hapter 152 

I was curled up in my bed, broken and silent, my entire body weighed down by the unbearable ache in my chest. The pillow beneath my head was soaked, drenched in the tears I’d cried for a love that now felt hopelessly lost. 

I had already given up on the idea of us–me and Kaiden. There was no us anymore. Just a headline, a public announcement, and the brutal silence that followed. 

“What was that, Kaiden?” I heard my mom yelling, her voice penetrating through the thick walls. “Are you breaking up with my daughter? After everything you both have gone through? Are you going to break her heart like that?” 

I sat up in bed, startled, my breath caught in my throat. 

For a second, I hesitated–then I swung my legs off the bed and rose to my feet. My body moved before my mind could catch up, carrying me down the stairs like something was pulling me toward the noise. 

But the moment I reached the bottom step, I froze. 

Kaiden and Dan stood in the living room, as if they were cops sent to deliver a warrant–for the arrest of my happiness. 

Kaiden began, his tone low, pleading. “It’s not like that, Sele-” But then his eyes met mine and his words died in his throat, his expression flickering- regret, guilt, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. 

“Then what is it like?” my mother demanded, her voice rising in fury as she stepped forward, arms crossed like a shield in front of me. 

“Selena, Selena,” Dan said softly, gently placing his hands on Mom’s arms in an attempt to calm her rising fury. “It’s absolutely not how you think.” 

“It’s just a-” 

“Introvert.” 

Kaiden’s whisper cut through Dan’s sentence like a blade. 

My heart clenched at the sound of that nickname. I used to love the way it rolled off his tongue–warm, teasing, tender. But now? Now it felt like a memory I didn’t want to revisit. 

Tears filled my eyes again, brimming with the ache of betrayal. How could you? 

I didn’t say the words aloud–but my silence screamed them. 

“Lucy…” he stepped closer, slowly, like he was approaching a wild animal on the verge of fleeing. He reached out and took my hand–his grip gentle, grounding. 

“It’s not what you think,” he said, eyes locked on mine. “It’s just a publicity stunt. Something to stop the rumors about us from hurting Dad’s campaign.” 

His words hung in the air like smoke–visible, real, but impossible to grasp. 

My voice trembled as it escaped me, almost a whisper. “But… why Rubina?” 

Of all people. 

Why her? 

“Because she sounds more convincing,” Dan answered before Kaiden could speak, stepping forward to stand beside his son. His voice was calos, logical -completely detached from the emotional wreckage unraveling inside me. 

“They’ve known each other since childhood,” he continued, like this was some sort of boardroom pitch. “They even dated once, so their context, real to the media. And we needed a story like that—believable–so the other reporters wouldn’t dig any deeper into… you know. His h 

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gesture in the air, as if our entire mess of a relationship could be brushed off like dust on his sleeve. “Besides, I think she’s perfect for the role. She’s a friend to both of you. She would never try to come between you. She’s trustworthy, dear.” 

Trustworthy. 

That word. That one word cracked something inside me. 

I turned to Kaiden, disappointment shadowing every inch of my expression. “Trustworthy?” I repeated, my voice hollow. 

Then I looked at Dan, locking eyes with him. 

“Kaiden didn’t tell you about what she did?” I asked quietly–but every syllable cut like glass. 

“Sh–she… what? What did she do?” Dan asked, his brows furrowing in sudden concern. 

“Oh,” I said, nodding slowly, bitterly. “So he really didn’t tell you.” 

“Tell me what?” Dan’s voice sharpened, his gaze flicking between me and Kaiden. 

“Lucy,” Kaiden interjected quickly, his voice low as he gave a subtle shake of his head–silently pleading with me not to say it. Not here. Not now. 

But Dan had already caught on. His expression darkened, the calm political mask he always wore beginning to crack. 

“What did she do, Lucy?” he asked again, this time more firmly. 

23 

I clenched my jaw, an internal war raging inside me. Should I say it? Should I protect Kaiden’s need for control or Rubina’s polished image? Should I stay silent and pretend nothing ever happened? 

“What did she do?” Dan suddenly barked, louder this time–his voice thundering across the room. 

I flinched. 

“It’s just a misunderstanding, Dad,” Kaiden said quickly, his tone defensive. Protective. Of her. 

And that was it. 

That moment. That one sentence. 

Watching him still defend her… still trust her like she was made of gold, it snapped something deep and ugly in me. 

