His Deception: A Holiday She Will Never Forget

Christmas was being celebrated across the world. Lights glowed, laughter echoed, and joy hung thick in the winter air. But Siena’s heart was anything but joyful. Her bright hazel eyes remained fixed on a familiar, devastatingly charming smile—the same one that had once made her heart race. Fabio Santoro. The only man she had ever loved. He had been her senior in school—smart, handsome, effortlessly popular. Like every other girl, she had admired him from afar for three long years. Six months ago, when he landed his first job, he had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. She had believed that meant something. Tonight, she realized how wrong she had been. Because that smile wasn’t meant for her anymore. It was meant for the woman standing beside him—the woman who had bullied Siena in high school and whom he was now about to propose to. Her grip tightened around the beer bottle as her chest burned with a mix of alcohol and betrayal. She took another swig, her eyes stinging, then suddenly pushed through the crowd, heading straight for the stage where the picture-perfect couple stood. Behind her, Anna and Riya hurried after her, alarmed. They exchanged a quick, panicked glance. Just as Siena raised the bottle, fury burning in her eyes, ready to smash it over Fabio’s head, both girls lunged forward and grabbed her arms, pulling her back with all their strength. Gasps and shrieks rippled through the crowd as heads turned, the music dying mid-beat. All eyes were on Siena—the heartbroken girl crashing her ex’s engagement. “What the hell are you doing?!” screamed Fabio’s fiancée, her eyes wide with panic as she stepped back in her heels. “Oh my God—Siena?” Fabio gasped, still unable to believe the girl who once loved him more than her own life had just tried to kill him. “Are you out of your mind?!” “Yes! I am out of my mind!” Siena shouted, struggling against Anna and Riya’s grip as they tried to hold her back. Her eyes were red and wild, and her chest heaved with rage. “Are you two seriously trying to protect this lying bastard?” Anna groaned, “No, babe—we’re trying to keep you from spending the rest of your life behind bars.” “I don’t care if I get a life sentence or end up on death row! I swear I’ll kill this asshole!” she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of heartbreak and fury. Hotel security rushed to the scene. One of the guards quickly yanked the bottle from Siena’s hand while the others started speaking into radios and demanding to call the cops. “No need to call the cops. Let her go,” Fabio said suddenly as he looked at her. For a second, Siena froze. Something in his eyes made her want to cry. A small part of her still longed to run into his arms, to beg him to come back, to promise she'd forgive him if he just chose her again. But she had already done that. She had begged. She had cried. She had given him the chance. And still—he went ahead with the engagement. “f**k you, Fabio Santoro!” Siena shouted, her voice hoarse, eyes bloodshot and swimming with tears. “I hate you! And I hope you never find happiness after breaking my heart!” Her screams echoed through the stunned crowd as the security guards pulled her back, urging her to leave. Anna and Riya rushed to her side, shouting at the guards, “Hey! Let her go! She’s not dangerous—just heartbroken!” But their protests fell on deaf ears. The guards didn’t care. They grabbed all three of them and shoved them out of the party hall, dragging them onto the cold, hard pavement. The heavy doors slammed shut behind them with a final, loud thud. “Bloody asshole!” Siena screamed, wet eyes wild with rage. She stumbled, grabbing a broken piece of gravel and hurling it toward the entrance. It clattered uselessly against the sealed door. “You’ll rot in hell! Die in misery!” she cried, her voice slurring, thick with heartbreak and alcohol. She staggered back, unsteady, swaying on her heels—then collided hard into something—or someone. No, not something. A man. A wall of muscle and danger. “What the f—” The words died on her tongue when she tilted her head up, her tear-filled, half-lidded eyes meeting a pair of cold, stormy grey ones. The man stared down at her, his sculpted jaw clenched, his expression carved from stone. He reeked of power and darkness, the kind that made one’s blood still in their veins. She swayed slightly, and he held her steady in his arms. Anna and Riya rushed in, grabbing her by the arms, trying to pull her away. “Sorry, sir. She’s... she’s drunk. Really drunk,” Riya said hastily, avoiding the man’s gaze. The man’s eyes narrowed, lingering on Siena a second longer before he turned and walked away. His expensive shoes clicked against the pavement as a few men in black suits followed him silently. In the distance, a police jeep wailed with its sirens, flashing red and blue against the dark night. Whispers rippled through the crowd as they spoke of a gang war erupting just blocks away. Panic surged as the girls dragged a half-stumbling Siena toward their car. They scrambled in, slammed the doors, and sped off into the night. As the tires screeched and the vehicle peeled away from