I stood in the doorway of Vance's apartment, clutching a small box decorated with a red ribbon. I smiled at the thought of his surprised face.

"Today must be special. Did Vance prepare something for me too?" I muttered as I took a deep breath. My heart beat faster. My hands clutched the gift box tightly, eyes sparkling.

I couldn't wait to meet Vance and celebrate our three-year relationship together.

I knocked on the door. Silence. There was no answer and no sign of Vance opening it.

My hand reached for the doorknob and moved it, it was unlocked. I paused for a moment.

"Vance must want to surprise me too." I thought with a small smile.

I hardened my movements to push the door open. The apartment looked as usual, but something was off.

On the living room floor, there were two half-full wine glasses and the scent of a woman's perfume wafting through the air. It felt foreign to me.

I walked toward Vance's room. My heart began to feel uneasy. I tried to open the door to the room, which turned out to be unlocked, where I saw a scene that made my heart break.

Vance was lying on the bed, wrapped in a blanket with a woman. They were oblivious to my presence. My chest was tight as if I was having trouble inhaling oxygen.

The gift box I was holding fell to the floor making a noise. They stopped the action, turned to me, and made surprised faces.

I recognized the woman immediately with long black hair, her pretty face, and that sardonic smile I'd seen so often in my childhood.

It was Grace, my step-sister.

"Vance? You guys..." My voice trembled, almost a whisper. My eyes glazed over.

Vance adjusted his position, waking up and sitting up in his bed. He tried to explain as he pulled the covers tighter. Grace, next to Vance just smiled a little, as if without any guilt.

"Honey, it's not what you think-" Vance stammered.

"Not what I think?" I cut him off with a tone full of emotion. "I give you three years of my life, my trust, and this is what you get in return?"

Grace sat back casually, wearing a triumphant expression.

"Evelyn, maybe it's time you knew. A straight woman like you can't possibly keep Vance around. He wants something more, something that can fulfill his needs. And clearly, that's not you!"

Grace's words cut through my heart like a knife. My hands clenched against the tightness that crept into my chest.

I froze in place. "Grace... you're my sister. Why are you doing this to me?" my voice trembled, almost breaking.

Grace raised her eyebrows, and she laughed, covering her mouth elegantly as if my question was funny.

"Sister? Evelyn, you should know. We were never really a family. My mother married your father, that's all. I have no obligation to be nice to you."

Vance tried to interrupt, but Grace held up her hand to stop him from speaking.

"You know what your problem is, Evelyn? You're too trusting. You think giving expensive gifts and being nice will keep Vance with you. But the world doesn't work that way. You're too weak."

My eyes bore into Grace's. She had never changed.

"Why do you always take away my happiness, Grace? The person I love, my family, and now my partner. Where is your heart?"

Grace smiled triumphantly. She didn't seem to feel the slightest guilt towards me.

"That's what I want. Seeing you broken is my dream."

I looked at Grace and Vance in turn, full of hurt and hatred. I couldn't find the words to reply to my stepbrother.

Grace smiled again, colder this time. "You should thank me. At least now, you know that Vance was happier with me all along."

I took a deep breath, holding back the tears that were ready to spill. With a determined voice, I replied. "You two are compatible. A traitor only belongs with a traitor."

I looked deeply into Vance's eyes. I couldn't hold back my tears. This was too painful.

"Congratulations on the anniversary of our relationship, Vance. This is a special gift for me that you have prepared." I stopped my words for a moment, catching my increasingly labored breath.

"Our relationship ends here. And don't ever see me again."

Vance was about to get up from his bed, wanting to approach me. But he didn't, because he hadn't put on his clothes yet.

I turned around and left the apartment without waiting for his explanation. Carrying a heart that shattered like a falling glass, and shattered all over the floor.

I ran out of Vance's apartment, leaving the gift box I had lovingly prepared in his room. My cry broke, these tears flowing freely. I was barefoot, running on the cold sidewalk, through the deserted streets at night.

My steps stopped in a deserted park. I flopped down on a wooden bench, my body trembling with the pain that tore at my heart. Under the dim park lights, I wiped away the tears roughly, but it wasn't enough to stop the pain that still lingered.

Slowly, I took out my cell phone from the small bag. My trembling fingers opened the photo gallery. A screen filled with memories of Vance's smiling face when we were on vacation. Romantic dinners, to small moments that once made me feel happy with him.

But now, every photo was a thorn in my heart.

"Why... why are you doing this, Vance?" I whispered almost inaudibly.

I opened my social media, which was full of posts about Vance. Photos of birthdays, anniversaries of our relationship, or just funny moments we shared with the world. I stared at the screen in confusion.

"I should delete all of these... but where do I start?" I mumbled.

I tried deleting one photo and then another. But every time I deleted one, the tears wouldn't stop falling. They flowed even harder.

Each photo is not only a memory but also a reminder of a betrayal I never expected. Now my relationship with her ended like this.

With trembling hands, I stared at the screen full of names and faces of the man who had broken my heart. "I can't," I muttered. "I can't do it now..."

I hugged my knees on the park bench, crying deeper. Vance and Grace's betrayal felt like a burden I couldn't carry.

I sobbed under the night sky, my cell phone still clutched tightly in my hand.

When I unconsciously swiped the screen, Grace's social media account suddenly appeared on the screen. I paused, my mind momentarily blank. I couldn't remember the last time I looked at my step-sister's social media, especially after I decided not to follow Grace's account anymore since I was kicked out of the house.

My fingers trembled as I tapped through the photos on the account. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. The first photo featured Grace with a big smile in a fancy restaurant, wearing a beautiful dress, and by her side was Vance.

"No way..." My eyes widened.