“She’s the one who posted the article about us,” I said, the words cutting through the tension like a blade. “She exposed us to the world.” 

I inhaled sharply, my chest rising with a bitter mix of rage and jealousy. 

And finally… I exhaled, letting go of the secret I was never meant to keep. 

“This is not true,” Kaiden said, his voice firm–but not loud. 

I snapped my head toward him, eyes blazing. “So you’re implying that I’m lying?” I spat, every word laced with betrayal. “Is she now so important to you that you’ll label my truth as a lie?” 

“Lucy…” He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “I… I didn’t mean it that way.” 

“Then in which way did you mean it, Kaiden?” 

It wasn’t me who asked this time. 

It was Mom. 

Her voice was sharp, cold, and unflinching as she stepped forward, positioning herself beside me like a shield I didn’t know I needed. 

“You have the proof against Rubina. You were the one who ordered the investigation. You were the one who saw it. And still, here you are, implying she’s innocent?” Her tone trembled–not with fear, but fury. “Why, Kaiden? Just give us one good reason to trust her.” 

“Because I know her,” Kaiden said quietly, his eyes steady as he looked at me. “I’ve known her since we were kids. She’s not that kind of girl. She would never do something like that. I can bet my integrity on it.” 

I shook my head slowly, the sting of disbelief sharp in my voice. “People change, Kaiden.” 

He didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, but I know Rubina’s integrity hasn’t. She’s not that kind of girl.” 

The way he stood for her, defended her without question, made my heart tighten painfully. It was like a fist squeezing my chest–reminding me of the distance growing between us, and the widening cracks in his trust. 

“Really? I don’t think so,” Mom said sharply, her tone cutting through the tense silence like a blade. She raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing as she fixed Kaiden with a pointed look. 

“Her dad embezzled the company’s money, didn’t he?” 

Her words hung in the air, heavy and accusing. 

“If a father can be a backstabber,” she continued, voice low but relentless, “then why can’t the daughter be the same?” 

She leaned in slightly, emphasizing her point. 

“You and your dad insulted her father plenty. And like Lucy said, that post wasn’t just aimed at Dan–it was targeted at both of you. Maybe she did it to take revenge for her father.” 

Mom’s voice softened a fraction, but the accusation remained clear. 

“Yeah, I know you broke up with her and, in a way, saved her from the mental torture of thinking her father was a cr and you two became friends again. But what if her father brainwashed her to save his face and now she even hates you more? She has a motive, Kaiden. Then Lucy revealed the truth, 

Real motive.” 

Kaiden’s eyes darkened, a mix of disappointment and hurt flickering across his face as he stared at me. The betrayal in his gaze cut deeper than any words. 

“You told my breakup story to your mom?” he asked, voice low buy sharp, trembling with disbelief. 

I couldn’t meet his eyes. I lowered my gaze, feeling the weight of his judgment settle heavily on my shoulders. The sting of his hurt was almost physical, a cold ache that spread through my chest. 

Swallowing hard, I whispered, “Yes, I did.” 

“Great!” Kaiden snapped, biting down on his lower lip as if to hold back a storm. He nodded vigorously, pacing back and forth like a caged animal, the tension radiating off him in waves. “Great.” 

His hands rubbed over his face, fingers digging in as if trying to scrub away the anger boiling beneath his skin. 

“Fuck it!” he cursed under his breath, then turned to face me, eyes blazing. “You wanna know why I trust Rubina? Because of this–this tight here. What you just did. Not once, but twice. Revealing my secrets like you don’t give a damn about what’s private. That’s something Rubina has never done. 

He stepped closer, voice dropping to a fierce whisper. 

“She is trustworthy, Lucy. She always has been. She respects her boundaries and everyone else’s too 

“Kaiden, hey,” Mom said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. “It’s just a lame breakup stoty. Why are your in such a big deal out of it?” 

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Kaiden shrugged her hand off with a sharp flick and didn’t even glance her way. 

“I trusted you, Lucy,” he shouted, his finger jabbing at me like a weapon. “But you broke that trust–again.” 

The words hit me harder than expected. My breath caught, and before I could stop it, tears began to spill from my eyes. 

I thought after soaking my pillow with my cries earlier, there would be nothing left–no tears to fall. 

But I was wrong. 

They streamed down my cheeks like a relentless river, hot and heavy, washing over the cracks in my heart. 

To be continued…