Tickets To The Maldives
1603 Words
Aria stood frozen in the doorway, her heart drumming in her chest. The scene before her felt like a nightmare. The woman lying next to Charlie in bed wasn’t just anyone. It was Talia Bennett. Her best friend. The same Talia who had been by her side through everything. They had grown up together in Oak City, sharing everything—secrets, dreams, fears. For twenty-one years, Talia had been a constant in her life.
Aria’s mind struggled to process what she was seeing. How could this be happening? It didn’t make sense. Talia, the one person who knew her inside and out, had crossed a line that could never be undone. She’d betrayed her in the worst possible way.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her hands began to tremble, her breath catching in her throat. She felt as though the world had suddenly tilted beneath her feet. How long had this been going on? Had she been blind to it all this time?
Without thinking, Aria turned and stormed out of the bedroom, her rage bubbling over. She needed to get away from them. She couldn’t face them—not yet. She collapsed onto the couch in the living room, her chest tightening.
Why was this happening to her? Why was her life falling apart in one day? First, she lost her job, and now this. It felt like everything she had worked so hard for was slipping through her fingers.
After what felt like an eternity, the soft click of the bedroom door echoed through the silence. Aria didn’t look up. She couldn’t. But then, she heard footsteps. Charlie and Talia entered the living room, both dressed in nightwear. The sight of them together made Aria’s blood run cold.
Charlie opened his mouth to speak, but Aria didn’t give him the chance. She stood up and marched toward him, her body trembling with rage. In one swift motion, she slapped him hard across the face. The sound of her palm hitting his skin was deafening, and for a moment, the room was silent.
“How could you?” she hissed, her voice breaking with sorrow. “How could you do this to me—with her? Talia… a w***e?”
Charlie stood there stunned, his hand going to his cheek. For a moment, there was no emotion on his face. No shock. No remorse. Just an empty stare.
“Aria—” Charlie started, but she cut him off.
“No!” she shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. “Don’t you dare try to explain! How long has this been going on, huh? How long have you been lying to me?” Her voice was hoarse now, full of raw, searing pain.
Talia, who had been standing in silence, stepped forward with a fake, sympathetic expression. “Aria, I’m sorry. I never meant for you to find out like this—”
“Save it, Talia,” Aria interrupted, her voice sharp as a knife. “Don’t pretend you care. You’ve been planning this from the start, haven’t you?”
Talia’s expression flickered for a moment before she let out a soft, mocking laugh. “I don’t regret it, Aria,” she sneered. “I’ve always liked Charlie. I saw him first, but you came along and stole him from me. Now I’m just taking back what’s rightfully mine.”
Aria’s stomach churned as disgust washed over her. Talia, her best friend, had been pretending to care about her while secretly plotting behind her back. Aria’s heart broke all over again.
“You… you saw him first?” Aria’s voice trembled with disbelief. “You’re telling me this was some kind of sick game for you?”
Talia’s cold, calculating smile never wavered. “Exactly. You never should’ve taken him from me in the first place. Now I’m just getting what I deserve.”
Aria’s eyes burned with fury, and the anger threatened to consume her. “You don’t deserve anything! I helped you when you were sick. I gave you one of my kidneys, for God’s sake! And this is how you repay me?”
Talia’s face remained unflinching. “It’s not my fault you couldn’t hold onto him, Aria. Charlie and I are better suited. I’m pregnant with his child, and that’s all that matters.”
The world seemed to tilt again as Aria’s mind struggled to grasp what Talia had just said. A child. Charlie’s child. The man who had once been hers, the one she had shared everything with, was going to start a family with Talia.
Charlie watched the exchange silently, no regret on his face. He looked almost… relieved.
“Are you really going to stand there and defend this?” Aria asked, her voice trembling with anger. “After everything I did for you? For both of you?”
Charlie sighed and tossed a piece of paper in her direction. Aria looked down at it, her stomach turning when she saw what it was. A cheque for $500,000.
“What’s this?” she demanded, her voice filled with contempt.
Charlie shrugged, as if this was all trivial. “I got a job at ForgeLink Industries, Aria. Big company. They pay well.”
Aria’s breath caught in her throat. ForgeLink Industries. She had heard of it. It was a massive corporation, owned by Ethan Forge, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack. It was a company built on ambition and ruthlessness. She had heard the rumors—ForgeLink had ties to people in power, people who didn’t care who they crushed in the process of getting ahead.
“You got a job there?” Aria repeated, stunned. “ForgeLink? You—Charlie, you’re getting involved with them? You know what kind of people they are.”
Charlie’s gaze hardened. “Yeah, and I’m not apologizing for it. Talia’s the one who helped me get in. She’s the one with the connections. So, don’t act all high and mighty. I’m moving on, Aria. You should, too.”
Aria’s chest tightened, and she couldn’t look at him anymore. The man she thought she knew, the man she had spent years building a life with, was gone. In his place stood someone cold, someone who no longer cared about the woman who had been by his side through thick and thin.
They had planned to spend the holiday in the Maldives, but it was clear that wouldn’t be happening anymore.
“So, the ring was for her?” Aria asked through her tears. She had seen the ring in Charlie’s pocket a few days ago and had been so happy, thinking he was planning to propose to her. Little did she know, it was meant for Talia.
Talia gasped, her eyes widening as she turned to Charlie. “You’re planning to propose to me?” She threw her arms around him, kissing him excitedly.
“Yeah,” Charlie replied, his voice calm. “I even booked two tickets to the Maldives.”
He then turned to Aria, his expression cold. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but now you’ve ruined it.”
Talia smirked at Aria. “It doesn’t matter, sweetheart. I’m still very happy,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain.
Aria lowered her gaze. This was too much for her to bear.
“I don’t want you anymore, Aria,” Charlie continued, his tone flat. “Talia and I are together now, like she told you, she’s carrying my child, and that’s all that matters.”
The words felt like a slap to the face. Charlie was discarding her like an old coat.
“And by the time I get back, I want you gone,” he added, his eyes not meeting hers. “I don’t want to see you or your cheap things here. You’re not in my class anymore.”
Aria’s heart felt like it had shattered. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Aria whispered, barely able to keep her voice steady. “You think you’re just going to toss me aside? After everything I did for you?”
Charlie shrugged, unconcerned. “You’ll figure it out. You always do. It’s time to move on, Aria. Talia’s my good luck charm, and she’s the one who got me this job. It’s all because of her.”
Aria stood there, her chest tight with anger and pain. This was the man she had loved. The man she had trusted. The man who had just taken everything she had given him and thrown it away.
Just as Charlie turned to leave, Aria’s voice shook with fury. “Did you tamper with the evidence I kept in my suitcase?” she demanded. “Did you mess with it? I got fired because of it.”
Charlie didn’t even stop to look at her. He kept walking, his back turned to her. “I told you to drop the case, Aria. But you didn’t listen. I did what I had to do to protect myself. You were getting too close to the truth. You would’ve exposed us. You would’ve ruined everything.”
Aria’s mind raced. He had sabotaged her career. He had stolen her future. And now he was walking away from her, without a second thought.
“When you get another job—if you ever do—maybe you’ll learn how to keep things in order,” Charlie added coldly, his voice distant.
Aria’s legs gave way, and she sank back onto the couch, her head spinning.
- Writer
