Rejected by My Fiancé, Claimed by the Devil

Chapter 2: The Woman Behind the Door

Ariana couldn't feel her legs.

The hallway seemed endless as she stumbled away from the private lounge.

The sound of Lucas's laughter echoed inside her head like a cruel nightmare.

I never loved her.

The words replayed over and over.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, they cut deeper.

Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes.

Three years.

Three years of love.

Three years of trust.

Three years of building a future around a man who had never truly wanted her.

Ariana pressed a trembling hand against her chest.

It hurt.

God, it hurt.

She wanted to wake up.

She wanted someone to tell her this was a misunderstanding.

A terrible joke.

Anything.

But reality stood before her like a merciless executioner.

Lucas Hart had betrayed her.

And the worst part?

He wasn't even sorry.

Ariana stopped near one of the hotel's large glass windows.

The city lights sparkled outside.

People were laughing inside the ballroom.

Champagne glasses clinked.

Music continued playing.

The world hadn't stopped.

Only hers had.

A tear slid down her cheek.

Then another.

Soon, she couldn't stop them.

She lowered her head, trying to compose herself.

Trying to breathe.

Trying not to fall apart completely.

"Ariana?"

A familiar voice suddenly called her name.

She quickly wiped her eyes.

Turning around, she found her best friend, Sophia.

Concern immediately appeared on Sophia's face.

"Ariana, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

The lie came out instantly.

Sophia wasn't convinced.

"You're crying."

Ariana forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

Sophia stepped closer.

"What happened?"

For a brief moment, Ariana considered telling her everything.

The betrayal.

The lies.

The woman.

The kiss.

But if she started talking about it, she knew she would break.

Completely.

So she shook her head.

"I just need a minute."

Sophia studied her for a few seconds before reluctantly nodding.

"Okay."

"But if something is wrong, call me."

Ariana smiled weakly.

"I will."

Once Sophia left, Ariana released a shaky breath.

She needed answers.

She deserved answers.

No matter how painful they were.

Slowly, she turned toward the hallway again.

Toward the private lounge.

Toward Lucas.

Her heart pounded violently.

Every instinct told her not to go.

But she couldn't walk away.

Not yet.

Not without hearing the truth from him directly.

Ariana forced herself forward.

One step.

Then another.

And another.

Until she stood outside the lounge once more.

The door remained slightly open.

Voices drifted through the gap.

Lucas's voice.

The woman's laughter.

Ariana's stomach twisted.

Her hands clenched into fists.

This was it.

The moment everything would change.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer.

And looked inside.

Time stopped.

The woman was sitting on the edge of a table.

Lucas stood between her legs.

One of his hands rested on her waist.

The other brushed through her blonde hair.

They looked comfortable.

Intimate.

Familiar.

Like they had done this many times before.

Ariana felt her heart c***k.

Then Lucas leaned down.

And kissed her.

Not a quick kiss.

Not a mistake.

Not something that could be explained away.

It was passionate.

Deliberate.

Intimate.

The kind of kiss a man gave a woman he desired.

The kind of kiss he had never given Ariana.

Something inside her shattered completely.

A broken sound escaped her lips before she could stop it.

The noise echoed through the room.

Lucas froze.

The blonde woman immediately turned.

Both of them stared toward the doorway.

Toward Ariana.

For a second, nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

The silence felt suffocating.

Lucas's eyes widened.

"Ariana—"

The woman's expression shifted from surprise to annoyance.

As if Ariana had interrupted something inconvenient.

The sight made Ariana feel sick.

Lucas quickly stepped away from the woman.

"Ariana, this isn't—"

"Don't."

Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

But it was enough to stop him.

For the first time, Lucas looked nervous.

"Ariana, listen to me."

"No."

Tears filled her eyes again.

"You don't get to explain."

Because there was nothing to explain.

She had seen everything.

With her own eyes.

The truth stood right in front of her.

The woman crossed her arms.

"Well."

"I guess she knows now."

Ariana looked at her.

The blonde smiled.

Not kindly.

Cruelly.

Almost triumphantly.

And somehow that hurt even more.

Lucas ran a hand through his hair.

"Ariana, please."

"How long?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Lucas went silent.

Ariana laughed bitterly.

A broken laugh.

"How long?"

Still silence.

That silence gave her the answer.

Long enough.

Long enough to destroy every memory she had.

Long enough to make her feel like a fool.

The tears she had been holding back finally escaped.

One after another.

Lucas sighed.

Not guilty.

Not ashamed.

Just... irritated.

And that was when Ariana realized something horrifying.

He wasn't sorry.

Not even a little.

"I'm sorry you found out this way," Lucas said.

The words struck harder than a slap.

Not sorry for cheating.

Not sorry for lying.

Only sorry she had discovered it.

Ariana stared at him.

At the man she thought she knew.

And suddenly...

He felt like a stranger.

A stanger.

The future she had imagined with him disappeared before her eyes.

No wedding.

No family.

No happy ending.

Nothing.

Just lies.

Heartbreak.

And betrayal.

The room felt smaller.

Harder to breathe in.

Ariana stepped backward.

Then another step.

Lucas moved toward her.

"Ariana—"

"Don't touch me."

The coldness in her voice surprised even her.

Lucas stopped.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Ariana looked directly into his eyes.

The same eyes she had once loved.

And asked what she dreaded most.

"Did you ever love me at all?"

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

Then Lucas looked away.

And that was answer enough.

Ariana felt the last piece of her heart break.

Without another word, she turned around.

And walked away.

Behind her, Lucas called her name.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

But she didn't stop.

Because some betrayals were too deep to forgive.

And some hearts, once broken, could never be put back together the same way.

What Ariana didn't know...

Was that across the ballroom, a pair of cold grey eyes had been watching everything.

Watching her tears.

Watching her pain.

Watching her leave.

Damien Volkov slowly lifted his glass.

His expression remained unreadable.

Dangerously calm.

But for the first time all evening...

The Devil looked interested.

Very interested.