Chapter 2

NORA CARUSO It's been four days since Renata called off the wedding, a decision that had caused chaos through our family and I was at the center of the fallout. I sat down in my room feeling terrible about myself, I had never regretted taking a decision in my life as much as I regretted that decision, I suddenly heard a knock on the door and I muttered "Come in," The door opened and Aunt Sofia, my dad's littlest sister stepped inside.  "Nora," she called and I tilted my head to look at her,  "Aunt Sofia, I didn't know you were back." I mustered a fake smile on my face and the look she gave me faltered it.  "I heard you were the one who put these ideas into your Renata's head about Nikolai, not only did the wedding end but you also almost ruined the family's reputation." "I told her what I learned, I was trying to protect her." Aunt Sofia's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Protect her? Or were you jealous? Nora, if you knew something so terrible, you should have come to the family elders and we could have handled it discreetly or you should have kept your mouth shut entirely. To do it like this, at the last minute has dragged the entire family's name through the mud. You've made us a laughingstock." I had nothing to say, what could I say? That I hadn't known the full extent of Nikolai's monstrous dealings until the week before the wedding? It wouldn't matter. In their eyes, I had committed the ultimate sin. "I... I'm sorry," I stammered. "Sorry doesn't fix anything, dear," she said, "You may be a year older than Renata doesn't mean you're behind, I am sure your man will come too. Don't go about destroying things. You don't know how hard it took to reach that point."  Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, I felt a familiar sting behind my eyes tears welling up in my eyes, no matter what I say, no one will believe me.  I lay on the bed with the thought of crying my eyes out when my phone lying on the bedside table, started beeping insistently, a part of me wanted to ignore it but the beeping was relentless. Wiping the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand, I reached for it. I saw a string of messages from a strange number, my finger hovered over the first one, then tapped. A photo loaded and my breath hitched. It was Carlos, my boyfriend, his head tilted back in laughter, his arm slung around a woman I'd never seen before. My heart started beating fast as I scrolled to the next picture. I tapped on it, they were at a bar, his lips pressed against hers, his hand tangled in her hair. Picture after picture flooded my screen. Carlos and the woman were holding hands, feeding her, kissing her neck as she leaned against a wall. I felt my world shattering and felt pain that I never knew existed.  Without too many thoughts, I walked out of my room and took my car, driving to Carlos's apartment hoping it was a photoshop, an AI anything to prove it's not real, anything to prove how much Carlos loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. I used the key he’d given me a year ago and opened the door.  The apartment was dark except for the flickering, colored light of the television in the living room. As I moved closer, my blood ran cold. Carlos was on the couch, his back to me, and beneath him was the same woman I saw in the pictures.  She moaned loudly, her fingers clawed at his back, "Oh, Carlos… God, right there," she panted, her voice filled with pleasure. He moved faster, his hips driving into hers like his life depended on it, "Fuck, you feel so good, baby," he growled, "So fucking perfect." I stood frozen watching the man I loved give himself to someone else. I could see the sweat glistening on his shoulders, the way his knuckles were white where he gripped the couch. I saw the look of pure ecstasy on her face as she threw her head back. "Don't stop," she begged, "Please, I'm so close…" "Carlos?" My voice choked and his head snapped up. His eyes widened, first in surprise, then, impossibly, in annoyance his dick sliding out of the lady’s wet pussy. "Nora? What are you doing here?" Instead of feeling guilty, Carlos looked angry, his brows furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" He quickly grabbed his boxer while the lady covered her body with her discarded cloth. The sheer audacity of his question sent a wave of nausea through me. "Why didn't I tell you?" I repeated, "You gave me a key, Carlos! I'm your girlfriend! What... what is going on?" My gaze flickered to the woman, who was now sitting up, clutching the blanket to her chin as if I were the intruder. "Look, Nora..." he started but I cut him short. "Have you been cheating on me?" I demanded, the words tearing from my throat. He scoffed. "You can't cheat on someone if you never really regarded them as your girlfriend." "What?" I felt dizzy instantly. "I'm tired, Nora," he said running a hand through his hair, "I'm tired of this, of you. I wasn't sure how to end it and honestly, now that it's gotten to this, it's for the best. You should just leave." "You... you didn't... consider me your girlfriend?" I whispered, the words getting stuck in my throat. "You're just... too naive, too innocent. It ticks me a lot, you know? This whole damsel-in-distress, wide-eyed thing you do. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore." I was beyond shocked, beyond heartbroken. I was hollowed out, and the woman on the couch watched the exchange with a smug little smile. I felt betrayed, humiliated, and utterly devastatingly alone. I said nothing, there was nothing left to say. My throat was closed, my eyes were burning, but I refused to cry in front of him. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction, I simply lowered my phone, turned on my heel, and walked out the door, closing it softly behind me. I made it back to my car, the moment I was inside, the doors locked, a sob ripped from my chest. I wrapped my hands around the steering wheel, my forehead resting against them, and I wept. He was the only man I knew, the only one I had ever truly loved. Three years of my life, of my heart, of my trust were all a lie. He didn't even consider me his girlfriend, I cried until my throat was raw and my head pounded, trying to understand where I got it all wrong, how I could have been so blind. My phone started ringing, the screen read 'Unknown Number.' I almost ignored it but I swiped to answer. I placed the phone to my ear, too exhausted to even say hello. A menacing chuckle filled my ear, "Nora," a man's voice purred, "Tell me. How does it feel? For your perfect little relationship, the one you thought was going so well, to suddenly... end?" "Who... who is this?" I rasped. "Are you the person who sent me those pictures?" "Yes," he said, "I sent you those pictures. I thought your pathetic boyfriend needed a little push to finally be honest with you. A public service, really." "Nikolai?" I whispered his name, and it felt like a curse on my tongue. "Ah, she remembers me," he laughed again, "Of course you do. You ruined my relationship with Renata. Did you really think I would let that go? An eye for an eye, little bird. I didn't hesitate to ruin yours." "I didn't ruin anything!" I spat into the phone, my voice trembling with rage. "Your life, your secrets! That's what ruined it! You think I would let my sister, someone so soft and good, marry a monster like you? A mafia lord who treats people like pawns in his sick games?" "You have a fire in you I didn't expect, Nora," Nikolai said, his voice dropping. "It's a shame I'm going to have to stamp it out. You think this is the end? Your little heartbreak? Oh, no. This was just the beginning. This was the appetizer, I'm going to enjoy the main course." "What are you talking about?" I shuddered. "Watch out, Nora," he whispered, "Things are about to slowly go bad in your life, very bad. And everywhere you turn, everything that falls apart, you will feel me there, you won't be able to escape from me." The line went dead.