The lies between us

Chapter 2: The Fall

Lena couldn’t breathe.

The world blurred around her—the glittering city lights, the applause, the laughter—all of it felt distant, like she was trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.

Ethan Blackwood, the man she had loved, the man she had sacrificed everything for, had just announced his engagement… to Victoria. Her stepsister.

“Lena?” A smooth, mocking voice pulled her back. Victoria.

Lena’s head snapped up. Victoria stood before her, dazzling in a crimson silk gown, her perfectly manicured fingers wrapped possessively around Ethan’s arm. The diamond ring on her finger sparkled under the yacht’s golden lights, blinding Lena with the cruel truth.

“How silly of me,” Victoria continued, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You must have thought he was going to propose to you tonight.”

The humiliation burned like acid in Lena’s veins. “You…” Her voice trembled.

Ethan stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral. “Lena, don’t make a scene.”

A scene? She wanted to scream. To demand answers. To claw off the mask he had worn so well. But all she could do was stare at the man who had just destroyed her.

“I trusted you,” she whispered, voice barely audible.

Ethan sighed as if he were the one inconvenienced. “You were useful to me, Lena. But Victoria… she’s the better choice.”

Lena’s breath hitched. Useful? That was all she had ever been?

Victoria chuckled, leaning in close. “Face it, darling. You were never meant to be by his side. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of what you could never keep.”

The final blow.

Lena turned on her heel, her vision swimming, pushing past the glittering crowd as she ran to the edge of the yacht. The salty breeze stung her face, mixing with the hot tears she refused to shed. She had given Ethan everything—her love, her trust, her future. And in return, he had handed her to humiliation on a silver platter.

Footsteps approached. Lena wiped her face quickly, straightening. She wouldn’t let them see her break.

But it wasn’t Ethan.

It was Victoria.

“Running away so soon?” she cooed, stepping closer. “Come now, Lena. You didn’t think this was just about love, did you?”

Lena frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Victoria’s lips curved into a slow, wicked smile. “Ethan and I planned this from the start. You were always the obstacle, the little fool who thought love could buy her a place in this world.” She stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper. “But now, you’re nothing.”

The realization hit like a sledgehammer. They had played her. From the beginning.

Lena clenched her fists, a surge of rage flooding her. “You won’t get away with this.”

Victoria tilted her head. “Oh, sweet sister. I already have.”

And then—she pushed.

Lena gasped as the world spun, her body tipping over the railing. Cold air whooshed past her as she plunged into the dark, icy ocean below.

The last thing she saw before the water swallowed her whole—was Victoria’s satisfied smile.