The Alpha Who Rejected His Fated Mate

Episode 2: Everyone Lied to Me

Chapter 2

Caught Outside the Door

The suite fell silent.

For one terrifying second, no one moved. The shattered crystal vase lay scattered across the marble floor while the three of us stood frozen on opposite sides of the half-open door.

Then Carter reacted.

He strode toward the entrance and pulled the door open completely. The confidence on his face disappeared the moment our eyes met. His expression shifted from surprise to panic so quickly that, if I hadn't known him for six years, I might have missed it.

"Bella..."

My name left his lips in little more than a whisper.

Emily's face turned pale. She instinctively took a step back, but it was already too late. I had seen everything.

No explanation could erase that.

No lie could change it.

For several seconds, none of us spoke. The silence was heavier than any argument we could have had.

Carter finally forced a smile, though it looked painfully unnatural.

"This isn't what you think."

I let out a quiet laugh.

It sounded empty.

"I don't think there's anything left to misunderstand."

He took a cautious step toward me. "Please, just let me explain."

"Explain what?" My voice remained calm, surprising even myself. "Explain why you kissed my sister? Or explain why you planned to marry me just to get my shares?"

The color drained from his face.

Emily's eyes widened.

Neither of them expected me to hear that part.

Emily recovered first. Tears instantly filled her eyes as she stepped forward, looking every bit like the innocent victim she had spent her entire life pretending to be.

"Bella... it's not like that."

I looked at her without saying a word.

She reached for my hand, but I pulled it away before she could touch me.

"Don't."

It was the only word I said.

Yet it carried six years of trust, love, and disappointment.

Carter ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Bella, I know how this looks, but if you give me five minutes, I can explain everything."

"No."

He blinked.

"No?"

I met his eyes for what I knew would never again be with love.

"You've had six years to tell me the truth."

I turned and walked away.

Behind me, I heard hurried footsteps.

"Bella!"

He was chasing me.

The elevator doors closed just as Carter reached the end of the hallway.

"BELLA!"

His voice echoed through the floor, but I refused to look back. My fingers trembled as I repeatedly pressed the button for the lobby, my chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. I had imagined countless versions of my wedding day over the years, but never this one.

The doors slid open.

I hurried across the lobby, ignoring the curious looks from hotel guests and staff. Somewhere behind me, Carter called my name again, but the sound faded beneath the pounding of my heartbeat.

By the time I reached my car, tears had already blurred my vision.

I gripped the steering wheel with both hands, trying to steady myself, but every memory of the past six years crashed into me all at once. Every "I love you." Every promise. Every plan we had made together.

None of it had been real.

The engine roared to life as I pulled out of the hotel, driving without any destination in mind. Streetlights flashed past the windshield while tears rolled silently down my face. I didn't even realize where I was going until the familiar gates of my parents' house appeared ahead.

Home.

If there was one place left where I could feel safe, it had to be here.

The living room lights were still on.

I frowned.

It was almost ten o'clock.

Why was everyone still awake?

I quietly let myself in with the spare key I had carried since high school. Laughter drifted from Father's study, followed by the clink of crystal glasses. I was about to call out when I heard Carter's name.

I stopped.

"...tomorrow everything will finally be settled," my father said.

"I appreciate everything you've done for this family," Carter replied.

My blood froze.

Carter?

He was here?

Emily wasn't the only one who had followed him.

He had come here before me.

I moved closer, careful not to make a sound. The study door wasn't completely closed, leaving just enough space for their voices to carry into the hallway.

Mother spoke next.

"Isabella doesn't know anything, does she?"

Carter chuckled softly.

"No. She trusts me completely."

"Good," Father replied. "Once the wedding is over, the transfer agreement will take effect automatically. The Bennett Group will finally be under the control of someone capable of running it."

I felt the strength leave my legs.

The Bennett Group...

My grandfather had spent forty years building that company.

He had left his controlling shares to me before he passed away.

I always believed it was because he trusted me.

Now I understood.

I wasn't inheriting the company.

I was delivering it.

To Carter.

Mother sighed with relief. "After tomorrow, Isabella won't be a problem anymore."

I covered my mouth before the sob escaping my throat could give me away.

It wasn't just Carter.

It wasn't just Emily.

My own parents...

Had been using me from the very beginning.