Chapter 2 Snakes

Chapter 2

Selene's POV

The cab was still there, engine humming low like it could sense the storm inside me.

I slipped into the backseat without a word, my hand shaking as I pulled the door shut. The driver glanced at me in the mirror, but whatever he saw on my face made him turn back around without a question. Maybe he knew. Maybe he didn't care.

The silence swallowed me whole.

I didn't move. I couldn't. I just sat there, takeout bag crumpled beside me, that stupid jewelry bag still clenched in my hand like I'd forgotten how to let go.

My breath fogged up the window, but the cold inside me went deeper than anything outside. It was in my bones. In my blood. In my damn soul.

Marla.

Alaric.

My mate. My wedding. My best friend.

The words repeated in my head like a cruel chant.

What kind of universe plays jokes like this?

We were a week away from the altar. A week from vows. Promises. Forever.

And she-she-was the one he chose?

I pressed my forehead to the window, the glass icy against my skin. My chest ached. No, it burned. And still, I couldn't cry. Not yet. Not here. The tears clung to the edges of my eyes, hot and stubborn, but they didn't fall.

Because my mind kept looping back to her voice.

"Let me give you what she can't."

Her laugh.

His moan.

The way he said her name.

Marla.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood.

He was supposed to be mine. We had the bond. The mark. The connection. I felt it every time he touched me, every time he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.

Was it all a lie?

Was I the only one who believed?

Why Marla?

Because I refuse to sleep with him yet?

I didn't remember the ride home. One minute the streetlights blurred past like ghosts, and the next, the cab was slowing in front of my building. A quiet place on the east side. Nothing fancy. Nothing loud. Just...mine.

I handed the driver cash with trembling fingers and got out without a word.

The stairs felt longer than usual. My legs shook with each step, like the betrayal had settled into my joints. When I reached my door, I dropped my key twice before finally getting it into the lock.

The apartment greeted me with stillness. One room. Kitchen on the left, bed on the right and a bathroom. It wasn't much, but it was my little world. My safe place.

Tonight, it felt cold. Foreign. Like it didn't know me anymore.

I dropped everything-food, bag, coat-right there on the floor and collapsed onto my bed like the gravity had finally won.

And then...

I shattered.

The sob ripped out of me before I could stop it.

Raw. Ugly. Loud.

Tears spilled like they'd been waiting all along, flooding down my face as I curled into myself and cried for everything I'd lost. For the love I thought I had. For the friendship I thought was real. For the part of me that still hoped it was a bad dream.

But it wasn't.

They were real.

The sounds.

The betrayal.

His voice saying her name.

I cried until my throat was raw. Until my fists were tangled in the blanket. Until my whole body ached with it.

And when the sobs finally faded, I lay there in the quiet, my cheeks wet, my soul hollow.

The moonlight spilled in through the window, painting the room silver.

I stared up at it with swollen eyes and whispered to no one,

"Why wasn't I enough?"

Sleep took me slowly, not like a relief-but like surrender.

And the last thought I had before I drifted into that cold, dreamless dark was this:

I will never be the same again.

Yessss-this is so juicy and emotionally layered! We're keeping Selene strong on the outside, but inside she's breaking. That silent kind of rage and sadness that simmers under a fake smile. Let's dive in.

Hours Later

The morning sun crept in through the slits of my window, golden and loud-like the world didn't just end for me a few hours ago.

I peeled my eyes open, and for a moment, I forgot. Just a second. Until the memory hit me like a wave slamming into the shore.

Him.

Her.

Together.

My mate. My best friend.

A bitter taste burned in the back of my throat.

I dragged myself out of bed, brushing my teeth on autopilot. The mirror stared back at me like it didn't recognize the girl with the puffy eyes and cracked smile. But I pushed through. Because if I didn't, I'd crumble again. And I didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

I moved to the tiny kitchen, deciding to fry some eggs and maybe toast bread-anything to distract myself from the screaming silence in the room.

Until I heard it.

A knock at the door.

I froze.

Not now. Please, not now.

But the knock came again-louder this time.

I wiped my hands on my shorts and walked slowly to the door, my heartbeat picking up speed, like it already knew who it was.

And of course-

It was her.

Marla.

Looking all bright and glowy, like she just won the freaking lottery.

I stood there, staring at her like a ghost, every cell in my body screaming to grab her by the collar and throw her against the wall. Or better yet, slam her face into the pan of hot oil sitting on my stove.

But I didn't move.

I smiled.

"Hey," I said, voice sweet enough to rot teeth.

Marla grinned like she didn't just shatter my heart last night and stepped in, throwing her arms around me in a hug I didn't ask for.

I hugged her back-lightly, briefly-before pulling away.

"Why are you so happy this early?" I asked, raising a brow as I turned back toward the kitchen.

She let out a soft giggle, the kind that used to sound like music but now grated against my soul.

"Have you not heard?" she asked, trailing behind me. "Alaric's mom is throwing her birthday party tomorrow! Everyone's gonna be there. And of course, you're invited."

"You as his bride to be, you have to be there." She added while I stared at her with disgust.

Of course.

I nodded slowly, stirring the eggs like they were the only thing keeping me from exploding.

"Mmm," I hummed. "What else?"

Marla's eyes lit up as she grabbed a pack of cheese from the table and popped one into her mouth like she owned the place.

"Oh!" she said with her mouth half-full, "Do you remember Alaric's uncle? That hot one everyone says is gay? The cold, arrogant one?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah?"

"Well, guess what?" she said with a grin. "He's back in town. Just in time for the party."

I turned back to my eggs, unimpressed. "Good for him."

She laughed. "You're so dry sometimes, Selene."

"Mm-hmm," I mumbled, flipping a slice of bread into the pan.

And then she saw it-the jewelry bag sitting at the edge of the table, still untouched since last night.

"Oooh, when did you get this?" she asked, picking it up.

I looked over my shoulder, forcing the sweetest smile I could fake.

"Yesterday."

She nodded slowly, fingers trailing over the box like she didn't recognize it.

Of course she didn't.

Because I was the only one living in the ruins of last night.

"So where were you yesterday anyway?" I asked, sliding the eggs onto a plate. "I called. Texted. Nothing."

Marla blinked. "Oh... um... I had this really bad migraine," she said, rubbing her temple dramatically. "I just needed to lie down. My phone was on silent."

Click.

Right.

A migraine.

What a bitch.

But I smiled again. "Aww. Well, I hope you're feeling better now."

She nodded. "Totally. I'm actually heading out now-to get a dress for the party tomorrow."

"Of course," I said softly, turning back to my pan. "Wouldn't want to miss the event of the year."

She gave me a wink. "Exactly! Anyway, I'll see you there!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned and strutted out, slamming the door shut behind her like she hadn't just walked into my home dripping in betrayal.

I stood there, plate in hand, the smell of burnt toast filling the room.

My stomach twisted.

Not with hunger.

With rage.

With grief.

And still-I said nothing.

Because if I started screaming, I might never stop.