Chapter 3. The Truth

The next day after the party commotion, I was shaken to my core. I had been a shut-in for so long, and trying to trust Sophie enough to socialize had ended in disaster. The betrayal stung deeply; I hated Sophie for lying about the bullies. I tried to distract myself by immersing in a book.

The clanking of heels echoed through the quiet library. I looked up to see Sophie approaching.

"You came back from the engagement yesterday," She said.

"Of course, and you claimed you hadn't invited anyone who had hurt me." Slamming the book shut, I stood up abruptly.

"I DID NOT! Their family was in contact with my father," she retorted, her defenses up. Despite the tension, she looked strikingly beautiful today.

I was emotionally burnt out after yesterday's incident. I hadn't slept the whole night.I was numb, unable to process anything. So, Instead of saying anything, I sat back down and opened my book again.

"I-I'm sorry. I honestly didn't know. It was my dad who invited them," She said.

When I remained silent, she sighed, "I was on my way to meet Eric. Goodbye."

Eric. At his name, The memory flooded back instantly.

"Sophie, Wait."

The weight of guilt gnawed at me; it was too late to turn back now.

"I know this is probably the worst time, but Eric..." i hesitated.

"Eric what?" Sophie turned to face me, tapping her foot impatiently. "Hurry, he's waiting."

Avoiding her gaze, I closed my eyes and blurted out hastily, "Eric is cheating on you."

Silence.

The rhythmic tapping of Sophie's foot ceased. She didn't utter a word, standing in stunned silence.

"WHAT?!" She finally burst out.

"Yes," I met her gaze now, her furrowed eyebrows revealing her disbelief.

"How do you know?" She demanded, stepping closer.

"Two weeks ago, I saw him with another girl in the alley on my way home.

"I can't believe it. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

My gaze fell, unable to offer a response.

"I don't understand," she said,She shook her head, closing the distance between us, forcing me to step back. "Why didn't you warn me before? You came to my engagement, congratulated me, knowing all along."

"I'm sorry, okay? You seemed so happy, and I just couldn't ruin that," I confessed, still unable to meet her eyes.

"You... you..." Sophie's voice wavered. "You deserve to be alone."

Then, with a sharp exhale, she knocked over a stack of books beside me and stormed off, her long hair swishing in my face.

Her parting words hit me hard. She didn't even wait for me to explain, leaving behind only the sound of her footsteps echoing in the empty library.

After that, I couldn't concentrate on my book. How could Sophie say those things to me? It was my fault. I felt empty, unable to even cry. Dragging my feet, I walked home after locking up the library.

*****

The entire atmosphere was dark. A dim streetlight barely illuminated the path, and there was an eerie silence. My local library was old and near the outskirts of town, so hardly anyone came here. And at this hour, it was completely deserted. As I walked onto the dark, quiet street, my footsteps echoed off the empty pavement.

A car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, and there he was. Eric.

"Need a ride?" he asked.

A shiver went down my spine. Isn't he supposed to be with Sophie on a date, as she said earlier? I simply shook my head, no words coming out of my dry mouth.

He drove away.

I kept walking, this time faster. What the fuck was that? Am I seeing things? After a while, I reached that place, and what I saw made me freeze.

I stood at the entrance of the alley, my heart racing as I recognized the luxury car parked there. This was the same alley where I had caught Eric in the act, and the memories flooded back, making me both confused and frightened.

Something is wrong.

I tried to walk past the alley and the car, which looked far too expensive to belong in this rundown part of town. Suddenly, the car's headlights flashed on, and the horn blared, causing me to jump. I turned around, but the headlights blinded me. A man got out and walked toward me.

It was Eric.

Seeing him, it felt like my heart was about to fail. He stared at me without blinking, his face devoid of expression. For a moment, I was frozen in place.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, snapping me out of his trance.

I didn't know how to react. He wasn't saying anything. I decided to turn and resume walking, feeling his gaze burning into the back of my neck. I had barely taken two or three steps when I heard him say,

"Bitch."

I stopped dead in my tracks, taken aback. I heard his heavy footsteps approaching me.

"So, Sophie broke up with me," he said, his tone calm, "All because you told her about my.....extracurricular activities."

I was trembling like a leaf now. I started walking faster, hoping to avoid him.

A sudden, deafening bang shattered the silence. I heard the gunshot next to me and instinctively fell sideways. My mind raced in horror. He had fired at the ground beside me—was it a warning, or had he missed on purpose?

As I lay on the cold, rough street, I looked up at him. He stood there, dressed in a suit, likely for his date with Sophie.

"Why couldn't you say it before?" he asked, his voice soft and calm.

I struggled to my feet, my legs shaky. He began to walk towards me, each step deliberate. I backed away, my heart pounding.

"Do you even know how much drama could have been avoided if you had told it earlier?" he continued, pointing the gun at me.

He kept moving forward, and I kept retreating.

"Watch out." His voice broke through the tension between us.

The unexpected warning made me glance back, and I saw the trash bin behind me. If I had taken another step, I might have fallen into it.

I sidestepped it quickly, mumbling a hurried, "Thanks."

He kept on walking towards me, all the while his gun pointing at my forehead.

He was now too close to me. He lifted my jaw with the gun, forcing me to meet his gaze.

The cold metal against my skin made me suck in a breath. He stepped forward, his body pressing against mine. I immediately took a step back and hit the wall.

He still advanced, his body now pressed tightly against mine.

I felt something hard against my abdomen. He reeked of alcohol and was clearly intoxicated, his eyes emotionless and staring at me.

"You can feel it, right? I was anticipating fucking Sophie on our date tonight, but she cried and broke up with me just the day after our engagement," he said.

I was too stunned to say anything, fear making me unable to process. It felt unreal.

"You have no idea how much loss you caused by destroying this business deal marriage between me and Sophie's family," he said softly. "What will happen if I shoot you here and fuck you, and the next day people find your body near this trash bin?"

I was frozen in place, staring at him in horror.

"So this is the alley where you saw me fucking that girl... now you will replace her and Sophie."

Before I could react, he grabbed my hair, yanking me toward him. I fought against him, pushing at his chest, my breath coming in panicked gasps.

"NOOO!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation. But everything stopped the moment I felt the cold, unforgiving metal of his gun pressed against my forehead.

I froze.

His grip tightened, forcing me down to my knees, my body trembling with fear. The barrel of the gun remained pointed at me.

"Now, don't get excited. I won't fuck someone like you."

No. This can't be happening. I can't take this all at once. Yesterday the confrontation at the party, and now this.

"I'll only use that little ugly, rattling mouth of yours."

I felt the cold gun pressed against my forehead as he used his other hand to undo his belt.

I frantically scanned the alley for anything that could help. My eyes landed on an abandoned alcohol bottle near a trash can. Summoning all my strength, I lunged for it, grabbing the bottle and swinging it at his leg with all the force I could muster.

He howled in pain, momentarily losing his grip on the gun. Seizing the opportunity, I broke free and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

*****