Not True

How badly I wanted to tell Janice off, to keep her pretense and shove it up her ass. But that would earn a smack from my father instead. So I just said, "Please, let me get my things and leave."

"It's good that you respect yourself enough to leave. You have embarrassed me enough," my father retorted coldly.

I couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Embarrassed?" I repeated incredulously, my voice dripping with bitterness. "Said the father who never acted like one. What happened to the dad I once knew? To the one who was smiling in those family photos? To the one who cared about me? What happened to that, huh? You said I embarrassed you, but your so-called loved daughter stole my man."

My father let out a low growl, and Janice interjected, "You shouldn't anger your father."

I looked at Janice, my tone cutting. "Drop the pretense. I still have scars that show how brutal you can be."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she glanced at my father, but he remained indifferent. Instead, he uttered the words that cut through the tension like a knife. "Get out."

I felt a surge of anger and hurt, but I knew it was futile to argue further. With a heavy heart, I turned on my heel and headed towards the door. Every step felt like a retreat, a surrender to the toxic environment I had once called home.

As I reached for the doorknob, Janice's voice stopped me in my tracks. "Ember," she said softly, her tone almost pleading.

I turned to face her, my expression a mixture of defiance and resignation. "What?" I snapped, my patience wearing thin.

She hesitated before speaking, her words laced with a hint of regret. "I... I'm sorry. For everything."

I studied her for a moment, searching for sincerity in her eyes. But all I found was a facade, a mask hiding her true intentions. With a bitter laugh, I shook my head. "Sorry doesn't change the past," I replied bitterly, before turning away and stepping out into the cold embrace of freedom.

As I stepped out onto the pavement, I smacked my head in frustration. Now, not only did I have no change of clothes, but the pain from the heels was becoming unbearable. I glanced at the expensive footwear and contemplated returning them, but decided it could wait for later.

With a sigh of relief, I slipped off the heels and felt the cool ground beneath my feet. I looked down at the little money left in my purse and knew it would be enough for a bus fare. Hailey's place was my only hope now. I hoped she would have some comfortable slippers I could borrow.

Ignoring the curious stares and whispers from onlookers, I boarded the bus. People recognized me as the Stark's daughter, and the rumors about my failed engagement to the prince followed me. I listened to the lies being spread, each one twisting the truth further until it became unrecognizable.

How did I even cheat on Jaxon? Who was the person spreading all these?

Unable to bear the weight of the falsehoods any longer, I shut out the world around me and focused on the journey ahead.

As I approached Hailey's home, a sense of comfort washed over me at the sight of her quaint little cottage nestled among the trees. It was a picturesque scene, with colorful flowers blooming in the garden and a welcoming aura emanating from the cozy abode.

However, my relief was short-lived as I remembered Hailey's modest income as a makeup artist for fashion companies. Despite her talent, she received little in return, struggling to make ends meet in her beloved cottage.

I felt a bit bad that I had to give her more pressure.

As I reached for my phone to call Hailey, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed the car parked in front of her home. It was unmistakably Aurora's flashy pink car. There was no way I could miss it.

My mind raced with possibilities, Hailey despised Aurora, so why would she be visiting her? Perhaps Aurora had come to threaten Hailey, I reasoned, trying to quell the rising panic in my chest.

As I stepped into Hailey's home, the sound of laughter greeted me, but it was like two best friends laughing. My heart sank as I heard Aurora's voice, her words like daggers piercing through my soul.

"It's good you put that drug in her drink," Aurora remarked, her tone dripping with disdain. "I thought she was not going to come to the room, but as always, Ember is predictable."

Hailey's response cut through the air like a knife. "You are right. I am glad I no longer have to pretend to be friends with her again."

My eyes stung with tears as I stepped back, the weight of their betrayal crushing me.

Aurora eyes met mine, her rose coloured lips turned into a smirk. "Speak of the angel and she would appear"

Hailey seemingly following her gaze turned and saw me standing at the door way. There was surprise written all over her face.

It was as if I could see ten years of friendship crashing down before me.

"Ember…I" Hailey's desperate voice pierced through the turmoil in my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to look at her.

She was my best friend, my sister, the only family I had left. And just like that she was gone.

Ignoring her anguished pleas, I fled from the cottage, my heart pounding in my chest, matching the frantic rhythm of my footsteps. The evening air enveloped me in its eerie stillness, amplifying the echoes of my escape.

I ran until the ache in my legs became unbearable, collapsing in a secluded corner where the darkness offered a shroud for my tears. Crumpled on the ground, I surrendered to the overwhelming flood of emotions consuming me. The weight of betrayal and heartache pressed down on me like an insurmountable burden, squeezing the air from my lungs.

"Why is my life like this?" I choked out between sobs, my voice barely a whisper against the vast emptiness of the night. Each tear that fell was a testament to the shattered pieces of my heart, scattered like ashes in the wind.

Gazing up at the indifferent expanse of the night sky, I felt a profound sense of hopelessness wash over me. "Just end it all," I pleaded to the uncaring cosmos above, my voice trembling with despair. "Please, let this pain cease to exist. Let me disappear into the void, where the weight of my sorrow cannot reach me anymore."

As I huddled on the cold ground, my trembling hands fumbled through the contents of my purse, seeking solace in the familiar touch of a piece of paper. And then, as if guided by some unseen force, a small slip fluttered to the ground before me.

It was a business card, adorned with sleek lettering that spelled out the name "Zayn Steele." My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the name, the memory of our brief encounter flooding back with startling clarity. He was the only person who could possibly understand the depths of my despair, the only one who could offer a glimmer of hope in the darkness that threatened to consume me.

Clutching the card tightly in my trembling fingers, I dialed the number with shaking hands, each digit matching my heart beat.

As the phone rang, my heart pounded in my chest, the sound deafening in the silence of the night.

And then, finally, a voice on the other end answered with a simple "Hello."

"Save me...please," I whispered, my voice cracking with desperation and longing.