Chapter 8 008

Emma's Pov

I didn't even realize how far I'd wandered until the noise of the city started to fade. My feet ached. My makeup had smudged from dried tears, but I didn't care. I needed to breathe. Or cry. Or scream. Or just disappear.

That's when I saw it.

Nocturne.

A black building tucked away like a secret. There were no neon signs or long lines of people waiting to enter. Just an elegant black door with silver trims, and a soft light that flickered above like it was whispering my name.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

I stepped closer, heart pounding. The air around Nocturne felt different. Cold, yet inviting. I couldn't tell if I was being foolish, but something in me said... go in.

There was no one at the door. No bouncer. No sign of life.

I reached out, fingers trembling, and turned the handle.

To my surprise, it opened.

Soft jazz music spilled out, low and smoky, unlike anything outside. The inside was dimly lit with chandeliers hanging like ghosts from the ceiling. Velvet booths, golden mirrors, and people dressed in black filled the space. Not rowdy. Not loud. Just... opulent and secretive.

Nobody noticed me walk in.

Or maybe they did, but pretended not to.

I clutched my chest , the ache almost unbearable and walked further inside, my heels muffled by the plush carpet. The weight of everything-Ryan's betrayal, Lena's smug smile, my parents' disowning me-suddenly pressed harder.

I needed a drink.

Something to burn away the ache in my throat.

Something to help me

I didn't know what made me step into Nocturne.

Maybe it was the way the dark entrance seemed to call to me like it knew I had nowhere else to go. Or maybe it was because my legs had simply given up, tired of carrying the weight of heartbreak and betrayal.

Inside, the air was cooler. Smoother. Dim lights and velvet curtains swallowed me up like a hug I didn't know I needed.

I found a corner booth-away from everyone. I sat down slowly, afraid that if I moved too fast, the pain inside me might shatter me completely.

And then...

I remembered.

Everything.

Lena. Ryan. My family.

The memories came flooding in like a dam had broken open inside my chest.

I remembered Lena's laughter, how it used to fill up the rooms of our house. The way she would throw a pillow at me after lights out and whisper secrets until we both fell asleep. She wasn't just my adopted sister-she had become a part of me. My person. The one who stood by me when the world felt too heavy.

She used to braid my hair in the mornings before school.

She used to say, "Em, no matter what, I've got you."

And I believed her.

God, I believed her.

I let out a shaky breath and reached for a napkin from the table, pretending like I was wiping sweat off my face-but really, I was trying to dry the tears that kept slipping past my lashes.

Ryan.

I remembered the warmth in his eyes when we first kissed under the Christmas lights in our backyard. I remembered how he used to hold my hand like it was the most precious thing he'd ever touched. How he said "Forever looks good on you, Emma."

I clung to every word. To every lie.

Because that's what they were now-lies.

All of it.

And then I thought about that day at the boutique.

The day we went shopping for my engagement dress.

It was supposed to be special.

Just the two of us.

We had walked into the store holding hands, and I had felt like the luckiest girl alive. I tried on gown after gown, watching his reaction in the mirror. Every time he smiled, I wanted to cry-because I thought I was seeing my future.

But then...

I had stepped into the changing room again, trying on the last dress. The one that made me feel like I was floating. I couldn't wait to show him. Even with his overbearing attitude, his constant standard to make me yield to all he says, I SAID I would bear it.

I peeked out the curtain.

He wasn't there.

I waited for a bit and then tiptoed out.

I found him by the window, phone to his ear, whispering.

His back was to me.

But I still heard it.

"Lena, you still need to keep quiet, it's our secret for now"

I froze.

Lena?

Was he-

No. No, I told myself. They must be planning something. A surprise? Maybe a dinner or some family thing for after the engagement?

I forced a smile back on my face and walked up to him like I'd heard nothing.

I didn't want to seem crazy. Or paranoid.

But now...

Now I know.

They had been betraying me long before I even wore that gown. And I was too blinded by love and loyalty to see the truth staring at me in the face.

The club seemed to dim further around me.

The music felt like a dull thud in my ears.

And I cried.

Right there in the booth, in a place full of strangers, under golden lights and crystal chandeliers.

I cried like a girl who had lost everything.

Because I had.

My parents. My sister. My fiancé. My future.

I clutched my chest, the ache almost unbearable. My nails dug into my palms, trying to stop myself from screaming.

How did everything go so wrong?

How did I become the outsider in my own story?

My eyes blurred again, and I blinked through tears, reaching for my glass. I didn't know what was in it-I didn't even remember ordering anything but it burned going down, and I welcomed it.

I didn't care what it did to me.

Let it numb me.

Let it silence the echo of Ryan's voice and Lena's betrayal.

Let it take away the pain of my parents choosing her over me like I was never good enough.

I closed my eyes, letting the memories fade into the music.