I woke up with a sharp intake of breath, my eyes snapping open as glaring white light flooded my vision.
For a moment, my mind was blank.
Then the dull ache in my head registered.
The steady beep of a monitor followed.
Hospital.
My fingers twitched against the sheets as I slowly turned my head. The room smelled of antiseptic, clean and cold, and a knot of confusion tightened in my chest.
That's when I saw her.
Joana was slumped on a chair beside the bed, her back pressed against the wall, arms folded tightly across her chest. Her head had tilted forward, exhaustion etched deeply into her face.
"Joana…" I whispered.
She jerked awake instantly.
Her eyes widened as she leaned forward, gripping the edge of the bed. "Sabrina? Oh my God—thank God you're awake."
My throat felt dry. "Why… am I here?" I asked slowly. "What happened?"
Her lips trembled before she answered. "You fainted. You were unconscious when we rushed you to the hospital."
Before I could ask anything else, the door opened.
"Mum? Dad?" I murmured in surprise as my parents walked in.
Relief flashed across my father's face, but my mother's expression hardened almost immediately.
"We shouldn't be here?" she said sharply. "I warned you, Sabrina. I warned you to stay away from Zach, but you never listened."
"Mum—"
"I told you that boy would ruin you," she continued, her voice thick with frustration. "But you loved him too much to listen to your own mother. Now look at the result."
"Please," my father interrupted gently, placing a hand on her arm. "She just regained consciousness. Let her rest."
My head throbbed.
"I don't understand," I said, forcing the words out. "Why is Zach being mentioned? What happened?"
My mother crossed her arms. "So you don't remember fainting?"
I shook my head.
"You collapsed," she said bluntly. "After you found out your boyfriend is engaged to another woman."
The world tilted.
Engaged?
The word echoed in my head as memories rushed back—screenshots, whispers, the photo that had shattered my heart.
Tears slid down my cheeks without permission.
Ten years.
Ten years of loyalty.
And he had replaced me just like that.
My chest tightened painfully, but beneath the heartbreak, something else stirred—something colder.
No.
I wouldn't let this destroy me.
He probably thought I would beg him. Cry for him. Chase him.
I would never do that.
If anything, this only made me wiser.
I should have listened to my mother.
"Eat something," she said a moment later, placing a food tray on the table. "You need strength."
"I'm not hungry," I replied quietly.
Her eyes flared. "So you won't eat because of the same Zach who is probably celebrating his engagement right now?"
"Mum," I said firmly, lifting my gaze to hers, "please don't mention his name again. I don't want to hear it."
She stared at me, stunned. "You've moved on already? This is the same man you loved so deeply."
"That's enough," my father snapped. "You're making it worse."
Just then, the doctor entered.
"You're stable," he said with a professional smile. "You can be discharged later today. Just get plenty of rest."
After the bills were settled, my parents prepared to leave.
"We have a meeting," my father explained. "Joana will bring you home."
"Take care of your sister," my mother added before walking out.
Zach
"It's been a week," Zach muttered, pacing his apartment. "And Sabrina hasn't called."
His jaw tightened.
"She must have heard about the engagement."
He scoffed. "She's just acting. I know her. She'll reach out."
Two days passed.
Still nothing.
Annoyance turned into irritation.
He created a fake Instagram account and searched her name.
When her story loaded, his chest tightened.
Sabrina was smiling. Laughing. Alive.
His mood darkened instantly.
"She moved on?" he muttered. "So all those years… was she just pretending?"
"Baby, are you okay?"
Zach turned to Lexa—his so-called fiancée.
"Oh, yeah," he said quickly. "Just work stuff."
"You don't look fine."
"I'll handle it," he replied. "I'm meeting the guys tonight."
He kissed her cheek and left.
The Lounge
Music thumped through the lounge, laughter filling the air, but Zach sat stiffly, swirling his drink.
Daniel watched him closely. "You don't look happy."
"I'm fine," Zach said curtly.
Daniel scoffed. "You're lying."
Zach sighed. "Sabrina didn't even react to my engagement. I think she's seeing someone else."
One of the guys frowned. "Why do you care? I thought you moved on."
Zach's lips curved into a cold smile. "The engagement is fake."
The table went silent.
"What?"
"I'm paying Lexa to pretend to be my fiancée for a month," Zach said casually. "I just wanted to teach Sabrina a lesson for asking for space."
Daniel stared at him. "That's twisted."
"She deserves it," Zach replied coldly. "She thought she could walk away from me."
Sabrina
I lay on my bed that night, staring at the ceiling.
He thought I would beg.
He thought I would break.
He thought wrong.
What ended us wasn't even a big fight.
I had confronted him about his cruelty toward his staff, toward women.
His mother abandoned him when he was young.
But pain was not an excuse to become heartless.
I had asked for space.
Three weeks later, he was engaged.
A slow, bitter smile curved my lips.
Let him believe he was in control.
I was done loving narcissists.
And I would never make that mistake twice.