Chapter 2 The Ultimate Humiliation

Isla stood outside Vanessa's apartment, her hand trembling as it hovered over the doorbell.

The sight of the familiar building-a place she had once called her second home-threatened to bring tears to her eyes.

But she swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to press the button.

She needed answers. She needed to hear it from Vanessa herself.

The door swung open, and Mrs. Reed, Vanessa's mother, greeted her with a warm smile. "Isla, dear! What a surprise. Come in, come in! You should join the celebration."

The words were cheerful, but to Isla, they felt like a slap.

Celebration? Was this woman so oblivious to the pain her daughter had caused? Or was she simply choosing to ignore it?

A sudden, bitter laugh bubbled up in her throat while Mrs. Reed regarded her with quiet amusement.

Vanessa's eyes met Isla's, and for a moment, there was silence.

Then Vanessa sighed, setting her cup down and crossing her arms. "Took you long enough."

Isla's fists clenched at her sides. "You owe me an explanation, Vanessa. How could you do this to me? How could you betray me like this?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes, her expression one of casual indifference. "Oh, please, Isla. It's been over a month. You need to move on. Nate never loved you-not the way he loves me."

Isla scoffed, more out of disbelief than anything else.

Was this even her friend talking or a double? What the hell happened to Vanessa?

She was searching the expression looking for a hint of the friend she had once known for years. There was nothing. It was like staring at a stranger with her best friend's face.

She took a step closer, finding her voice again with great difficulty.

"Since when?" she demanded.

"Tell me, was it before or after I helped you get a job in his company? Was it before I regarded you my best friend?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes as if to say give me a break.

"What does it even matter? It's all in the past."

The casual dismissal made Isla's blood boil. "What does it matter? You ruined my life, Vanessa! You took everything from me!"

But nothing could have prepared her for what Vanessa had to say next, as her lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, Isla. You're so dramatic. But if you really want to know..." She paused, her eyes glinting with malice. "Nate and I are expecting a baby."

The words came like a knee to the belly.

Isla froze. Her breath stopped. Her vision blurred.

Expecting... a baby? Her head was spinning.

Nate had never once hinted at wanting children that badly. He had never looked desperate, never complained. And yet, here he was, in the blink of an eye, getting her best friend pregnant, of all women in the world.

Her ears were ringing, and her heart was pounding violently against her ribs.

Soon she noticed Vanessa, now beginning to step forward, thrusting something into her hands.

Isla looked down at her hand, it was a wedding invitation, her hands trembling. The elegant script on the front seemed to taunt her.

"You should come."

Vanessa teased smoothly, her voice laced with raw mockery.

"It'll be fun."

She felt something inside her shatter. This wasn't just betrayal. This was the ultimate humiliation.

~~~

The wedding between Nate and Vanessa happened on a Saturday morning at St. Augustine's Church.

At the farthest corner of the church, Isla was sitting in silence. Dressed in all black, she was nearly invisible among the sea of pastel dresses and tailored suits. A thick scarf was wrapped around her lower face, while a pair of black oversized sunglasses concealed the evidence of her sleepless nights and swollen eyes.

At the altar, Nate and Vanessa stood side by side, the perfect couple in the eyes of the world.

Vanessa was breathtaking in her white lace gown, Nate looked every bit the devoted groom as they exchanged vows solemnly.

The very same vows Nate had recited to her in that same spot three years ago.

"Till death do us part."

The words echoed in Isla's mind, hollow and meaningless. He had said the same thing to her three years ago, in this very church.

Back then, she had believed him. She had believed in the life they were building together. But now, as she watched him pledge his love to Vanessa, she realized it had all been a lie.

The church was filled to the brim with familiar faces: old university friends and work colleagues. The same ones who had been present at her wedding.

Back then, they had whispered behind her back, called her a hungry gold digger; labelled her as the young secretary who had married her wealthy boss to climb the social ladder.

But now? For Vanessa, they called it true love.

"I should never have come."

Isla reasoned painfully. This wasn't closure. It was self- torture.

As the vows neared their conclusion, she began to rise from her seat measuredly. Her limbs felt heavy, her heart pounded in her ears, but she forced herself to move.

She had no reason to sit here and watch them seal their betrayal with a kiss.

In the preceding seconds, she was beginning to make her way toward the exit, maneuvering between the seated guests.

Just as she reached the doorway, a firm hand wrapped around her wrist. She gasped, jerking back in alarm, her free hand clutching her sunglasses, afraid that they might fall off in panic.

Whoever this was, if they recognized her...

"Miss Isla," The unfamiliar voice called.

Her abdomen ached. Slowly and anxiously, she turned. A man whose face she still did not recognize was standing before her.

It was the ID card on his neck that caught her eyes.

A reporter?

She felt the blood drain from her face. How the hell had they known it was her?

"Oh my God!"

She should have listened to Sophia's warning. She should never should have.