KARA’S POV
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARA!" Everyone greeted me happily on my 23rd birthday.
Vivian, my best friend, gave me a box of her gift and whispered, "Well, it's a secret!"
"Uh-huh! I will open it later, thank you, Viv!" I hugged her with a smile.
Just as I was about to speak, my boyfriend Arthur showed up. He looked like he had run all the way here to be with me because he was puffing up. How sweet!
"Kara, I invited my sister—Nina." he remarked, casting a glance at the woman standing next to him.
I arched an eyebrow, momentarily perplexed why Arthur's sister would don a red outfit on my birthday. But I chose not to mind it at all and smiled happily, kissing her cheek. "Oh, hey, Nina, I hope you’ll enjoy the party…”
In her charming, seductive voice, she greeted me with a smile and said, "Of course, I love this party! So grand and fancy! Happy birthday, Kara…”
I stared at her, uncomfortably smiling and sipping my wine.
After that, Arthur reached for a glass of wine, raised his hand, and announced, "I have an announcement to make, everyone..."
"Arthur, babe, what are you doing?" I asked him with a confused expression on my face as my lips pulled apart in astonishment.
"This seems like the perfect opportunity... to pop the question..." He then handed Nina the glass of wine without a second's hesitation.
"We've been dating for seven years, and I want to enjoy my life with you for the rest of my life," Arthur said as he kneeled in front of me and presented me with a tiny red box. He opened it in front of everyone and said, "If you could, please make me the happiest guy alive. "Will you marry me?"
Silently, my friends let out a sigh of disappointment. I knew my well-off friends felt so upset that Arthur proposed on my birthday. Others may think it's cheap, but I'm thankful for him.
I smiled and nodded my head. "Of course, I will marry you, babe!"
He delicately placed the diamond ring on my finger before standing up and planting a kiss on my forehead.
Clapping hands felt forced, a strained performance for everyone but Jackson, Vivian's brother. He, who'd always been like a big brother, sat in the shadows, his handsome face unreadable. He wasn't necessarily pleased with my answer about Arthur. Perhaps, like others, he worried Arthur might be after my money. But after seven years together, I knew Arthur was the one for me.
“J–Jack…”
My warm smile faltered as Jackson walked past me, leaving the venue without a single word. I bit my lip, the urge to chase after him a war with the hurt blooming in my chest.
Vivian placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "He'll come around," she assured me. "Jackson's just...protective of us."
I forced a sigh, scanning the crowd for Nina and Arthur. Finding them absent, I wandered towards the restroom, the diamond ring on my finger suddenly feeling heavy. As I passed a stall, a muffled moan drifted out. My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp.
"Do you really want to marry her?" It was Nina's voice, laced with unmistakable desire.
The world tilted. Bile rose in my throat.
"No," came Arthur's reply, equally passionate. "You're the one I want, Nina. She's..."
Nina cut him off with a throaty laugh. "Then why introduce me as your sister?"
"It was part of the plan," he mumbled, his voice thick with urgency.
“Hmmm, fuck me harder, Arthur... make me yours… I’m all yours!”
Fury tightened my throat. Tears welled in my eyes, blurring the vision of the ring on my finger. It wasn't a symbol of love anymore; it was a cruel reminder of the carefully constructed lie I'd called my life.
For years, I'd been oblivious. Vivian and Jackson have seen it all along.
How could I have been so blind?
Chapter 2KARA’S POV
My fists clenched at my sides, a silent scream trapped in my throat. I bolted for the exit, the venue's vibrant music turning into a suffocating thrum behind me.
I opened an empty room and locked the door behind me. Slowly sinking onto the floor, I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to contain the storm within.
Tears welled up, blurring the fairy lights filtering through the window - a cruel reminder of a happiness I no longer felt.
Heartbroken sobs wracked my body, each one a release of the crushing disappointment that threatened to consume me.
Memories flashed in the back of my mind, a bittersweet montage of happier times…
SEVEN YEARS AGO.
"Arthur, what's up? Everyone's going to the stadium. Are you coming?" I asked with a smile on my face.
He shyly scratched the back of his neck and said, "Actually... I wanted to tell you something."
"Cool! What is it?" I asked. Then I glanced at my friends, especially Vivian, who liked to criticize Arthur. "Everyone can wait for a few minutes, right, guys?"
Vivian replied, "Yeah, right. Let's give them some space..."
After that, everyone in the corner gathered, staring at Arthur with teasing smiles and laughter. They were laughing at him, eager to hear what he had to say to me.
Arthur said, "I've been thinking about you lately... a lot."
I gasped softly, my cheeks reddening. "Hmm, really?"
"Y-yeah... I want you to know that—"
I raised an eyebrow and asked, "That what?"
He looked around and saw that my friends were staring at him. He bit his lower lip in shyness and sighed. "I like you, Kara. I like you a lot..."
