The Betrayal

"How could you do this to me?"

Serena's voice cracked as she stood in Alexander's office, her heart pounding so hard it drowned out every rational thought. She had trusted him—LET HIM IN—and now, the betrayal cut deeper than she could have ever imagined. Her chest felt tight, the room spinning as the weight of everything pressed down on her. It was suffocating.

Alexander stood across from her, his eyes filled with a mix of regret and pain, but it wasn't enough. His silence was worse than any words he could have said.

"Serena, please... let me explain," he began, his voice thick with desperation.

"EXPLAIN WHAT, ALEXANDER?" Serena's voice rose, a raw cry torn from her chest. "That you've been lying to me this whole time? That I trusted you, and you... YOU WEREN'T HONEST WITH ME?"

The words felt like acid in her mouth. She had been through this before—with Damian—and now Alexander, of all people, had done the one thing she never thought he would. He had broken her trust.

It started a few days ago, when she'd noticed things were... off. Subtle things. A missed call here, a glance away there. At first, she brushed it off. She had promised herself she wouldn't fall into old habits of doubting everything, of reading too much into the small things. But when she found a series of emails between Alexander and Isabelle—emails about business, yes, but also about something much more personal—she knew something was wrong.

Isabelle wasn't just some lingering ghost from his past. She was still a part of his present.

And now, the walls she had so carefully built, the defenses she had worked so hard to keep intact, were crumbling. She felt naked, exposed in a way she hadn't in years, and the vulnerability was almost too much to bear.

"You promised me," she whispered, her voice softer now but still laced with hurt. "You said you were done with her. You said that part of your life was over. And I believed you."

Alexander stepped toward her, reaching out, but she recoiled, taking a step back as if his touch would burn her.

"It is over, Serena," he insisted, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "Isabelle and I... we're not what you think we are. There's no relationship between us. She's just… trying to meddle, trying to control things like she always does."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Why hide it?" Serena shot back, her anger flaring again. "You knew how I felt about her. You KNEW she was a threat, and you still kept things from me."

Alexander's silence spoke volumes. The truth was there, hanging heavy between them. He had kept her in the dark, and now the light of betrayal was too blinding to ignore.

"It's complicated," he finally muttered, running a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable.

"No, Alexander," Serena snapped, her voice shaking. "It's not complicated. You either trust me enough to be honest, or you don't. And right now, it's clear where you stand."

For a moment, the room was silent, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall—a sound that seemed to mock her. Time felt like it was slipping through her fingers, every second lost to the betrayal that now lay between them.

Serena's mind raced with memories—moments when she had let her guard down, when she had let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, she could have a future with Alexander. That he was different. That she wasn't making the same mistake she had with Damian.

But now… now it all felt like a cruel joke.

Hours earlier, when she had first seen the emails, her heart had stopped. She had stared at the screen, willing it to be some kind of mistake. But there it was, plain as day. Isabelle's name, her words. She had talked about their "history" and how much she missed what they once had. And Alexander… he hadn't shut her down. His responses were guarded, yes, but they were there. He had engaged with her. He had LET HER in.

Serena's hands had shaken as she scrolled through the messages, her stomach twisting into knots. She had gone straight to Alexander's office after reading them, the need for answers overwhelming her. But now, standing in front of him, she wasn't sure if any explanation could heal the damage that had been done.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Serena," Alexander said softly, stepping forward again. "I didn't tell you because… I didn't want you to feel like you had to fight a battle that wasn't yours. I thought I could handle it."

Serena let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You thought you could handle it? Alexander, THIS IS MY BATTLE. You're a part of my life now, and anything that involves you, involves me. You don't get to make that decision on your own."

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had cried enough tears over Damian. She wasn't going to let Alexander make her feel that weak again.

"I just didn't want to drag you into my mess," Alexander murmured, his voice breaking. "I've already lost so much, Serena. I couldn't bear to lose you too."

For the first time, Serena saw the vulnerability in his eyes. The fear. He wasn't the unbreakable man she had built him up to be. He was human, flawed, just like her. But even in that moment, she couldn't let go of the anger burning inside her.

"You already have," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The weight of her words hit Alexander like a punch to the gut. He staggered back, his face pale, as if the reality of the situation had just settled over him. He had hurt her in the one way he promised he never would. And now, he wasn't sure if there was any way to fix it.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Serena didn't know how she ended up outside, her legs carrying her away from his office, away from the pain. The cool air hit her face, but it did nothing to numb the ache in her chest.

She had opened herself up to him, let him into the parts of her heart she had thought were closed off forever. And now, she was standing on the edge of that same abyss, staring into the darkness.

As she walked down the street, her mind raced with questions she didn't have answers to. Could she forgive him? Could she trust him again? Or had he crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed?

"You're not like him," Serena whispered to herself, thinking back to all the times Alexander had shown her that he was different from Damian. But now, in the wake of this betrayal, the lines between them blurred.

She stopped at a park bench and sat down, her hands trembling as she stared at the sky. Somewhere, deep down, she wanted to believe that Alexander was still the man she had fallen for. But trust, once broken, was hard to rebuild.

And as much as she wanted to let him back in, part of her wondered if this was just history repeating itself—another man, another betrayal.

But this time, she wouldn't fall apart. She was stronger now. Strong enough to walk away if she had to.

"I'm not Damian," Alexander's voice echoed in her mind, but for the first time, Serena wasn't sure if she believed it.

"I won't let this break me," she whispered, standing up and brushing off the tears that had finally fallen.

But deep inside, she knew this wasn't over.

"I won't let him break me."