Chapter 1
Chapter - 1
“Then what exactly am I looking at? Are the two of you having a friendly conversation? Because the last time I checked, friends don’t usually end up naked in the same bed.”
What is love?
No one truly has a clear definition of love. It exists in many different forms. Love can be found between a mother and her child, between parents and their children, between siblings, and even between friends. Throughout our lives, we experience countless kinds of love, each unique and meaningful in its own way.
But the love we feel for a lover or a spouse exists in an entirely different dimension. It is far more difficult to find and even harder to define. The bond shared between two people in love is often pure, profound, and unlike anything else in the world. The emotions we feel for the person we choose to spend our lives with run so deep that words alone can never fully describe them.
When we find our soulmate, we naturally become attached to them. They become our greatest priority. We trust them with our deepest secrets, our fears, our dreams, and our ambitions. We imagine a future together and do everything we can to make them understand the depth of our love. We willingly devote our time, our energy, and even our lives to them—not because we are obligated to, but because loving them becomes our greatest desire.
And that was exactly the kind of love I had for my boyfriend.
I gave him everything. My trust, my heart, and my unwavering loyalty. I invested one hundred percent of myself into our relationship and was ready to begin a new chapter of my life with him. I truly believed we were building a future together.
But how wrong I was.
The love I had for him turned out to be nothing more than a beautiful illusion—a fantasy in which I had convinced myself that he was the perfect man. The pain, betrayal, and disappointment I felt in that moment were far greater than the love I had once believed would last forever.
The man with whom I had shared everything was lying in bed with another woman, their bodies wrapped beneath a single white sheet.
The moment he saw me standing at the doorway, shock spread across his face. It was an understandable reaction. He hadn’t expected me to show up.
That morning, he had called and casually asked whether I was planning to come over to his apartment. At the time, I hadn’t thought much of the question. Now, I knew exactly why he had been so eager to find out.
I had originally planned not to visit because work had kept me occupied. Running my company demanded most of my time, and my schedule was filled with meetings. But when one of those meetings was unexpectedly canceled, I decided to surprise him instead. I genuinely believed my visit would make him happy.
Instead, I was the one who received the biggest surprise of my life.
Never, not even for a second, had I imagined that my boyfriend of two years would betray me like this.
Yes, I had been busy building my company and working tirelessly to establish it as one of the most successful businesses in Florida. My career demanded long hours, but I never believed that would become an excuse for him to be unfaithful. I trusted him completely. I believed he loved me just as deeply as I loved him.
How wrong I was.
The man I had imagined spending the rest of my life with was now wrapped in another woman’s arms.
“This isn’t what you’re thinking,” he said quickly.
A scoff escaped my lips as I stared at him in disbelief.
While he hurriedly untangled himself from the woman and scrambled to get dressed, she remained comfortably in bed, the white sheet wrapped loosely around her body as though nothing had happened.
“Oh, really?” I asked, my voice cold and controlled. “Then what exactly am I looking at? Are the two of you having a friendly conversation? Because the last time I checked, friends don’t usually end up naked in the same bed.” Despite the calmness in my tone, my patience was wearing dangerously thin. “Am I wrong, Chris?” I continued, meeting his panicked gaze. “Because I’m really starting to lose my patience. I came here hoping to surprise you so we could spend a romantic evening together. Instead, I find my boyfriend cheating on me with another woman. What kind of person do you take me for? And here I was feeling guilty for canceling our plans over the past three weeks because of work. How naïve was I to believe you were different from other men? You’re the biggest asshole I’ve ever met.” I shook my head in disbelief. “God... what did I ever see in you to date someone so pathetic?”
Outwardly, I remained composed. Inside, however, I was falling apart. How could he do this to me? I truly believed we loved each other. But standing here now, I realized the love had only existed on one side. If he had ever truly loved me, he never would have betrayed me like this. I had imagined spending the rest of my life with him. I had even been prepared to say yes to his marriage proposal. But now that I had finally seen his true colors, all I felt was heartbreak... and betrayal. Yet, strangely enough, there was also relief. Relief that I had discovered the truth before making the biggest mistake of my life.
“Babe, she means nothing to me,” Chris pleaded desperately. “You have to believe me. You’re the only woman I love. I love you so much.”
I rolled my eyes at his pathetic attempt to justify the unjustifiable. “Save it, Chris,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion. “Whether she means something to you or not is no longer my concern. For all I care, you can marry her.” I looked him straight in the eyes. “We’re done.”
My gaze shifted between him and the woman, who seemed far too entertained by the argument unfolding before her. I could’ve sworn I saw the corner of her lips curl into a smirk.
What a bitch.
“Babe, please don’t do this,” he begged, taking a hesitant step toward me. “I love you. I can’t live without you. We were supposed to get married. Please don’t leave me. This woman means nothing to me. I never meant to cheat. She came onto me, and... one thing led to another. I didn’t even realize how far things had gone. Please... just give me one more chance.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I refused to let him see how deeply his betrayal had wounded me. “I don’t care whether you meant to cheat or not, Chris,” I said firmly. “You still cheated. And God only knows how many times you’ve done this behind my back. I refuse to spend my life with a man who can’t stay loyal to the woman he claimed he wanted to marry. I deserve someone who respects me, and you’ve made it painfully clear that you’re not that man.” Without waiting for another excuse, I turned toward the door.