the scene, Siena shoved her head out of the passenger-side window, eyes blazing. “You’ll f*****g burn one day, Fabio Santoro!” she screamed into the chaos, before her friend yanked her back inside. Minutes later, the three of them sat in a quiet, empty park. The night air was cool, but Siena’s skin burned with shame and sadness. A half-empty beer bottle dangled from her fingers as she sat on a bench, tears still falling. “I can’t believe no one wants me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. She took another shaky sip and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Look at my brother and sister—so beautiful, so smart. They take after Mom and Dad. But me?” She let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve had to work my ass off for decent grades, and I’m not even one percent as gorgeous as the rest of my family.” She stared down at the ground, lips trembling. “Sometimes I feel like I was that… unplanned mistake. The unwanted kid my parents just had to keep.” “No, babe, your family does love you,” Riya said gently, trying to comfort her. “They care about you.” Siena shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Bullshit. They all think I’m a burden,” she said, voice cracking. “I only had Fabio. He was the only one who made me feel like I mattered. Like I was wanted.” She let out a shaky breath, wiping her face roughly with her sleeve. “And even he left me,” she whispered, then broke into harder sobs. “Turns out he was just another jerk who didn’t really give a damn.” She brought the beer bottle to her mouth again but let out a frustrated groan when she realized it was empty. She reached for another bottle from the crate beside her, but Anna grabbed it before she could touch it. “You’ve had enough,” Anna said firmly. “Give it back!” Siena slurred, snatching the bottle from her friend. She clumsily tried to twist the cap open with her teeth, then winced. “s**t—why is it so damn tight?” “Are you planning to drink yourself to death?” Riya chided in frustration as she tried to grab the bottle from Siena. But Siena dodged her, taking a long swig with a taunting smirk. “I’ll drink as much as I damn well want. Who’s gonna stop me, huh?” Riya’s eyes widened in panic and her voice turned sharp, urgent as she replied, “Your brother.” Siena blinked, confused. “Shut up,” she mumbled. “How would he even know…” “Let’s go home, Siena.” The deep, unmistakable voice came from right behind her. Siena froze. She slowly turned her head to find her older brother, Raffaele Costa, standing a few feet away—his white shirt slightly wrinkled, his sleeves rolled up, and his work bag still slung over one shoulder. He looked like he’d come straight from the office. “Oh, f**k. I’m dead,” Siena whispered, eyes squeezing shut in dread. “Siena.” Raffaele’s voice sounded urgent. “Dad is in the hospital.” The booze drained instantly from Siena’s blood. She scrambled to her feet as Raffaele added, “He had a cardiac arrest.” “What?!” Siena gasped, her heart pounding with fear. She stumbled forward, and he caught her by the arm before she could fall. “He’s asking for you. Let’s go,” Raffaele said as he guided her to his car. They drove straight to the hospital, leaving Riya and Anna behind, frozen in confusion. Her brother, Raffaele, had been a top student in business school and was now working alongside their father, helping run one of the most popular nightclubs in the city, which was owned by their family. Her older sister, Silvia, was a brilliant surgeon with a natural gift. And then there was her. The youngest. Not as smart, not as polished. She’d always felt like the odd one out. But still… her family had always been there for her. Even when she doubted herself—when she didn’t get good grades or didn’t win any contests at school—they always supported her, encouraging her to keep trying. It was only when she brought Fabio home and declared she wanted to marry him that everything changed. That was the moment her family finally told her the truth—she had been promised to someone else at birth. But Siena refused to accept it. She fought with everything she had to be with Fabio… until the day he abandoned her and proposed to another woman—someone more beautiful, even sexier. Tears streamed down Siena’s face as the car stopped in front of the hospital. She and Raffaele rushed inside, and the moment she reached her father’s bedside, she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. “Siena… I told you, Fabio was never good for you. And now he has left you for another woman, hasn’t he?” her father whispered in a frail voice. “That is why you will marry the man I chose for you—within a week.” “But, Dad…” Siena’s voice trembled with desperation. “Siena, the doctor said your father must not take any stress. Do you want to kill him?” her mother scolded sharply. Siena’s throat tightened. She knew that when she had fought for Fabio, insisting she would marry him, the tension at home had grown unbearable. Everyone believed she was responsible for her father’s heart attack. She lowered her eyes, tears blurring her vision. “Okay, Dad… I will do as you say. Just… please get well and come home,” she whispered brokenly.