Dangerously Yours CEO

Bella’s POV

My heart raced as I walked down the long hotel hallway. Tonight was supposed to be the start of forever. After years of waiting and dreaming, I was finally engaged to Leo, the man I loved with everything in me. I had promised myself long ago he would be my first and last, the only man I would ever give myself to.

I had not told him I was coming this early. I wanted to surprise him, to see his smile when he opened the door and found me there. That smile had always been enough to calm every storm inside me.

I stopped in front of his door, my hand resting on the knob. My lips curved as I thought of his proposal. He had been so nervous, kneeling before me, his eyes wet with tears, his voice shaking when he asked me to marry him. That moment had been the happiest of my life.

I twisted the knob gently, but before I could open the door, I heard something from inside. At first I thought it was the TV, but then it came again, clearer this time. A woman’s voice.

“Hmmmm, harder, Leo.”

My heart stopped. That voice—Ciara.

No. Not her. My best friend could not be here. She could not be saying those words.

I shook my head, whispering to myself. “You’re imagining things, Bella. Leo would never betray you. Ciara would never do this.”

But my trembling hands betrayed me as I pushed the door open.

What I saw inside destroyed me.

Ciara was on top of him, her lips brushing against his skin, her hands pulling at his shirt. Leo lay beneath her, his face flushed, his eyes heavy and unfocused. On the table beside the bed, a bottle of alcohol stood half empty. He looked drunk, so far gone he could hardly move.

“Bella…” His voice broke through the air. He clutched at Ciara weakly, his words slurred. “Bella, don’t leave me.”

The sound was like knives. He was holding her, whispering my name, giving her what was supposed to be mine.

Ciara froze when she saw me. For a moment, her face flickered with panic, but then her eyes hardened, as if she didn’t care.

Leo’s gaze dragged toward the door. His eyes were unfocused, but his lips shaped my name again. “Bella…”

I couldn’t breathe. A sharp pain cut through my chest so deep it felt like I was being torn apart. I grabbed the doorframe for balance, but the tears blurred my sight.

My mind screamed with his promises. You are the woman for me, Bella. I’ll stand by you even at your worst. You’ve made me the happiest man alive.Lies. All of them lies.

I stumbled backward, unable to bear another second. My heart broke with each step as I turned and ran, the image burning itself into me.

By the time I reached my room, I collapsed onto the floor, shaking. My sobs came in gasps I could not control. “Why, Leo?” My voice was raw. “If you wanted to betray me, why with her? Why my best friend?”

The echo of Ciara’s voice rang in my head—Leo, harder—replaying like a curse until I wanted to scream.

I stared at the ring on my finger. The diamond sparkled cruelly in the dim light. Once it symbolized love. Now it was nothing but a lie. With trembling fingers, I ripped it off and placed it on the table. It sat there, shining, mocking me.

Memories flooded in, each one stabbing deeper.

I remembered when I first met Leo. He had nothing then. No wealth, no promises of comfort. Just a smile and eyes that carried dreams. People laughed at him, said I was foolish for loving a man who had so little. But I defended him. I believed in him. I stood by him when no one else did. I took extra shifts, saved what I could, helped him plan for a wedding that was simple yet ours.

I chose him not for money, but for love.

And through it all, Ciara was there. She was supposed to be my sister in everything but blood. She laughed with me, cried with me, helped me choose my engagement dress, reminded me again and again that Leo was the best man I could ask for. She told me she wanted my happiness more than anything. But all of it was fake.

Looking back now, I saw it clearly. She had been studying me, waiting, pretending to support me while secretly craving what I had. She must have smiled at my excitement while secretly plotting to take Leo for herself. And tonight, she succeeded.

I pulled my bag closer, my hands trembling. My eyes landed on the lingerie I had bought for tonight. My chest ached as I held it. I had bought it with hope, imagining our first night together, imagining his gentleness, his love. But now it was worthless. Just fabric carrying a dream that would never come true.

I dropped it back into the bag. “Why her, Leo? Why her?”

His voice returned in memory, soft and sweet. The first time is always painful, Bella, but I’ll make it gentle. Trust me.

Trust. That word was dead to me now.

I sat on the floor for what felt like forever, staring at the ring on the table. It glittered in the light, beautiful and flawless. But it was empty now. Just a stone on a band. Just a lie.

Slowly, I began to pack. Each piece of clothing I folded felt like burying a part of myself. My body shook with silent sobs, but I kept going. There was nothing left here for me. Nothing but pain.

As I zipped the bag, a thought tore at me. What if he called for me? What if he sobered up and asked where I was? But then the image returned—him lying beneath her, whispering my name while she touched him. That memory crushed any flicker of doubt.

With my bag on my shoulder, I stood and walked to the door. My heart felt like stone inside my chest. I turned the knob and stepped into the hallway.

Behind me, the ring sat on the table, catching the light. Once it had been the promise of forever. Now it was the reminder that forever had died before it even began.

As I walked away, my tears fell silently, one after another, soaking the carpet beneath my feet. My chest heaved, but I kept moving. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

That night, the woman who believed in love, in friendship, in loyalty, died. And a stranger, broken and wounded, walked out in her place.