Kendrick’s words wouldn’t leave my head. "Keep your eyes on your boyfriend." He didn’t say it casually, not even like a warning meant to protect me. He said it like a blade, sharp and deliberate, meant to cut. His tone and the way his eyes lingered on me before he turned away, it was as if he knew something I didn’t. And that thought was eating me alive. I sat on the edge of my bed, but kept fidgeting restlessly. My fingers dug into my thighs while my legs were bouncing and my stomach was in knots. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mark’s face and every time I opened them, I heard Kendrick’s voice again. "Keep your eyes on your boyfriend". Why did it feel like poison slipping into my veins? I wanted to ignore it and shove it aside, but my body wouldn’t let me. I felt like I was suffocating, like the walls of the house were pressing in on me, trapping me in a cage of doubt. Then I heard my mother’s voice. Her sobs carried through the halls were muffled but sharp enough to twist my heart. My mother who always kept her chin up, who always held our family together no matter what storm hit us. Now she was crumbling, and I didn’t know how to fix it. She has always been strong since I could remember, so seeing her in such a miserable state was extremely heartbreaking. I found her on the sofa, her face buried in her hands, her body shaking with grief. Tears streaked down her cheeks as if they would never end. She looked like a lshadow of the woman I knew. "Mom..." My voice cracked as I sat beside her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "It’s okay, We will get through this."I said with a comforting voice. "No, Raina," she whispered through broken sobs. "Nothing is okay anymore and nothing will ever be okay. Your father... your father destroyed everything. And now—" Her words fell into silence, her body trembling harder. As soon as she mentioned my father, Celeste also came to my mind. I can’t believe I trusted and brought that bitch into our house and now she wants to take my mother’s position and become my stepmother. I held my mother and gently stroked her hair while whispering the kind of empty reassurances that felt hollow even as they left my lips. I wanted to mean them and I also wanted to believe them but while I comforted her, my mind was miles away. Because no matter how much I tried to focus on her pain, Kendrick’s words still clawed at me and Mark’s face still burned in my mind. When my mother finally stopped shaking and her sobs slowed into sniffles, I kissed her forehead and told her to rest. But my heart wasn’t still and neither were my thoughts. I couldn’t take it anymore. So I helped my mother to her room before quickly taking my jacket and rushing out of the house. The night air hit me like ice, it was extremely cold but I didn’t slow down. My legs carried me forward, faster and faster, almost running through the streets. My heartbeat echoed in my ears and my breath came out in uneven gasps. By the time I reached Mark’s building, my stomach was a mess of knots, as I struggled to breathe in the cold air. Then I suddenly froze when his front door opened and two men walked out of his apartment. At first I barely noticed them, but when the light from the hallway hit their faces, the world tilted beneath me. My blood went cold and my breath stuck in my throat. Those faces. I could never forget. The same two men who had cornered me on that night. The night Mark saved me. My body moved on instinct. I ducked behind a pillar, pressing my back against the wall, praying they wouldn’t see me. My heart pounded so loud I thought it would give me away. But they didn’t notice me as they walked out casually, laughing and talking like old friends leaving a buddy’s place. I couldn’t process it or my mind refused to process it. No...No, this doesn’t make sense. It can’t make sense.. The memory of that particular night slammed into me with brutal force. That night, their hands on me, their disgusting laughter, the fear choking me and then Mark, swooping in like a hero. His fists flying, his voice commanding and his arms pulling me close like I was something precious. I had thought it was fate. I had thought he was sent to me at that moment and that he was my protector or savior. But if those men were walking out of his apartment now, then what did that make that night? My stomach lurched and I clutched the wall to keep me from collapsing. Mark wouldn’t do that to me, he said he loves me! I kept yelling that he loves me, just to stop my mind from thinking about it but the truth was right in front of me and I could not deny it anymore. This question clawed at my heart. Was the night I thought I found love just a game? Did he arrange everything, orchestrate my fear, so he could swoop in like a hero and steal my heart? Tears stung my eyes as the memories kept coming. Kendrick had called him a snake and had demanded to fire Mark I ignored them all and defended Mark like a fool, blinded by the way he made me feel. I remembered Mark’s words, etched into my brain. Chapters fırst released on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Christy has been trying to seduce me for years, Raina. I never touched her and she just hates me because I rejected her. She’ll do anything to ruin me, so don’t believe her lies." he had said to me when I saw Christy being rude to him. I looked into his eyes, saw the false sincerity and I believed every word he said. But what if it was all lies? What if he used my hatred for Christy to twist me around his finger? My stomach churned as another realization hit me. All those times he asked for my help. I paid his rent bills and he always has some kind of emergencies that require urgent money. He always has an excuse and always spoke to me with desperation in his voice. I gave without asking any questions, thinking I was helping him. Thinking that’s what love meant. But what if I was just his cash cow? What if that’s all I ever was to him? I felt suffocated as I remembered that he had never allowed me to sleep over at his apartment. He gave me an excuse that he wanted us to remain pure until we get married and I foolishly believed him, I even boasted to Celeste about it. She must have mocked me severally but always gave me a fake supportive smile. My chest burned with betrayal, tears slipping down my cheeks before I even noticed. I should have run back home because I might encounter something dangerous if he found out that I had figured everything out but I couldn’t. Something stronger than me dragged me forward. The anger in me was beyond my control as I marched towards the front door. The door wasn’t even locked and my hand shook as I turned the handle before pushing it open. It was Silent at first. Then I heard the sound that fueled my anger. Low at first then it got louder. Followed by Mark’s loud dirty talking. My chest constricted as I stepped inside. Clothes were scattered everywhere. There was a shirt tossed carelessly on the floor and abra hanging from the arm of the couch and also shoes. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I forced them forward, each step heavier than the last. The sounds grew clearer. The moans were louder and mixed with gasps and dirty talks. When I reached the bedroom doorway, my world shattered. The man I thought was my savior, I defended against everyone and gave my heart to. On top of another woman Stark naked. Their bodies tangled as they were moving, totally lost in lust. They didn’t even see me. Didn’t even notice me standing there, my heart broke and my soul collapsed. My chest squeezed so tight I thought I might die. Every memory, every moment and every sacrifice... it all turned to dust in that single second. My tears blurred my vision, but through the haze, I saw a vase on the dresser. My hand moved before my mind caught up. I grabbed it, my fingers gripping it so tight that my knuckles turned white. My heart roared with fury, betrayal, and heartbreak. My entire body trembled as I lifted it high, every nerve screaming for me to smash his head. And I was ready to bring it crashing down on the head of the man who destroyed me.