Chapter 3 Shattered trust

I could not breathe. The world felt like it had tilted on its axis and thrown me into a place where nothing made sense. My own sister, the person I shared every secret with, every laugh with, every hope for the future she had stolen him. My Ethan. The one I thought loved me more than anything. The one who had promised me forever.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I wanted to disappear. Instead, I stood frozen at the door, watching the two people I trusted most with my entire heart, and my chest ached in a way that no words could describe.

Elianna’s eyes caught mine first, a spark of triumph in her gaze. Her smirk was infuriating, as if she had planned this moment all along, waiting for me to arrive so she could savor my pain.

“Clara,” Ethan stammered, panic in his eyes, “I… it’s not what it looks like.”

Not what it looks like? My stomach twisted in anger and hurt. The truth was staring me in the face, and yet he had the audacity to claim it wasn’t real.

“It’s exactly what it looks like, Ethan,” I said, my voice shaking but louder than I expected. “You lied. You betrayed me. Both of you.”

Elianna laughed softly, almost mockingly. “Betrayed you? Oh, Clara. I think you are taking this a little too seriously. He wanted me, and I wanted him. That’s all there is to it.”

I wanted to spit at her. I wanted to shake her until she understood the damage she had done. “You’re my sister. How could you do this to me? To us? To me and Ethan? Was any of it ever real to you?”

Elianna’s laugh turned cold. “Real? You think love is about promises and sitting around like little children pretending the world is perfect? Love is about desire, Clara. And I desired him.”

Desire. That one word felt like fire inside my chest. The betrayal was sharper than any knife I had ever felt. Everything I had believed in, everything I had worked for in this relationship, had crumbled in a single moment.

Ethan stepped forward, taking her side. “Clara, I… I didn’t mean to hurt you. It just… happened.”

Happened. As if years of love, care, and trust could simply be erased by a single choice. As if my feelings were insignificant.

“Do you even hear yourself?” I shouted, my voice breaking. “You mean to tell me that everything we had — every promise, every plan, every dream — means nothing because… because what? Because she wanted you? Because you chose her over me?”

Elianna shrugged. “I didn’t choose. He chose. Don’t blame me for loving what I wanted.”

I felt bile rise in my throat. My stomach twisted. My hands trembled uncontrollably. I wanted to grab them both and shake them until they felt the pain they had caused me. But I could not. I could only stand there, feeling the world collapse around me.

Ethan tried again. “Clara, please. I didn’t plan for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you. I just…”

I cut him off. “You just what? Betrayed me. Cheated on me with my sister. Broke my heart into pieces you could never understand. Go ahead, explain it to me, Ethan. Tell me why I should forgive you for destroying everything I loved.”

Elianna’s expression softened slightly, as if she felt pity for me. “Clara, you’ll get over it. You’re strong. You always get over everything.”

Her words felt like nails scraping across my soul. I wanted to run, but my legs refused to move. I wanted to hit something, scream, cry, and I did all of it inside. My heart shattered with each beat, each thought, each glance at the sister I had trusted more than anyone.

Finally, I turned. I had to leave. I could not stay in the same room as them without breaking completely. Without losing control. Without my entire world collapsing around me.

“I can’t do this. Not tonight. Not ever again,” I said, voice cracking as I climbed the stairs. My hands clutched my chest as I tried to hold myself together.

Elianna called after me. “Clara, wait. We can talk about this.”

I shook my head without looking back. “There is nothing to talk about. You’ve shown me exactly who you are.”

I fled to my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I slid to the floor and pressed my forehead against the wall. The tears came without warning, a river of grief, betrayal, and disbelief. My world was gone. My sister was gone. Ethan was gone. And I was alone.

The hours passed. The party downstairs faded into a distant hum. I did not eat. I did not move. I only cried.

And then my phone buzzed. A message. From an unknown number.

“Clara, you need to see this. It is not what you think about Ethan and Elianna. Meet me tonight at the pier. Alone. Come if you want the truth.”

My hand shook as I read the message. Who was it? What truth could possibly exist that would make this pain less? Could it be a lie? Or worse, another trap?

The night air outside my window was cold and silent. My heart pounded. Every instinct screamed for me to ignore it. To stay safe. But something deep inside whispered that if I did not go, I would never know the full story.

I grabbed my coat, my purse, and my courage. One step. Then another. I left my home, leaving behind the life I thought I had. Leaving behind the person I trusted most.

The streets were quiet, the moonlight reflecting off the calm water of the pier. I walked faster, my heart racing, my mind spinning with anger, fear, and hope. Whoever sent the message claimed to have answers. Answers I desperately needed.

And then I saw a shadow at the end of the pier. A figure waiting. Tall. Still. Unmoving.

I stopped. My breath caught. My heart raced.

Before I could take another step, the figure moved. A glint of metal in the moonlight. A familiar voice called my name.

“Clara… you should not have come here alone.”

My blood ran cold. I froze in place, unsure if I should run or stay. The truth I sought might finally be here… or it might destroy me completely.