Chapter 1 BETRAYED BY LOVE

* "How could you, Derek?" * As I gripped the envelope tightly and the incriminating photos spilled onto the dining table between us, my voice faltered. I could taste the poison of his name on my mouth.

Derek's face furrowed in pretend bewilderment as he glanced up from his phone. He dared to pretend that he had no idea what this was about.

"Tracy, what is this?" His voice was too informal. I pushed my hand down, locking it under my palm as he went for one of the pictures. When I touched the glossy print, it wrinkled.

"Don't act foolish," I growled. I was certain that he could hear my heart beating so loudly. "Describe these."

It was deafeningly quiet between us. Leaning on the chair as if he had nothing to conceal, he drew his hand back. The type of half-smile that used to enchant me twisted his lips. All it did now was make my stomach turn.

"I'm not sure what you believe you saw-"

"What I *believe* I saw" My giggle cut through the tension like a knife. I didn't see you with her, then? Derek, at the hotel? Due to the fact that this- I poked fun at the photos, one of him with his arm wrapped around an unfamiliar lady, another of them together, their lips mashed together-"this doesn't lie!"

At last, he stood taller than me. Something colder replaced his laid-back manner. Didn't you go through my belongings? How did you get these?

My throat constricted as I took a step back. "That's your justification? Just accusing me-not denying, not regretting?

"Tracy, you're acting paranoid." His voice was measured and calm now as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. She is merely a friend. I've been assisting someone with their business.

"Business?" I hated it when my voice faltered. He had shaken me so much that I didn't want him to see it. "You call that skulking around behind my back? Giving her a kiss?

Derek let out a sigh and squeezed the bridge of his nose as if *I* were the issue. "You're exaggerating the situation."

I gazed at him, trying to see any sign of the guy I had fallen for. The guy who made me a lifelong pledge. However, all I saw was a stranger posing like Derek-someone I didn't know.

"Why?" My voice was a whisper now, barely audible. "Why would you do this to me? To us?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he moved to the window, pulling the curtain aside and looking out as if the answers were written in the city skyline. "You don't understand, Tracy. Things between us...they've changed."

"Changed?" The word seemed strange in my tongue. "How? Derek, our wedding was scheduled for three months from now. We were planning. A future.

His eyes were chilly when he turned to me. "Maybe that's the problem. You're constantly planning, always thinking about the future. You never pause to think about the present. About me."

The oxygen fled my lungs as his words impacted me like a slap to the belly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You're blaming me? For your infidelity?

His expression was unreadable as he shrugged. "I'm just stating that things are more complicated than they seem. Relationships are difficult.

My nails dug into my palms as I clenched my fists. Derek, you don't get to change the story. You told a lie. I was betrayed by you. It's cruel; it's not complicated.

The space felt cramped and claustrophobic. Even though I wanted to lash out, cry, and scream, I refused to give him the satisfaction. Rather, I squared my shoulders and made myself stand erect despite my broken heart.

"This is finished." Now my voice was firmer, more steady. "We're done."

For a second, I thought I saw a spark of remorse in his eyes, but it was gone as fast as it emerged. "You're being dramatic, Tracy. We can work through this."

"No." I shook my head, retreating toward the door. "You made your choice, Derek. Now I'm building mine."

I grabbed my bag, my fingers quivering as I opened the door. His voice halted me before I could walk out.

"You'll regret this."

I turned back, meeting his stare with a stubbornness I didn't know I possessed. "The only thing I regret is wasting my time on you."

I slammed the door behind me, the sound echoing down the hallway. My legs carried me to the elevator, though I felt like I was walking on air, unsteady and weightless.

As the elevator doors closed, I leaned against the wall, my chest heaving. My vision became blurry as the tears I had been holding back finally came out. I brushed them away angrily, hating myself for sobbing over someone who didn't deserve it.

The cool evening air hit my face like a wake-up call as I stepped outside the lobby. With the city lights fading through my tears, I tightened my coat around myself.

In my pocket, my phone buzzed. I paused before taking it out, half-expecting Derek to make another weak excuse. It was a message from an unidentified number instead.

**"Come see me at Pine and 11th. Derek needs to be discussed.**

As I gazed at the television, my thoughts racing, my breath caught. Who might this be? And what did they know about Derek?

I looked at the time-9:45 PM. The corner of 11th and Pine wasn't far, just a ten-minute walk. My gut told me to disregard the message, to go home, and to bury my problems with lousy TV and ice cream. But a persistent voice whispered that I needed to know, and curiosity gnawed at me.

I put my phone back in my pocket and began to walk, each step becoming more difficult. The city's normal hum appeared muffled today, the lamps producing long shadows that danced with every gust of wind.

When I approached the crossroads, I examined the surroundings. It was quiet, too quiet. A lone street lamp flickered above me, its light creating an eerie glow on the pavement.

"Tracy."

The voice made me jump. I swung around, my pulse thumping, to discover a lady standing in the shadows. She moved into the light, her face half hidden by a scarf.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice stronger than I felt.

She drew the scarf down to reveal a somewhat familiar face. The woman in the pictures was the one. Derek's "business associate."

"I apologize," she said in a shaky voice. "You are entitled to the truth."

"What is the truth?" With my hands balled into fists, I demanded.

A car screamed to a stop close by, its headlights piercing the night before she could respond. The woman's eyes grew wide with fear.

"They're observing us," she said. "I shouldn't have shown up."

"Who is observing?" She was already pulling away as I pushed.

"Tracy, use caution. You don't know how dangerous you are.

And with that, she retreated into the darkness, leaving me alone beneath the flickering street lamp, her words resonating in my thoughts.