I scroll the screen further, but it only makes my heart break more. It turned out that there were many pictures of them together. Some were even taken in places familiar to her, locations where Vance and I had spent time together.

What hurt even more was that some of the photos had affectionate captions.

"A beautiful night with my special man," Grace wrote on one of the photos. My chest tightens as if air can no longer enter my lungs.

My hands clenched into fists, it felt like my body was getting weaker. My mind drifted back to the past-the day I left home after my father's death. That day, Grace and her mother got rid of me without the slightest care.

"You've caused enough trouble. This is no longer your home," I remembered my stepmother's cold words.

The house was full of memories of my mother and father. But I'd been kicked out like I didn't even own the house anymore.

And now, I met Grace again after so many years. She not only took the house that should have been mine but also Vance, the love of my life.

I felt as if my world was falling to pieces.

I stared at my phone screen, imagining Grace's face which must be full of satisfaction right now. For the first time in my life, I felt a burning anger inside me as I looked at a photo. A photo that caught my eye.

It shows Grace wearing a red jeweled necklace, just like the one I'm wearing right now. It's even very similar to the one I'm wearing. The necklace Vance gave me. Was Grace's necklace also given to her by Vance?

"Argh, damn it! Traitor!" I cursed, getting up from the park bench to slam my phone. However, that intention was stopped when my eyes caught a black car that suddenly stopped not far from me.

From inside the car, several people dressed all in black got out and quickly approached me. Without having time to react, they covered my mouth and nose with a piece of cloth. A strong foreign scent entered my nose, making my vision blur before everything went dark.

I felt a pain in my head as I woke up on a soft, cream-colored sofa. My eyes swept across the spacious room with high walls adorned with golden carvings, while a crystal chandelier hung majestically in the center of the ceiling. There wasn't a single ordinary-looking thing in the room-everything looked expensive and grand.

I quickly got up, feeling unfamiliar with this place. With careful steps, I endured the dizziness. My mind tried to remember why I was in this place.

It wasn't until I remembered something that those strange men had kidnapped me. I started looking for the exit. My heart beat faster when I realized the large door I found was locked tightly. Frantically, I tried to pull the door open, but my efforts were in vain.

As I was about to check the other doors, a strange feeling came over me. It was as if I was being watched. Sure enough, when I stopped, then turned my head slowly. Instantly, my body froze.

Behind me stood a man dressed all in black, tall and well-built, and his cold aura made the room feel even more tense.

The man didn't stop staring at me, as if I were his prey. In a low, calm voice, the man said.

"Welcome, Evelyn. You're awake."

I was surprised that he could say my name. While I had no idea who he was.

"How do you know my name? And who are you?" I swallowed after asking him that question. The man slowly approached me. I kept staring at his mysterious movements.

I stared intently at the man, as if not showing my fear of being in this place. My eyes widened when I saw my necklace in his hand. I felt my neck, making sure the necklace was mine. And sure enough, it wasn't.

"Introductions, my name is Dominic."

Dominic's fingers play with my shiny red pendant as if it were a worthless toy.

"Give me that necklace!" I exclaimed in a fit of rage. But the man named Dominic smiled a smirk. He raised his eyebrows.

"You want this necklace?" He asked in a casual tone, dangling the pendant on his fingertips, letting it glitter under the lights.

"Why? Does this necklace mean so much to you?"

I clenched my fists, my breathing ragged.

"It's mine! You have no right to take it from me!"

Dominic approached slowly again, his steps seemingly calm.

"I did not take it from you, Evelyn. I just... took what was rightfully mine."

I stared at him sharply, not taking a step back.

"What do you mean? It's mine! You took my necklace and brought me to this place."

Dominic narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold. There was now no distance between us, only a few inches.

The faint smile on Dominic's face disappeared, and his hand suddenly lifted, grasping my face gently. I looked up, forced to look directly into the man's eyes.

"It's not your necklace," Dominic said in a low, yet firm voice. His eyes blazed with an emotion that was hard to interpret. "It's mine. Now, which one is the real one?"

I frowned, confused by the accusation. "What do you mean?" I asked in a shaky voice.

Dominic brought his face closer, his eyes sharp as knives.

"No need to pretend, Evelyn. Where did you get this necklace? You stole it from my group, didn't you? And replaced it with a fake one?"

I shook my head weakly, my body trembling.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about. I never stole anything. That necklace... it was given to me by my boyfriend."

Dominic was silent for a moment, his expression turning suspicious.

"Your boyfriend? Who is he? And why does he have this?"

I tried to speak, but my voice was choked. Only then did I realize that the gift Vance had given me could be disastrous for me. I was beginning to understand why Dominic had suddenly kidnapped me.

But, what exactly was Vance hiding from me?

I tried to brace myself even though my heart was beating fast.

"Take your hands away first! Let me explain!" I did my best to hide the fear that was creeping up.

Dominic raised an eyebrow but slowly withdrew his hand.

"Speak the truth, or this gun will erase your lies," Dominic said in a cold tone while holding his gun which was now aimed right at my head. I could hardly breathe.

"Okay. Let me explain. My boyfriend is just an ordinary person. Regardless of how he got the necklace, I don't know. Because he gave me that necklace right on my birthday." I gulped with difficulty.

Dominic narrowed his eyes, his finger tapping on his gun.

"Am I supposed to believe you?"

I stared at him, trying to look calm despite my weak knees.

"Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But clearly, I've told you the truth."

Dominic was silent, but his eyes remained sharp. Just then I thought of something. Yes, I remembered the necklace.

"Ah, I just remembered! There was a necklace just like this. Maybe mine was fake, and hers was real."

Dominic leaned in slightly.

"Who? Explain!”