Chapter 10
Scarlett’s POV
The hospital corridor was sterile and biting. The harsh white lights stabbed my eyes.
“Miss Black. You can leave now.” Alexander’s face was expressionless, like stone.
“How is Damian?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
“That’s no longer your concern,” he said, voice icy. “The boss doesn’t want to see you again. Ever.”
Ever… Those words echoed in my mind. Just hours ago, in that cathedral, he had called me a sewer, a disposable toy. Now, he didn’t
even want me in his sight.
“I can wait for him to wake up-” I began.
“Miss Black.” Alexander interrupted sharply. Two bodyguards flanked him, standing like statues of steel.
“Please leave immediately, or we’ll have to use force.”
I looked into their eyes. Cold. Unfamiliar. The same men who once bowed to me, because I was the boss’s woman, now regarded me
as garbage.
I turned and walked out. Rain had started to fall. Cold, biting October rain. I had no umbrella. Wet strands clung to my face, mingling
with tears–I couldn’t tell rain from crying. It all felt like punishment.
I wandered the empty streets, with nowhere to go. My Miami apartment? Repossessed by Damian’s men. My old friends? All aware I
had betrayed Elara. None would take me in.
This city, vast as it was, suddenly felt suffocatingly empty. I was utterly alone. Before, Elara had always been there, without question,
without hesitation.
Without thinking, I found myself at that old alley. The place where everything had changed.
Ten years ago, I had been riding a stolen motorcycle when I saw three punks cornering a girl. She wore a pristine school uniform
and carried an expensive backpack. A rich kid.
I had been ready to pass her by. This kind of scene happened all the time in New York. Getting involved meant trouble.
But then I saw her eyes. No fear. No pleading. Just… trust. She looked at me like she knew I would save her, even though I was a
complete stranger.
This little princess must be crazy, I thought. Still, I got off my bike. Grabbing my chain lock, I faced the punks.
“Get lost,” I snarled. My tattoos, my leather jacket, the fury in my eyes–it was enough. They scattered.
“Thank you,” Elara said, voice shaking but genuine. I expected fear, suspicion. We were from different worlds. But she… she wasn’t afraid. She asked for my name, my school.
She even invited me to her home for coffee. At first, I thought it was an act. The rich girl playing savior. But it wasn’t. She truly saw
me as a friend, as family.
Whenever I got into trouble, she fixed it. When I had no money, she secretly slipped cash into my bag. When I was sick, she skipped school to care for me. She never demanded repayment, never made me feel indebted. She treated me like a real sister.
I grew used to it. And then… jealousy crept in.
Chapter 10
Jealous of her family, her purity, the way everything came easily to her.
Including Damian.
The first time I saw him, I recognized one of my own. Dark, violent, dangerous. We were beasts born from the underworld, marked
with blood and scars. Elara was light. Pure. She didn’t belong in our world.
But Damian chose her. Because she was cleaner, better suited to be his queen. And me? I was left in the shadows, a tool for his
darkest desires. I hated Elara for taking the man who should have been mine. I hated how her perfection made me feel filthy.
I hated how her kindness highlighted my own ugliness.
Yet I couldn’t stop myself. Every time I saw them together, jealousy gnawed at me, relentless and vicious. I told myself Elara was the
one interfering between us. That Damian and I were the sinners, the fallen ones. She didn’t belong.
But now, standing in the rain, I remembered Elara’s broken sobs. The betrayal etched in her eyes. The tremble in her voice when she
said, “We’re not sisters. We’re nothing.”
For the first time, regret pierced me. I pulled out my phone, desperate to call her, to apologize, to explain, to tell her how sorry I was.
But she had blocked me.
I thought of old Alfred, the Winters family’s butler. He had always been kind to me, treated me as Elara’s friend. Scarlettbe… he could
help me reach her.
I dialed.
“Alfred, it’s me, Scarlett. I want to-”
“Scarlett Black. You have some goddamn nerve calling this house.” I had never heard him sound so furious.
“Alfred, I know I was wrong, but-”
“You know you were wrong?” His voice shook with rage. “Do you have any idea what Elara sacrificed for you?”
“What?”
“The Paris College of Art and Design! The head designer at Chanel personally invited her. It was her dream!” My hands began to
tremble.
“She
gave it all up–for you. To save your worthless ass!” I had thought it was only self–defense, I had no idea she had gone so far to
protect me.
“And you?” Alfred’s voice escalated. “How did you repay her? With betrayal! Hurting her! Ruining her wedding!”
“Alfred, I-”
“Don’t ever call here again!” he roared. “Miss Elara never wants to hear your name again!” Beep. Beep. Beep. The line went dead.
I stood in the rain, clutching my phone, tears blending with the downpour. Paris. Elara’s biggest dream. She had given it all for me.
And what did I do? I repaid her with betrayal.
The rain fell harder, drenching me, but I didn’t seek shelter.
Let it rain, I thought. Let it wash me away. I deserve this.
Chapter 10
It hit me like a punch to the gut. Elara wasn’t the intruder. I was. I was the poison. I was the one who destroyed everything.
Chapter 11
