Chapter 3: The End of Us
1052 Words
The ballroom was still filled with laughter.
Guests mingled beneath sparkling chandeliers.
Champagne flowed.
Music played softly.
Everything looked perfect.
Everything except Ariana.
She stood near the entrance of the ballroom, struggling to keep herself together.
Her heartfelt hollow.
Every step she took felt heavier than the last.
She wanted to leave.
Immediately.
She wanted to escape before anyone noticed the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Before anyone saw how completely shattered she was.
But fate had other plans.
"Ariana."
Lucas's voice echoed through the ballroom.
The sound immediately drew attention.
Several guests turned toward them.
Ariana froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She turned around.
Lucas was walking toward her.
The blonde woman was nowhere to be seen now.
Smart.
She clearly didn't want to be caught in the public fallout.
Lucas stopped a few feet away.
His expression was calm.
Almost annoyingly calm.
As if he hadn't just destroyed her entire world.
"Ariana, can we talk?"
The ballroom had grown quieter.
People were watching.
Whispering.
Observing.
Ariana felt dozens of eyes on her.
She hated it.
She hated every second of it.
"There is nothing left to talk about."
Her voice remained steady.
A small victory.
Because inside?
She was breaking apart.
Lucas sighed.
Then something unexpected happened.
Instead of lowering his voice...
He spoke louder.
Loud enough for nearby guests to hear.
"Ariana, let's not make this harder than it needs to be."
The whispers immediately increased.
Ariana's stomach dropped.
What was he doing?
Lucas looked around.
Almost as if he wanted everyone's attention.
And unfortunately...
He got it.
The music slowly faded.
Guests turned.
Conversations stopped.
Within moments, the entire ballroom was watching.
Watching them.
Watching her.
Ariana suddenly felt trapped.
Lucas took a deep breath.
Then spoke.
"Our engagement is over."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The words landed like a bomb.
Shock spread across the room instantly.
People stared.
Some gasped.
Others looked confused.
Ariana felt her blood run cold.
He was really doing this.
Here.
Now.
In front of everyone.
Her parents.
His parents.
Business partners.
Friends.
The press.
Everyone.
Lucas continued.
"I think it's best for both of us."
The lie made Ariana sick.
Best for both of us?
Was cheating best for both of them?
Was humiliation best for both of them?
Was betrayal best for both of them?
The anger that had been buried beneath her heartbreak finally surfaced.
For the first time that night...
Ariana felt furious.
Lucas kept speaking.
"We've simply grown apart."
Another lie.
"Sometimes relationships don't work."
Another lie.
"I wish Ariana nothing but happiness."
Lie.
Lie.
Lie.
Every word was a lie.
Yet the crowd seemed willing to believe him.
Because Lucas Hart looked calm.
Professional.
Reasonable.
And Ariana?
She looked like a woman whose heart had just been ripped out.
People always trusted the calmer person.
Lucas knew that.
Ariana knew that too.
The humiliation burned.
It spread through her chest like fire.
She could practically hear the whispers.
"What happened?"
"Did she do something?"
"Did Lucas leave her?"
"Poor thing."
Every stare felt like a knife.
Lucas looked at her.
As if expecting her to quietly accept it.
As if expecting her to cry and leave.
As if expecting her to be weak.
Ariana's hands trembled.
But not from sadness anymore.
From anger.
Three years.
Three years she had loved him.
Three years she had supported him.
Three years later she had defended him.
And now he wanted to rewrite the story.
To make himself look innocent.
No.
Not this time.
Not anymore.
Slowly.
Ariana lifted her chin.
The movement surprised Lucas.
His expression shifted slightly.
A tiny c***k in his confidence.
Good.
For the first time all evening...
He looked uncomfortable.
"You've grown apart from me?" Ariana asked softly.
Lucas's jaw tightened.
"Ariana—"
"No."
She took a step forward.
The ballroom remained silent.
Every guest was watching.
Waiting.
Listening.
"You don't get to stand here and lie."
A murmur swept through the crowd.
Lucas's face darkened.
"Ariana, enough."
"No."
Another step forward.
This time her voice was stronger.
"You don't get to play the victim."
The tension in the room became suffocating.
Ariana could feel her heart pounding.
But she kept going.
Because she was done protecting him.
Done protecting his reputation.
Done protecting a man who never protected her.
"You didn't end this because we grew apart."
Lucas looked furious now.
"Ariana."
"You ended it because you're a coward."
Gasps echoed around the ballroom.
Several guests exchanged shocked looks.
Lucas's parents looked horrified.
His business associates looked uncomfortable.
For the first time all evening...
Lucas wasn't controlling the narrative.
Ariana was.
And he hated it.
His eyes hardened.
Dangerously.
"Ariana, watch what you're saying."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Watch what she was saying?
After everything he had done?
Unbelievable.
"You cheated on me."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The ballroom froze.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
The accusation hung in the air like a weapon.
Lucas's face went pale.
Not because he felt guilty.
Because she had exposed him.
And everyone knew it.
The whispers exploded.
"Oh my God."
"He cheated?"
"Seriously?"
"I can't believe it."
Ariana watched his perfect image begin to c***k.
And somehow...
It still didn't make her feel better.
Because no amount of truth could undo the damage.
No amount of justice could repair her broken heart.
Lucas stared at her.
His expression was cold.
Furious.
Humiliated.
Good.
Let him feel it.
Even if it was only a fraction of what she felt.
Then suddenly—
A deep voice interrupted the chaos.
"Interesting."
The single word echoed through the ballroom.
Instantly.
The room fell silent.
Every head turned.
Every conversation stopped.
Every eye focused on one man.
A man sitting alone near the back of the ballroom.
A man dressed entirely in black.
A man whose presence alone made powerful businessmen nervous.
Damien Volkov.
The Mafia King.
The Devil of New York.
Slowly.
Damien rose from his chair.
His grey eyes settled on Ariana.
Not Lucas.
Not the crowd.
Her.
And for reasons she couldn't explain...
Ariana felt her heartbeat skip.
Because something about the way he looked at her was terrifying.
Not cruel.
Not mocking.
Not amused.
Possessive.
As if he had just made a decision.
And whatever that decision was...
It was about to change everything.
- Writer