Memories flooded back from when we were seven years old. He was the one who saved me from drowning. And from that moment on, I started to like him. Like a hero, like my knight in shining armor.
I was a teenager with a massive crush on him; I shrieked happily and finally said, "Yes!"
Arthur smiled sweetly. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, then!"
"Alright..." I smiled back, my heart pounding as he left.
The disappointment on my friends' faces was so obvious. They shook their heads and asked, "Why?!"
I grabbed them and pulled them inside the stadium. "Why not?" I replied. And added, "He's a good guy—"
"Ew, he's poor," they said, continuing to complain.
And Vivian said, "I have an odd feeling about him. You should dump him in a few days, Kara."
"Oh, Viv, shut up. I like him."
"Oh, right, love is blind."
And I guess, Vivian was right. I was totally blind to see the real Arthur.
Taking a deep breath, I wiped away the tears and steeled myself. Opening the door, I forced my trembling legs back towards the restroom. The sounds I'd heard moments ago echoed in my head, a sickening confirmation of my worst fears.
I was ready to unleash my fury, but a voice drifted through the stall door, laced with practiced seduction.
"So, let me ask you again, baby," Nina purred. "Do you really want to marry her?"
Arthur's reply was cold, devoid of any affection I'd ever known. "You know I only want you, Nina. Kara's...well, she's boring like a typical housewife. That's why I chose you, you're perfect for me."
"Don't worry," he added, his voice dripping with calculated ease. "Even if I marry her, she can't control us. We just need to play the part a little longer."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I felt like I couldn't breathe because of their betrayal!
And when I was about to walk away, Vivian was already behind me.
“Vivian?” I whispered in astonishment.
Chapter 3Kara’s POV
I clamped a hand over Vivian's mouth before she could confront the cheating couple. Dragging her outside, where our friends were celebrating, I met her hissed accusation.
"I'll tear them apart!" she spat. "How could they do this to you?"
My voice was soft as I replied, "No, we don't need to stoop to their level. I don't want to become the town's gossip."
Taking her hand, I continued, "Get your phone and record the conversation. We'll use it as proof."
Vivian, with a curt nod, retrieved her phone. We crept back to the hallway together and pressed our ears against the bathroom door.
Arthur's laughter carried through the thin barrier. "She's the Sullivan heiress, you know. Her mother passed away when she was just seven. Now her father's failing health... it won't be long before he follows."
Nina's response was a soft chuckle intertwined with a seductive moan. "So, if you marry her, you get half the estate?"
Arthur's reply sent a shiver down my spine. "Indeed. And if, by some unfortunate accident, boom... everything will fall into my hands..." He trailed off, the implication hanging heavy in the air. "You, Nina, would be my new queen."
A gasp escaped my lips, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. Vivian's eyes narrowed, a storm brewing within them. Before she could barge in, I grabbed her arm and ushered her away to the secluded back garden.
"Oh, screw me! How did I end up falling for such a bad guy?!"
"No, you were not in love with him," Vivian groaned. "It's not true. You first fell in love with the idea of being saved by him when you were seven years old. Nothing but garbage; you fooled yourself into thinking it was love!"
I couldn’t help but cry in front of my best friend, my shoulders were shaking in anger and despair. I was shaking my head while trying not to accept what just happened but Vivian embraced me with a warm embrace, “It’s okay…”
“No, it’s not, I can’t let this go…”
And she replied, “Of course. We need to make him pay…”
I wiped away my tears. She cupped my face, saying, "You shouldn't cry for that man! There are a lot of men in this world who are worth your time and beauty. So, do you want me to call my brother to have that stupid man beaten up?"
I shook my head, "No, not Jackson. He's mad at me—"
"Don't worry, he'll be happy to beat Arthur up if he finds out the truth." Vivian reassured me.
"I can't let your brother be involved in this…" I said, then added, "But we'll play Arthur’s game, but on our terms. We'll give him a taste of his own medicine."
A slow, dangerous smile crept across Vivian's face, "I like that…"
When we were back inside, I gasped. My stepmother walked in wearing a black nightgown. It looked expensive but out of place for a birthday celebration. She apologized to the guests, "I'm so sorry I'm late. Where's my stepdaughter?"
Her eyes met mine, and her smile sharpened, turning into a sly one. "Hello, dear. Happy birthday. Your father couldn't make it today. He's still in the hospital."
I nodded my head and asked politely, "Then why are you here?"
Then she repeated my question, “Why am I here?”
She gasped when she saw Arthur in the crowd with Nina. "I heard you and Arthur were already engaged," she replied, a sly glint in her eye. "I should congratulate you..."
I scoffed softly, a fake chuckle escaping my lips. "Oh, right. I'm engaged..." I flashed the engagement ring on my finger. I couldn't wait to turn Arthur's dream into a nightmare.
“What a dream come true…” I said between my sarcastic remarks while smiling sweetly.