Breaking the Heart

For the sake of revenge, I willingly dragged myself into the gutter and became a woman who sold her nights. Men were nothing more than weapons in my hands—tools to be used whenever I needed them. I once swore I would cut off every feeling and never fall in love again. But when that man appeared in my life once more, I still ran toward him without hesitation and lost myself completely. My devotion. My silent sacrifices. My desperate waiting. In the end, all I received were his careful schemes, his endless suspicion, and the moment he discarded me like a pawn. Then, just as I was drowning in despair, a single ray of light appeared. I knew I didn't deserve it. Still, I clung to it like a drowning person grasping the last piece of driftwood. What I didn't realize was that I had fallen into another abyss, one even deeper than the first. It was in that darkness that I finally fought back. In the end, I managed to sever love completely. I won the battle of life. But I lost the one person I truly loved. Only then did I realize that desire can be cut off, but love is something you can never truly quit. ****** A woman jumped from the rooftop of Siren Lounge. At that exact moment, Kaelan had me pinned against the floor-to-ceiling window on the eighteenth floor. My thin slip dress had already been shoved down to my waist. One of his hands held me firmly in place while the other tore my bra away. My breasts were pressed flat against the cold glass, and his heavy breathing burned against my ear. "Lyra," he said hoarsely, "so you finally decided to come back." I shook my head desperately and struggled to break free, muffled sounds escaping my throat. His large hand covered my mouth. His chest pressed tightly against my bare back, the heat of his hard muscles scorching my skin. When his hips pushed forward, my legs trembled uncontrollably. "Let me go," I gasped. "I'm not Lyra." Kaelan Thorn showed no intention of stopping. His hand slid down my waist, his fingers wandering lower and sending shivers across every inch of my skin. That was when the woman jumped. She fell from more than thirty floors above, dressed in a flowing white dress. As she passed the massive glass window, it almost looked as if she were plunging straight toward us. But she vanished in a flash. A second later, a dull crash echoed from the street below. She had landed on top of a car, leaving a deep dent in the roof. Her life ended there. For a brief moment during the fall, our eyes met. In that instant, it almost felt as if she were laughing at me, mocking the fact that I had become nothing more than a man's plaything. The entire Siren Lounge erupted into chaos. Someone knocked on the door. "Mr. Thorn, something happened. Should we go downstairs?" Kaelan finally released me. Before leaving, he grabbed my chin, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Whether you're Lyra or not," he said quietly, "don't even think about running." The hallway soon filled with hurried footsteps as many of the girls rushed downstairs to see what had happened. Police lines were quickly set up outside. I didn't go. Instead, I sat cross-legged in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and lit a cigarette. Through the haze of smoke, a cold smile slowly curled at the corner of my lips. ****** The woman who jumped was Yuna Mercer, one of the veteran beauties at Siren Lounge. Rumor had it she had worked here for five or six years. Back then, she had been the star of the place. "I heard Yuna recently found a rich boyfriend and was planning to quit. Why would she suddenly jump?" one woman whispered. "What if someone killed her?" another asked. "Shh. Don't say things like that. You'll get yourself killed." I crushed the cigarette impatiently. Yeah. That damned woman. Why did she have to choose this exact moment to die? Just then, Lena Sterling appeared in the doorway. Behind her stood two police officers, one older and one younger. "Ms. Nancy," the older officer said, "someone reported that you were the last person Yuna saw before she jumped. They said the two of you had a heated argument in the room. Please come with us and answer a few questions." I had expected this. Calmly, I stood up. Lena, however, looked nervous. She grabbed my arm and refused to let go. I smiled at her. "Don't worry," I said softly. "I'll be fine." They escorted me into the police car, and the women gathered downstairs immediately burst into gossip. "Oh my God. Could Yuna's death really have something to do with Nancy?" "That woman Nancy never seemed simple to me. She's only been here for a month, and Lena won't even let her receive other clients. Why does she get special treatment?" "Please. If you had a face like Elara's, Lena would treat you like a goddess too. She's just waiting for Nancy to catch Mr. Thorn's eye." "Exactly. Everyone in Harbor City knows Mr. Thorn has never gotten over Elara. And Nancy looks almost identical to her." Lena suddenly shouted at them, and the women immediately fell silent. The police car sped away with a siren. At that moment, a dark figure suddenly pushed through the crowd and rushed toward the car. But the car was already moving. I dug my nails into my thigh and turned my head away. He disappeared from my sight.