7
1528 Words
(Alex’s POV)
I left Ariana’s place with my heart in pieces.
The night air felt colder than it should, or maybe it was just the chill in my chest. Every step I took away from her door felt heavier than the last. My mind replayed her words like a broken record, each sentence cutting deeper than the one before.
Vanessa… Lucas… the pregnancy… the lies.
Could it really be true?
All this time, had I been living with a devil and calling her my woman?
Questions chased me down the street, followed me into my car, and sat beside me in the driver’s seat. If Ariana was right, then nothing in my life was what I thought it was. The child Vanessa claimed was mine—could it truly belong to another man? Could she have been deceiving me while sleeping under my roof, eating my food, smiling into my face?
Anger surged through me like fire.
For a brief, terrifying moment, a dark thought crossed my mind.
What if I poison her?
The idea shocked me as much as it scared me. I shook my head violently, gripping the steering wheel harder.
“No,” I whispered. “That’s not who you are.”
My mind immediately went to Ariana—her pain, her tears, her fragile strength. I had promised her I would find out the truth about Vanessa and Lucas. I had given my word, and I wasn’t going to break it.
Revenge wouldn’t give me answers.
Truth would.
And the only way to get the truth was to pretend I knew nothing.
I needed to wear innocence like a mask.
⸻
On my way home, I stopped at a small roadside eatery. The lights flickered above the counter, and the smell of fried snacks filled the air. I didn’t know why, but I found myself ordering ice cream—Vanessa’s favorite.
Chocolate and vanilla swirl, just the way she liked it.
The irony almost made me laugh.
When I got home, Vanessa was in the living room, scrolling through her phone, her legs crossed casually, as if she had nothing in the world to hide.
“Alex!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up. “You’re back.”
I forced a smile. “I got you something.”
Her eyes sparkled when she saw the ice cream. “Aww, baby, you’re the best!”
She took it from my hand, not noticing anything strange in my expression. She laughed, joked, and even teased me about forgetting to bring a spoon. To her, everything was normal.
To me, everything felt fake.
I watched her carefully, studying every movement, every word, every smile. Was this the same woman Ariana described? The same woman who betrayed her best friend? The same woman who might have been lying to me about the most important thing in my life?
If she was, she was hiding it well.
We chatted lightly for a few minutes before I told her I was going upstairs to shower.
“I’ll start dinner,” she said cheerfully.
Her voice sounded so innocent that, for a second, I almost doubted Ariana’s words.
Almost.
⸻
Dinner was quiet, but not awkward. Vanessa talked about her day, complained about the weather, laughed at her own jokes. I nodded, responded when necessary, and smiled when she smiled.
Inside, I was at war.
Every word she spoke felt like a performance.
After eating, we went to bed like any normal couple. She cuddled close to me, her head resting on my chest, her breathing slow and steady. I pretended to fall asleep, but my mind refused to rest.
Hours passed.
Then, at midnight, something felt… off.
The bed felt lighter.
I opened my eyes slowly.
Vanessa wasn’t beside me.
My heart skipped.
Where could she be at this hour?
I sat up quietly, careful not to make any noise, and listened.
That’s when I heard it.
Her voice.
Soft. Low. Serious.
She was talking to someone.
I slipped out of bed and moved toward the sound, my bare feet silent against the floor. My heart pounded so loudly I was afraid she might hear it. I followed her voice to the hallway, then toward the sitting room.
Why was she making a call at this time of the night?
And why wasn’t she doing it in the bedroom?
I stopped at the doorway, pressing myself against the wall, barely breathing.
Her voice became clearer.
“I think we need to act fast,” she said. “We need to get those documents signed so we can have it.”
My heart froze.
Documents?
Have what?
Who was she talking to?
My mind immediately went to Lucas.
Could it be him?
My hands clenched into fists. Every word she spoke felt like a dagger to my chest.
“Yes,” she continued, her tone firm. “We can’t waste any more time. If we delay, everything could fall apart.”
I leaned closer, desperate to hear the other voice, but the person on the other end spoke too softly. All I could hear was Vanessa.
“I know what I’m doing,” she said. “Just follow the plan.”
The plan.
What plan?
My heart raced as a thousand thoughts crashed into my mind. Ariana’s tears. Her story. The betrayal. The pregnancy. The secrets.
Just as I was about to step forward, she said, “I’ll talk to you later.”
She was about to end the call.
Panic shot through me.
I rushed back to the bedroom as fast and quietly as I could, jumping into bed and pulling the covers over myself. I closed my eyes, forcing my breathing to steady, pretending to be asleep.
My heart hammered in my chest.
Seconds later, the door creaked open.
I felt her presence before I saw her. The air in the room changed. I kept my eyes barely closed, just enough to peek through my lashes.
She entered slowly, her movements cautious.
Then something strange caught my attention.
Her phone.
It was on the bed.
My heart skipped again.
But… she was just on a call.
Confusion flooded my mind.
How could her phone be here if she was just using it?
Unless…
She had a second phone.
The realization hit me like a slap.
A second phone?
Why would she need two phones?
She moved quietly, sliding under the covers beside me. I watched her from the corner of my eye as she reached under her pillow.
She slipped something there.
The second phone.
My stomach twisted.
So, she wasn’t only hiding secrets.
She was hiding tools.
I kept pretending to sleep, but my mind was wide awake. My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.
She turned toward me, her body warm against mine, her breathing slow again, as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn’t just had a secret midnight conversation about documents and plans.
I lay there, stiff, my thoughts spinning.
Ariana was right.
Vanessa was hiding something.
I remembered Ariana’s words about Vanessa’s affair with her husband, Lucas. The betrayal. The deception. The pregnancy that might not even be mine.
“What documents?” I thought.
“Are they property documents? Bank documents? Something Ariana once owned?”
The more I thought, the more everything began to connect.
Vanessa. Lucas. Ariana. Properties. Pregnancy.
It was all tangled together like a web—and I was trapped in the middle.
I clenched my jaw, staring into the darkness.
You need proof, Alex.
Not emotions. Not anger. Proof.
I couldn’t confront her yet. Not now. Not without knowing exactly what she was doing and with whom.
If I accused her without evidence, she would only deny it—and become more careful.
I needed to catch her.
I needed to see her mask slip.
⸻
That night, I didn’t sleep.
I lay beside a woman I thought I loved, now unsure if I even knew her at all. Every breath she took felt like a lie brushing against my skin. Every movement made my heart jump.
I stared at the ceiling, watching shadows dance in the darkness.
Second phone.
Secret calls.
Documents.
Lucas.
The name echoed in my mind like thunder.
Could Vanessa and Lucas truly be working together?
Had they been planning something behind both my back and Ariana’s?
If so, what were they trying to take?
And how far were they willing to go?
By morning, my eyes burned from lack of sleep, but my mind was sharper than ever.
This was no longer just about love or betrayal.
This was about truth.
And I was going to uncover it—no matter the cost.
I closed my eyes briefly, pretending to rest, but inside, a decision had already been made.
From today, I will watch her.
Every move.
Every word.
Every lie.
Because the woman sleeping beside me wasn’t just my partner anymore.
She was my suspect.
And somewhere in the shadows, a bigger betrayal was unfolding—one that could change all our lives forever.
I just didn’t know yet…
…how deep the darkness truly went.
- Writer
