Chapter 4 004

Emma's POV

I stood in the grand hall, the golden chandeliers casting a warm glow over the luxurious event. My engagement party. A night that was supposed to be magical. The Sinclair and Carter families had gathered, along with reporters, business associates, and well-wishers, all eager to witness the merging of two powerful empires through my union with Ryan.

I should have been elated. Instead, I was restless.

My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, had been busy greeting guests. My soon-to-be in-laws, Jonathan and Elaine Carter, stood proudly beside Ryan, entertaining investors and smiling for the cameras. Everything was perfect. Yet, something felt... off.

Lena had disappeared from my side a while ago, perhaps she needed a break. Ryan had also excused himself, but where had they gone?

A strange feeling settled in my stomach. I had never been one to doubt, but tonight, my instincts screamed at me.

"Emma, dear," my mother called, waving me over. "Have you seen Ryan? We need both of you for the final toast."

I forced a smile, trying to mask my unease. "I'll find him."

I excused myself and weaved through the hall, nodding politely at guests who stopped to congratulate me. My eyes scanned the room, searching for Ryan's familiar frame. But he was nowhere to be found.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest.

"Where could he be?" I murmured to myself.

One of the waiters passed by, and I stopped him. "Have you seen Ryan?"

The man hesitated before nodding. "I think I saw him heading upstairs, Miss Sinclair."

Upstairs. Away from the party.

My fingers clenched around the fabric of my gown as I made my way toward the private suites. Each step I took felt heavier than the last. The air around me grew colder, as if warning me to turn back. But I couldn't. I needed to find him.

Reaching the hallway, I checked the doors, listening closely. A muffled noise came from one of the rooms at the far end. My heart pounded in my chest as I stepped closer.

A woman's giggle.

The sound sent a chill down my spine. My breath caught as I reached for the doorknob. The door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open just enough to peek inside.

And then, my world shattered.

Ryan. My fiancé. The man who had stood beside me tonight, promising a future together. He was tangled with Lena, my own sister, in the heat of passion.

I felt frozen, my brain struggling to process what my eyes were seeing. The way his hands roamed her body, the way she clung to him-it was intimate, possessive. This wasn't a mistake. This wasn't some drunken slip-up.

It was betrayal in its purest form.

The air felt too thick to breathe. My legs wobbled, and my stomach churned. I wanted to scream, to storm in and tear them apart, but my body refused to move.

Ryan suddenly stilled, as if sensing my presence. He turned, his shirt unbuttoned, his lips curled into something that wasn't even regret. Just indifference.

Lena slowly turned as well, her expression unreadable at first. And then, as if she enjoyed my suffering, a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

My heart pounded painfully. My throat burned. Tears welled up, but I forced them back. Not here. Not in front of them.

For a moment, silence stretched between us. Heavy. Suffocating.

And then, Ryan broke it.

With a slow, mocking smirk, he straightened his clothes and met my gaze. "You were never enough, Emma."

The words slammed into me like a physical blow. My chest tightened. It felt as though the floor had been ripped from under me, and I was free-falling into an endless void.

I looked between them, hoping, begging for some kind of explanation, a crack in their mask. But instead, Ryan scoffed and added, "There was never anything real between us. It was always about the companies. You knew that."

I staggered a step back. My fingers trembled. Was that all it ever was for him? A business deal? An image to maintain?

Lena's voice followed, just as cruel, just as cold. "You had everything, Emma. It's my turn now."

It was like being stabbed over and over, each word sharper than the last. I had shared my dreams with Ryan. My fears. My love. And Lena, my best friend, my adopted sister-I had trusted her with every piece of me.

And yet here they were, tearing me apart without a shred of remorse.

Something inside me snapped. My breath hitched, my hands curled into fists at my sides. I wanted to yell, to lash out, to demand answers but what was the point? Their expressions told me everything I needed to know.

They weren't sorry.

They never had been.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked away. Not because I was weak, but because they weren't worth my tears. Not tonight. Not ever.

The engagement was over.

The love I thought I had? Gone.