strange how an absence could feel so loud.

My eyes drifted to the other side of the bed, the space he had occupied last night now cold and untouched. It shouldn’t have bothered me—after all, what did I expect? A note? A proper goodbye?

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Damian’s secretary stepped inside, carrying a tray with toiletries and a practiced smile.

There was something unsettling about how composed she always was, as if nothing could shake her.

“Good morning, Miss Callista,” she greeted politely. “Mr. Sinclair left last night for an urgent business trip. He also asked me to inform you that the engagement party will be postponed for two days.”

My lips curled into a humorless smile. “Was he afraid I would forget? Is that why he sent you to remind me again?”

I didn’t say the words aloud. Instead, I nodded. “Thank you.”

She didn’t leave. Instead, she stood there, her hands clasped in front of her as if waiting for something.

“Is there anything else?” I prompted.

“Yes,” she said. “The Old Madam wishes to see you. The driver will arrive in an hour to take you there.”

I blinked. That was unexpected. Damian’s mother rarely summoned me. In fact, I could count the number of times we had met on one hand. What could she possibly want now?

I pushed aside my curiosity and nodded. “Tell the driver to take me back to my house first. I don’t have any appropriate clothes here.”

She nodded and left. Within minutes, she returned to inform me that the driver was already waiting downstairs.

My stomach growled in protest. I hadn’t eaten last night. My heartbreak had stolen my appetite, but starvation wasn’t going to mend my broken heart. I grabbed a few slices of bread from the tray and sipped my tea in silence. Who knew if I would get the chance to eat at Damian’s mother’s place?

-----

On my way back home, my phone chimed, signaling a new update on social media. Curious, I tapped into it.

Seraphina had posted a video.

In it, she stood on the deck of a yacht, fishing in a bikini. A man’s arms wrapped snugly around her slim waist from behind. Even from the shaky footage, I recognized the watch on his wrist—it was the birthday gift I had given Damian last year.

The location tag read Thailand. A dull ache spread through my chest, sharp and relentless. So, the reason Damian postponed our wedding wasn’t because of work. It was to accompany the woman he truly cherished on a fishing trip.

Finally arriving at the villa, I was met with the bridal brand Damian had arranged for stopped by to deliver a wedding dress sample.

“Delivery for Seraphina Caldwell. A custom-made gown from Mr. Sinclair. Congratulation for your wedding, Miss Gibbs,” the delivery person announced brightly.

I froze for a moment, staring at the garment bag they held. It bore the unmistakable logo of MN’s high-end bridal collection. The gown Damian had picked for me during our trip to MN’s headquarters was merely a limited-edition runway piece. This, however, was a bespoke masterpiece, crafted with precision and care. The difference wasn’t just in the craftsmanship—it was in intention.

I forced a bitter smile. “Thank you, but I’m not Seraphina.”

The delivery person looked at me, confused. Their expression shifted as realization dawned. They stammered out a series of apologies before scurrying away, clearly embarrassed.

As I watched the delivery crew leave, I bit my lips, the dull ache from my heart spreading to my limbs.

Shaking my head to remove the suicidal thoughts that kept sprouting in my mind, and entered the villa.

I went through the motions of washing up. While picking out the outfit to wear, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly what I was doing.

Two thoughts battled in my head. One said do not go while the other asked me to go and see Damian’s mother’s stance.

Clenching my fist, I took a deep breath and chose a simple but classy dress. I had decided to go.

After dressing up, I left the house.

As I was about to enter the car, I caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of my eye. Damian had just returned—and Seraphina was with him.

“Hi Sis, how are you? It’s great to see you!” she greeted me with overflowing enthusiasm. Yet, I could sense the insincerity in her tone as she continued, “I was planning to drop by and I bumped into your fiancé in the parking lot. So, we walked here together. I hope you don’t mind.”

The way she pressed on “don’t mind” was a deliberate dig. A sweetly coated dagger designed to break my already broken heart.