“Do you even know why I had to look for another woman’s touch, Raelyn?” he suddenly shouted.
My footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
“You never let me touch you,” he continued bitterly. “Not even after two years of dating. I thought you’d finally say yes after I proposed, but you didn’t. I have needs, Raelyn. How did you expect me to stay celibate until marriage? For all I know, we might never have gotten married. I couldn’t keep waiting forever.”
My hands curled tightly into fists.
“Yes, cheating was wrong,” he admitted, “but you pushed me into it. You made me become a cheater.”
Before he could say another word, my hand struck his face. The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the apartment.
He stared at me in shock, one hand pressed against his reddening cheek. “How dare you?” he shouted.
I met his furious glare without flinching.
“No,” I replied coldly. “How dare you blame me for the choice you made. Don’t you dare try to justify your betrayal by making me responsible for your lack of self-control. You’re pathetic.” I took a slow step closer, my eyes filled with nothing but disgust. “I was wrong to believe I loved you, because I could never love a man who thinks so little of me. I hate you, Chris.”
Then I turned my attention to the woman who was still lounging comfortably in his bed.
“And you,” I said, my tone sharp enough to cut through the silence, “he’s all yours. Make sure you keep him satisfied so he doesn’t get bored. Because if he does...” I offered her a cold, humorless smile. “...he’ll find someone else just like he found you while he was still with me. Good luck.”
Without giving either of them another glance, I turned around and walked out, leaving both of them—and the life I had once dreamed of—behind.
The moment I settled into my car, tears threatened to spill from my eyes. I clenched the steering wheel, forcing myself to hold them back as I pulled onto the road and drove toward my office. Yes, I felt betrayed. Yes, I was hurting. But I still had a job to do. I had spent the last three years building my career, and I wasn’t about to let a man destroy everything I had worked so hard to achieve.
Two years ago, my father appointed me as the CEO of our company. Before that, I had started as an intern, working tirelessly to prove that I was capable of earning the position. He never handed me success—I earned it through dedication, determination, and countless hours of hard work.
And I had never been happier.
Under my leadership, the company had continued to grow, becoming even more successful than before, and I took great pride in that accomplishment. I refused to waste my future crying over a man who had never deserved me in the first place.
A short while later, I arrived at the towering headquarters of our corporation. After stepping out of my car, I handed my keys to the valet before lifting my eyes to the familiar glass building standing proudly before me.
Mitchell Corporation Pvt. Ltd.
My grandfather had founded the company decades ago. Through relentless hard work and unwavering determination, he had transformed it into a billion-dollar corporation. Every time I looked at the building, I was reminded of the legacy he had left behind—and of the responsibility I carried to protect it.
As I walked through the entrance, several employees greeted me respectfully. I acknowledged them with a brief nod before continuing toward the elevator. Some people considered me cold. Others went as far as calling me a cold-hearted bitch.
I didn’t care.
There was no room for weakness in the corporate world. If you wanted to succeed, you had to be strong enough to make difficult decisions, no matter what people thought of you. The moment I stepped into my office, I buried myself in work, hoping it would distract me from everything that had happened earlier that day. Chris hadn’t just broken my heart. He had shattered my faith in love itself. Maybe love wasn’t real after all. Because if it truly existed...It shouldn’t hurt this much.
Hours passed in a blur of paperwork, emails, and meetings. By the time I finished reviewing the last document on my desk, I glanced at the clock.
11:00 p.m.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me. Gathering my belongings, I finally left the office and drove home. When I stepped inside my apartment, I noticed the lights were already on. My personal cook must have been waiting for me. A quiet sigh escaped my lips as I realized I had forgotten to tell him that I wouldn’t be having dinner tonight. My phone vibrated with a new notification. While replying to an email from my personal assistant, I absentmindedly made my way toward the kitchen.
“Would you like me to serve dinner here or in your bedroom, Ms. Mitchell?” Mr. Allen asked politely.
“I’m not in the mood to eat tonight,” I replied without looking up from my phone. “You can leave for the day.”
A moment later, I stopped and said. “And please give the food to the poor on your way home. Good night, Mr. Allen.”
“Good night, Ms. Mitchell.”
As soon as I stepped into my bedroom—my only sanctuary—the carefully constructed walls around my heart finally crumbled. The tears I had fought so hard to suppress all day streamed freely down my face. I cried not only because Chris had betrayed me...But because he had never loved me the way he always claimed he did. To him, I was never the woman he wanted forever. I was only temporary. Just another toy he could discard whenever he pleased.
Eventually, the emotional and physical exhaustion became too much to bear. Without even changing out of my office clothes, I collapsed onto my bed and drifted into a restless sleep.
Sometime during the night, I vaguely felt someone gently caressing my cheek. The touch was warm. Tender. Almost comforting. But I was far too exhausted to open my eyes and see who it was.
