Chloe Bennett couldn't believe her ears. For a moment, everything went dark and still, as if she were trapped in a nightmare she couldn't wake from.
She shook her head, desperate to shake off the wave of hurt flowing through her.
"What are you saying, Ryan? I… I don't understand," she stuttered, fighting back the warm tears already gliding down her cheeks.
She stood frozen in the living room, her heart hammering against her ribs as the harsh reality of Ryan's betrayal hit her like a tidal wave. His words echoed through her mind, each syllable cutting deeper than the last.
Her breath grew unsteady and the room seemed smaller and suffocating.
Across from her, Ryan her boyfriend and Sienna her older sister sat side by side on the sofa, their hands wrapped together. Their closeness was a cruel confirmation of what she had just heard—what she had lost.
Chloe's stomach twisted violently as if she would vomit at the sight of them. She clenched her fists while trying to control her breath.
"I asked you a question," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do you mean, Ryan?"
Ryan looked away, shame darkened his features. "Chloe, we've been wanting to tell you…" he began, his voice breaking.
"Sienna and I… we've been seeing each other. It started a while ago, and we just didn't know how to break it to you."
Chloe nodded her head in disbelief. "While you were with me?" She asked, her vI've firm, yet gentle.
"You've been seeing each other while you were with me!!!?" she repeats, harsher this time.
Ryan swallowed…..guilt clouding his face, he nodded slowly, unable to look her in the eye.
Chloe felt the air suddenly leaving her lungs. A sharp ringing filled her ears.
She blinked fast, her mind rejecting his words.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head slowly. "No, this isn't real. This has to be a joke."
Sienna flinched. Her face was flushed as she stood up quickly, letting go of Ryan's hand. "Chloe, I'm so sorry," she pleaded, stepping toward her. "I never meant for this to happen. It just did."
Chloe's body stiffened.
It just did?
A bitter laugh broke through her lips. Her voice, once fragile, hardened with fury.
"It just did? Really, Sienna?" She yelled angrily, her pulse pounding in her ears. "You went behind my back, and all you can say is it just happened?"
She turned to Ryan, her eyes burning with betrayal.
"And you," her voice wavered, no longer angry but broken. "After everything we've been through? Everything we built? This is what you do?"
Ryan ran a hand through his hair, looking pained. "Chloe, please—"
"Chloe please, what?" She ran towards him, holding up a shaky hand. "Don't stand there and tell me you didn't mean to hurt me. Because you did. You both did. This wasn't some accident—you chose this." Chloe yelled, hitting her fists against Ryan's chest.
Sienna's lip trembled. "Chloe stop please, just please stop" she yelled, her voice laced with fear. "I never wanted to hurt you, but you need to know….I love you Chloe."
Chloe let out a deep sigh.
"LOVE ME?" she spat. "You call this love? You betrayed me in the worst way, and you still have the audacity to say you love me?"
The room was filled with a thick, suffocating tension.
Chloe felt her world collapsing around her. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps. The walls felt like they were closing in, pressing against her chest.
She needed to escape, to get away from the suffocating reality of their betrayal.
She needed to get out. NOW!.
Without another word, she shook her head, tears streaming down her face and stormed out of the room.
Sienna called after her, but Chloe didn't stop.
She charged down the hallway, her mind racing, her vision blurred with tears. Her heart felt too heavy for her chest.
"Why is this happening to me?" She mumbled.
She threw open the front door, slamming it behind her with a force that sent the sound echoing down the quiet estate.
Outside, the night air was cool against her burning skin, but it did nothing to soothe the storm raging inside her.
Chloe let out a deep breath, the only relief she's gotten in the past hour.
She walked, faster and faster, needing to put as much distance between herself and the house as possible.
Sienna's voice rang behind her. "Chloe, wait!"
She ignored her.
"Go away, Sienna!" she shouted over her shoulder, her voice breaking. "Just leave me alone!"
Sienna stopped. "I'm sorry Chloe, please come back." She yelled. "Chloe! Chloe!!" Sienna kept calling, knowing that it would do no good either way.
Sienna stopped, tears streaming down her face as she watched her sister disappear into the night. Chloe's shadow grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the darkness.
She didn't turn around, she just kept walking.
The farther she went, the more the numbness took over. The rage, the heartbreak, the humiliation—everything blurred into a dull, unbearable ache.
She had lost them both in the same night.
Her boyfriend. Her sister.
Everything.
Her feet carried her aimlessly through the streets, the city lights blurring as fresh tears welled in her eyes.
She didn't know where she was going.
She just knew she couldn't go back.
As Chloe walked through with no certain destination, her mind was in chaos and her emotions were swirling. Her anger gave way to an aching numbness. She needed something to distract her from the pain.
As she wandered, she stumbled upon a bar with a flickering neon sign. The temptation was too strong to resist.
As Chloe stepped into the bar, the don light enveloped her like grief. She made her way to the bar, ordering a drink without hesitation.
She downed it in one gulp feeling the burn spread through her chest. Just as she was about to order another, a figure caught her eye. A stranger sat in a corner watching her with an intensity that made her skin prickle.
He took a sip from his glass, his eyes never leaving hers, Chloe felt a shiver run down her spine as he gave a devilish smirk.
"Finally!" He whispered under his breath. "She's mine now."