Healing His Shadows

Chapter 6: Gloria’s First Sadistic Move

-POV Elara

I couldn’t stop replaying the rooftop. Fletcher’s fingers hovering two inches from mine, the way his eyes saw straight through all my bullshit, the offer of protection that felt way too real. Gelano’s arm around my waist the whole way down felt like a chain instead of comfort. I made it through lunch somehow—smiling, nodding, pretending everything was fine—then escaped back to the hospital for the afternoon shift.

My phone buzzed while I was charting in the break room. Gloria. A text.

“Hey babe, heard you had a rough night. Wanna talk? I’m here for you always 💕”

I stared at the screen. Emotional misdirection. Part of me wanted to believe her. She’d been my best friend since med school, the one who stayed up all night with me during exams, the one who knew every shitty thing about my relationship with Glenn. Maybe she really was worried.

I typed back fast.

Me: Yeah. It’s bad this time. Can we meet later?

Her reply came almost instantly.

Gloria: Of course. Love you. Come over whenever.

The words should’ve felt warm. They didn’t. Something in my gut twisted, but I pushed it down. Repeated word as pressure—I kept telling myself “she’s your bestie, she’s your bestie” like if I said it enough it would still be true.

The rest of the shift blurred. Another emergency. Another heart I had to coax back to life. By the time I got home to the mansion, I was exhausted. I showered quick, changed into sweats, and crashed on the couch with my phone. Gloria had sent another message while I was driving.

Gloria: Sending you something that might help you feel better. Watch when you’re alone. You deserve to know the truth.

A video attachment. My thumb hovered over it. Rhetorical trap—she knew I’d click. I was too tired, too raw, too curious not to.

I hit play.

The video started dark, then the picture cleared. It was me. Or… it looked exactly like me. Same ponytail, same tired eyes, same red dress from the family dinner. But I was in a hotel room. On a bed. With some guy who wasn’t Glenn. Moaning his name, legs wrapped around him, face twisted in pleasure that looked way too real.

Deepfake. Had to be. But it was so f*****g good. My voice, my body, every little detail. The camera angle even caught the diamond ring on my finger sparkling while “I” rode him.

My stomach dropped. I paused the video, heart hammering. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. But the timestamp, the lighting, the way “I” looked exactly like I did two nights ago… it was terrifyingly convincing.

I scrolled up to Gloria’s chat. Another message popped in right then.

Gloria: Saw this floating around some group. Thought you should see it before it spreads. I’m so sorry babe, men are trash. You deserve better than both of them. Call me if you need to cry.

Bestie support. On the surface. But I could almost hear the smile behind it. The sadistic little thrill she must’ve gotten sending this.

I didn’t call her. Instead I stared at the video again. Gloria was probably in her apartment right now, watching the same deepfake, fingers between her legs, getting off on the thought of me breaking apart. m**********g to my fake betrayal while pretending to comfort me. Toxic as hell.

The repeated pressure started again in my head. Bestie. Bestie. Bestie. How many times had I said that to myself while ignoring all the red flags?

I threw the phone across the couch like it burned me. The video kept playing on loop in my mind even after I stopped it—my face, my voice, my body doing things I’d never done. Emotional misdirection at its finest. For one sick second I even wondered if it was real, if I’d somehow blacked out and done it.

No. It was her. Gloria. My best friend. Twisting the knife while smiling in my face.

My ring caught the lamplight again, throwing little sparks across the wall like it was mocking me. I twisted it hard, over and over, until the skin underneath went raw.

The question kept looping louder than the wind outside.

How long had my own best friend been waiting for the perfect moment to destroy me?

And what the hell was I going to do when the next video came?

End of Chapter 6