Chapter 2 How it started

They say that when something breaks inside you as a child, it never fully heals. You just learn to live with the crack.

This is how it all started.

I was ten when my world started crumbling.

It was supposed to be a normal day. My mother and I were walking on the beach. I remember the way the waves crashed gently, the cold breeze brushing my skin, and how tightly I held her hand. I loved the beach, but that day felt different. She was quiet and distant.

She stopped and looked at me. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying all night.

"Lizzy," she said softly, brushing my hair behind my ear. "I have to go somewhere for a while. Just wait here, okay? I'll be back soon."

I didn't understand. "Where are you going?" I asked.

She looked away, her jaw trembling a little. "I want to talk to someone over there. Just stay right here."

She kissed my forehead, gave me a weak smile, and walked away.

I sat there on the sand, hugging my knees. I waited.

The sun dipped lower and lower, and still... she didn't come back.

That night was cold. I remember shivering so hard my teeth chattered. I was hungry. Scared. But I kept telling myself, "She'll come back. She said she would."

The second day, I stopped believing that.

By the third day, I was too weak to cry. My lips were dry, my skin hurt from the wind and sun, and I couldn't even sit up anymore. I just lay there, staring at the sky, thinking maybe... maybe it's okay if I just disappear.

That's when they found me.

Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood were taking a morning walk when they saw me collapsed on the sand. They rushed me to the hospital. I was unconscious, nearly gone.

I woke up to the sound of machines beeping and the scent of antiseptic. Mrs. Blackwood was sitting beside me, holding my hand.

"You're safe now," she whispered.

They didn't leave my side. When no one came looking for me, they took me home.

The Blackwoods were billionaires. Their home was the kind you only see in magazines. Giant gates, fountains, marble floors, and chandeliers. I didn't even know houses like that existed.

That's where I met Lucy.

She was one year younger than me and their only child. The first time she saw me, she just looked me up and down and said, "You're the girl they found on the beach, right?"

I nodded.

"Don't touch my dolls," she said and walked away.

Lucy was always the center of attention. Even as a kid, she had this natural glow, long honey brown hair, perfect blue eyes, and soft pouty lips. She looked like she stepped out of a movie.

I was the opposite. Dark straight hair. Soft brown eyes.

Plain clothes. Quiet. Careful. Always trying to be good.

I didn't want to cause problems. I didn't want them to regret taking me in.

As we grew older, our differences became clearer.

Lucy turned into the kind of girl boys couldn't take their eyes off. She wore short skirts, had perfect nails, and walked like the world belonged to her. Every boy wanted her. Every girl envied her.

Me? I stayed in the background. I wasn't loud. I wasn't sexy. I wasn't special.

But I studied hard. I helped with chores. I tried to earn my place in that house even if it was always clear I was the outsider.

No matter how hard I tried, I was always the orphan girl they rescued.

Then came college.

That's where I met Daniel.

Daniel Styles, heir to Styles Enterprises. Even on campus, everyone knew who he was. One of the youngest billionaires in the country. He was tall, with broad shoulders, jet black hair, and the sharpest jawline l had ever seen. His eyes were dark, deep, always unreadable.

He didn't smile much. But when he did, it was like something in the room shifted.

Girls followed him around like shadows. But he never paid attention - until one day, he did. He noticed me.

We were in the library. I was sitting alone, reading, and he walked over and asked if he could sit. I said yes. My heart was racing so fast I thought it might burst.

That's how it started. Slowly. Quietly. He would bring me coffee. Walk me to class. Ask about my day.

For the first time, someone made me feel seen. Like I wasn't just the extra girl in the room. I felt special. I felt loved.

We dated all through college. I met his family. He met mine. We talked about our future, kids, and growing old together.

What I didn't know was that Lucy was watching. And waiting.

She used to ask about him constantly. "What did

Daniel get you today?" "Did he kiss you in public?" "Is he as rich as they say?"

At first, I thought she was just being nosy. But I didn't realize how deep her jealousy went.

She wanted him. Not because she loved him, but because he was powerful. Rich. Desired. The kind of man who would boost her image.

And I? I was just the plain sister who got lucky.

Behind my back, she was seducing him. Whispering lies. Telling him things about me. And Daniel... he listened.

Their affair started behind my back.

I was too blind to see it. Or maybe I saw it and ignored it.

By the time I was twenty-five, I thought I had everything I wanted. A fiancé who loved me. A future that looked bright. A wedding that l had been planning for months.

I thought I was finally going to have my happy ending.

But I should've known.

Nothing good stays with me for long.

Especially not love.

Now it ended with my heart bleeding out beside a pool on my wedding day.

They say betrayal feels like a knife in the back.

But for me, it was real.