The moment the door opened, I froze.
Not only was Mason balls deep inside a woman, but the woman was my best friend, Anna.
Anna was the first one to notice me. She let out another moan as Mason thrusted himself inside of her.
"Oh... Ah!... Esther, you're home already?" she asked in between breaths.
It was only then that Mason finally turned his head to look at me.
The moment our eyes connected, I broke down. Tears came flooding out. It felt like someone stabbed me through the chest with a knife.
"Mason... why?" I managed to whisper.
"Ah, Esther. Welcome back. Looks like we lost track of time," he said as he smiled at Anna. It was the same smile he had given me countless times in the past. Gentle and full of affection.
"Mason... Anna... how could you do this?" I asked with great difficulty.
I would have never believed it if someone had told me that my fiancé would cheat on me with my best friend. The only two people who have stuck by my side through thick and thin.
Anna glanced over at me with her still-misty eyes. "Since the moment you left, Mason kept me locked in this bedroom. I've lost count of how many times we've made love since you left."
"You bitch!"
Anger flared up within me from her provoking words. I wanted nothing more than to walk up to her and wipe that victorious smirk off her face. But the moment I took a step forward, Mason shot me a terrifying look.
"Don't you dare take another step toward my woman!" he warned threateningly.
"Your woman? If that's your woman, then what am I? What of all those years we've spent together? The promises? The talks about our future?" I cried out.
Anna broke out into a laugh. "I told you she'd believe every little thing we told her! To think she actually believed that you loved her!" she said to Mason, who was still leaning over her.
After wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned and looked at me. "Let me let you in on a little secret. Every time you went out on a mission, Mason would make passionate love to me the entire time!"
"Oh, and let me thank you for covering my mission tomorrow. You know how I am, my body needs time to recover from Mason's non-stop bullying," she said, flashing him a shy smile. "In case you were wondering, he's incredible in bed."
"Mason, is this true? Has everything been a lie this entire time?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He lifted his head toward the ceiling and let out a frustrated sigh. "Why does it always take you so long to understand? Anna literally spelled it out to you, yet you're still having a hard time figuring it out.
The next moment, he leaned over her naked body and shoved himself inside of her once again.
His eyes locked onto me as he thrusted.
"I... have never... loved you."
My stomach churned with each one of their movements. I fought to hold back the nausea, but the pain in my chest was impossible to suppress.
The moment moans escaped Anna's lips was the moment I could no longer take it. My entire world had been flipped upside down. The man I had loved, the friend who had always stood by me—gone.
I turned away, closing the door just as their moans began to fill the room. Tears continued to roll down my face.
'Why?'
'Where did I go wrong?'
Dozens of questions continued to rise as I tried to piece together how I had overlooked something so significant all these years.
I walked over to the small table in the living room, picking up the only thing in this apartment that mattered to me, my mother's silver dagger.
The rest of the items no longer held value. Not the furniture, nor the stuffed animal that Mason won for me the year we started dating. There were plenty of things that contained memories, but they no longer brought me joy.
I staggered back out of the apartment. Every second that I stayed here only pushed the knife deeper into my chest. There was nothing left here for me anymore.
The muscles in my legs burned as I leaned against the elevator wall, gripping the handrail. It was difficult to breathe, let alone stand.
With great difficulty, I managed to reach out and press the button to send the elevator downwards. The doors closed, and the quiet hum of the moving elevator helped calm me down, even if just a little.
The moment I made it inside my car, I finally broke down. Clenching my mother's silver dagger, I leaned against the steering wheel and sobbed.
"Why?! The entire time, it was all a lie!" I cried out, slamming one of my hands against the dashboard. "Mom... what do I do now?"
The cool dagger in my hand brought me a sliver of comfort, as if my mother were here, gently patting my back. But the pain from losing my fiancé and best friend in a single instant was too great.
"The family I tried so hard to create. The home I longed for, all gone..."
The next moment, I shook my head. "No, not gone. They were never there from the start."
My sadness morphed into anger. Anna's provocative expression flashed in my mind. That confident smile and the way she wrapped her arms around Mason, claiming him in front of me, caused me to flare up.
"Just wait. Karma's a bitch. You'll get what you deserve."
I wiped the tears from my eyes and started the car. Just one more mission and I would have a solid case to get promoted. A leadership position with the Hunters was something many people sought, and it would put me above Mason and Anna in the ranks.
Then you'll be taking orders from me.
By the time I arrived back at the Hunter HQ, it was already past midnight. The lobby was a stark contrast from earlier, empty and quiet. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and made my way to where the temporary dorms were, on the thirty-third floor.
Sometimes missions went late into the night, and it was more convenient for people to spend the night here before going home.
I opened the first door on the right, revealing an empty room filled with cots.
'Looks like I'm the only one here tonight.'
My aching muscles cried out the moment I touched the bed. I needed to shower, but I had no energy or willpower to do so. The moment my eyes hit the bed, I passed out from exhaustion.