Damian frowned slightly, seemingly annoyed by the way she addressed him as my fiancé.

I forced a smile. “Of course not.”

Why would I mind? I’d be leaving soon, anyway. Damian didn’t love me, so whether I cared or not didn’t make a difference.

Turning to Damian, I said, “Your mother called for me, so I am heading there and I couldn’t make food for you since I didn’t know when you would be coming back.”

“Is there a reason she asked to see you?” He asked.

“I don’t know.” I said, shaking my head gently. Then I turned to Seraphina, who was feeling uncomfortable by the side. “Unfortunately, I can’t entertain you today.” I said with a smile.

“No problem. Your Fiancé can do that on your behalf.” She said with a wide smile.

“Yeah. Lynn, don’t worry about her being uncomfortable. Besides, she is your sister.” Damian added from the side with a smile.

I wanted to say that she wasn’t my sister but my step-sister.

I took a deep breath, unwilling to be angered by them, my fist clenched by my side. I clenched and unclenched them. “I trust you would take care of her well.” I said with a meaningful smile, and turned to leave.

I couldn’t let them affect me, but why does my heart still ache?

I blinked my eyes, tying to rein in the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes.

“You are strong. You can do this.” I consoled myself as the car rode away.

We had just left the estate when I suddenly realized my phone wasn’t with me. A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I debated whether to go back for it or continue without it.

My schedule was already tight, but I knew I would regret not having it.

“Please turn around. I forgot my phone at home and I need to get it,” I instructed the driver. He nodded, his expression indifferent, as he smoothly reversed the car.

“Yes, Miss.”

As we approached the villa again, I checked my wristwatch. I would probably be late now. Another sigh left my lips.

Pushing open the door, I stepped inside, determined to be quick.

The villa was designed in such a way that, from the staircase, one could overlook the entire living room. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid much attention, but as I ascended the stairs, a movement caught my eye.

At first, I didn’t register what I was seeing. But then my gaze locked onto them.

Damian. Seraphina.

Kissing.

His hands roamed her body, dangerously close to where they had no right to be. It seemed like.. no, it didn’t seem like, rather, his hands were tickling her clit, his face buried in her bossom while Seraphina let out some moans that seemed to fire Damian up.

He raised his face from her bossom, placing kisses on her body as he moved up.

He spoke some words which I couldn’t hear, but I knew it wasn’t anything good.

He kissed her deeply after Seraphina answered, their tongues groping one another as they sought for dominance.

A cold wave of realization washed over me. The man who had once told me he was saving our kisses for marriage was now devouring another woman as though he was starved.

A bitter taste settled on my tongue. I should have felt anger or pain. But all I felt was numbness.

Seraphina. Julian’s wife. My stepsister.

What was going through her mind? Wasn’t one man enough for her? Why did she need to seduce Damian, too?

I didn’t clench my fists intentionally, but when I looked down, my knuckles were white. Taking a deep breath, I forced my fingers to relax. I had no time to deal with them. My phone was all I needed.

That was my priority.

It felt like I was fleeing, escaping, but I didn’t care.

I turned away from the sickening sight and continued up the stairs, careful not to make a sound.

My phone was exactly where I had left it on my nightstand.

Staring at it for a moment, I muttered under my breath, “Should I thank you for making me forget you? At least I saw their actions instead of just words.”

Shaking my head, I pocketed the device and moved towards the door. Silence. That was all I needed. I had no intention of disturbing their little ‘moment.’

But fate had other plans.

As I descended the stairs, I saw that they were still in their little paradise and this time around, their clothes were off and Seraphina was giving Damian a blow job.

I took a video of the scene and saved it.

Hearing Seraphina’s gagging sound as she took in his whole thing, I felt sick.

Taking a deep breath, I turned away from the sight and continued downstairs. When something happened, breaking through their perfectly curated paradise.

My phone suddenly rang, the sharp sound shattering the heavy silence.

Instantly, their movements halted. Damian’s body went rigid, and Seraphina turned, her eyes wide in horror.