POV: Elena
---
I had just stepped into the elevator when I heard him.
"Elena! Wait—"
The doors began to close, but a firm hand stopped them. Zayden slipped inside, his chest rising and falling like he had sprinted from the other side of the building.
"Please," he said, eyes searching mine, "don't go like this."
I turned my face away, jaw tight. The elevator doors sealed shut.
Too late.
Just like him.
"You lied to me, Zayden," I said, voice shaking, "From the very beginning."
"I had my reasons—"
"Of course you did." I laughed bitterly. "Is that what you told every employee you played with? Or was I just… a new experiment?"
His face twisted in pain. "You're not—don't ever say that."
I stepped away from him. The walls felt too small. His presence too large.
"You looked me in the eye," I whispered. "You let me believe you were just another guy in the office. You sat beside me on that plane, let me sleep on your shoulder… You made me feel safe."
"I never meant to hurt you."
"But you did." My voice broke. "Every day you stayed silent, you let me fall harder. And when I found out the truth, it felt like I didn't even know you."
He stepped forward, cautiously. "I was trying to protect what we had—"
"By lying to me?"
He flinched. I wasn't done.
"And then… the gala."
The words dropped like ice.
His eyes darkened.
"You let her cling to you like she belonged there."
"She doesn't. Elena, she was—"
"I don't care who she was, Zayden!" I snapped. "All I saw was the man I kissed days ago, standing next to someone else, like I never mattered. Like I was just a passing mistake."
He moved closer again, desperate. "You weren't. You aren't. I swear—"
I looked up at him, my voice cracking as tears finally slipped down my cheeks.
"I would've forgiven you for everything… if you had just told me the truth. But now? I can't even look at you without wondering how many more things you kept from me."
Zayden reached out, but I stepped back.
For the first time, I saw him falter. Like the unshakable CEO had no idea what to say. No power. No plan.
Just regret.
"I trusted you…" I whispered. "I loved you."
The elevator doors opened.
I didn't look back as I walked away.
---