The Night Everything Ended
Elena Hart realized her life had shattered the instant she witnessed her fiancé kissing her best friend. For several moments, she remained frozen outside the partially open study door, unable to take a step. Rain lashed against the mansion's windows, accentuating the silence shared by the two people within. Daniel Cross had one arm wrapped around Sophie's waist.Sophie was wearing the silver dress that Elena had bought for her birthday—the same dress Elena had seen her best friend unwrap just two weeks earlier. As she carried the folder, Elena felt her fingers tighten around it. "No..." The word slipped out so softly that neither of them noticed. She stepped back, causing the folder to fall from her grasp and hit the marble floor, finally breaking the tension in the room. Daniel turned sharply toward the door, his expression shifting dramatically. "Elena?"
Sophie instinctively pulled away from him. "Elena, wait. This isn't—"
"Don't." Elena's voice shook as Sophie froze in place. Daniel quickly moved toward the doorway. "Let me explain."
"Explain what?" Elena's laughter filled the air, but it was far from joyful; it was the kind of laugh born from a heart shattered to the point where tears no longer sufficed. "How long?"
Daniel halted in his tracks. "What?"
"How long have you two been involved?" Neither of them responded, and that silence spoke volumes to Elena. She looked at Sophie—her best friend, who had supported her through every heartbreak and had promised she would never be hurt by Daniel. "How could you?"
Tears welled in Sophie's eyes as she replied, "Elena, I didn't mean for this to happen."
"You didn't mean for it to happen?" Elena's gaze bore into her. "You've been sleeping with my fiancé."
"It's complicated."
"No." Elena shook her head firmly. "It's actually very simple." She turned to Daniel. "You lied to me."
His expression grew cold. "You don't understand what's happening."
"Then make me understand." For a brief moment, silence enveloped them before Daniel sighed heavily. "Do you really want to know the truth?" A chill ran through Elena as she nodded in response.
Daniel glanced at Sophie, who lowered her gaze before he uttered words that would haunt Elena forever: "I was never going to marry you."
The world around her seemed to fade away. "What?"
"I said I was never going to marry you."
Elena stared at him incredulously. "But we've been together for three years!"
"I know."
"You proposed to me!"
"I know."
"You told me you loved me!" His silence spoke louder than any words.
Elena's eyes burned with unshed tears. "Was any of it real?"
Daniel remained quiet as Sophie stepped forward cautiously. "Elena..."
"Stay away from me," she snapped, halting Sophie's approach.
Elena bent down to retrieve the folder, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she clutched it tightly against herself. Inside were important documents concerning the Hart family's company—documents she'd spent weeks preparing because she believed Daniel would soon become part of their family.
Now she understood why he had been asking so many questions about the business. Why he had encouraged her father to place his trust in him. Why he had insisted that she sign certain documents. Her stomach dropped. "What did you do with my father's company?" Daniel's expression shifted. For the first time that night, Elena noticed a coldness in his eyes. "You should have been more careful about what you signed." Elena felt a chill run through her. She opened the folder and her eyes scanned the documents. Her name appeared repeatedly, along with her signature. But she didn’t recall signing some of them. "No..." Daniel reached for the folder, but Elena stepped back. "You forged my signature." "I didn't." "You did!" Her voice echoed through the room, and Daniel’s patience snapped. "Even if I did, what are you going to do about it?" Elena stared at him, realizing that the man before her now seemed like a stranger. Just then, her phone rang, and she answered without checking the screen. "Hello?" A man's frightened voice came through. "Miss Hart, you need to leave the house immediately." Elena frowned. "Who is this?" "It's about your father." Her heart stopped racing. "What happened to my father?" There was a brief pause before the man whispered, "He's dead." Elena couldn't catch her breath as the phone slipped from her fingers. Daniel's face turned pale while Sophie covered her mouth in shock. Then, from somewhere downstairs, Elena heard the sound of breaking glass—someone had entered the house. She looked toward the doorway when Daniel suddenly grabbed her arm and said urgently, "Elena, you need to run." She met his gaze in confusion and asked, "Why?" He didn’t respond but instead looked down the hallway with genuine fear in his eyes. That’s when Elena realized something horrifying: Daniel wasn't afraid of her; he was terrified of whoever had just come into the house. A second later, the lights went out, and someone whispered from the darkness: "Find Elena Hart.”
