BORN TO RUIN LUCIAN KINGSTON

ELIZABETH.

I was in a beautiful dress. It was a pale, shimmering gold, the color of a celebration I no longer felt a part of.

As I stood at the entrance of the grand ballroom, the scent of expensive lilies and heavy perfume made my stomach turn.

This was my engagement party.

I was Elizabeth Alen, the woman who was supposed to be the happiest person in the room. But as I scanned the crowd, I couldn’t even bring myself to pretend.

"You look pale, Liz," a voice whispered in my ear.

I turned to see my sister, Selene. She looked stunning in red, her smile wide and bright.

She reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear with a gesture that looked loving to everyone else. To me, her fingers felt too cold.

"I’m just tired," I said, trying to step back. "Where is Lucien?"

"Over there," Selene pointed toward the bar. "He’s been a bit moody tonight, hasn't he? Don't worry. I’ll go get you a drink to calm your nerves."

She disappeared into the crowd before I could say no.

I looked toward the bar. Lucien was standing with a group of businessmen, his back to me. Usually, the moment I entered a room, his eyes found mine. Tonight, he didn't even turn around. He looked rigid, his shoulders set in a stiff line.

A group of women nearby stopped talking the moment I walked past. They huddled closer, their eyes darting toward me before they began whispering again.

I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning.

"Elizabeth."

I turned. Lucien was finally standing in front of me. He didn't reach for my hand. He didn't kiss my cheek. His blue eyes, which used to remind me of a clear summer sky, were now as cold as a frozen lake.

"Lucien, what’s wrong?" I asked, my voice trembling. "You haven’t spoken to me all evening."

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

Before he could answer, Selene appeared by my side. She handed me a flute of champagne.

"Here, Liz. Drink up. It’s a big night."

I took a sip automatically. The liquid was cool, but it had a faint aftertaste. I didn't think much of it. I was too focused on the man I loved, who was looking at me like I was a stranger.

"Lucien, you’re scaring me," I whispered.

Suddenly, the music stopped and the giant screen behind the stage, which had been showing a slideshow of our childhood photos, flickered and new image appeared.

It wasn't me as a child. It was a photo of me or someone who looked exactly like me in a hotel room, wrapped in the arms of a man who wasn't Lucien. Then came the messages. Page after page of leaked texts, filled with vulgar words and plans to meet in secret.

The gasps from the guests sounded too loud.

"This isn't real," I said, the glass in my hand shaking. "Lucien, I don't know what this is. I’ve never seen that man before!"

"The photos are timestamped, Elizabeth," Lucien said. His voice was dead. No anger, just a cold indifference. "The hotel logs match your credit card statements. Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"I didn't do this!" I cried. I looked around the room for support, but I saw only disgusted faces.

My father looked away and mother covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh, Liz..." Selene stepped forward, her hand on her chest. Her eyes were full of fake tears. "How could you? After everything Lucien has done for us... I tried to tell her, Lucien. I told her it would catch up to her, but she wouldn't listen."

"You lied?" I turned to my sister, my head starting to spin. "Selene, why are you saying that?"

The room began to tilt and lights grew too bright, burning into my eyes.

My legs felt heavy, as if I couldn’t get them to work. I tried to take a step toward Lucien, but I stumbled.

"Look at her," someone whispered. "She can't even stand up straight. She’s probably drunk."

"She’s always been the wild one," another voice added. "Poor Selene, having to clean up after her all these years."

I reached out for Lucien’s arm, but he stepped back. His disgust felt like the end of my world.

"Don't touch me," he said.

"Lucien, please," I slurred. My tongue felt thick in my mouth. "Something is... something is wrong. I think I’m sick."

"You’re not sick, Elizabeth. You have caught," he replied. He pulled a ring box from his pocket and tossed it onto the floor. It bounced and skittered across the floor . "The engagement is over. Get out of my sight."

"Wait!" I fell to my knees. Whatever that in my system was taking full effect now. My heart was racing, yet my body felt like it was shutting down. I looked up at him, desperate. "Lucien, I’m pregnant."

The room went deathly silent.

I saw a flash of something in his eyes, pain, maybe? But it was gone in a second, replaced by a sneer.

"And whose is it?" he asked. "The man from the hotel? Or one of the others?"

The words broke my heart into a thousand pieces. "It’s yours. Only yours. I swear..."

"Enough!" he shouted, his voice finally breaking into a roar. "I don't want to hear another lie! Security, throw her out."

Two large men grabbed my arms. I tried to fight, but my muscles wouldn't obey.

They dragged me through the ballroom, past the judgmental glares and the camera flashes of people recording my downfall.

I saw Selene standing near the door. As I was dragged past, she leaned in, a tiny, satisfied smirk playing on her lips.

"Goodbye, big sister," she mouthed.

They threw me out the front doors and I hit the wet pavement hard.

The rain had started to fall—a cold, biting October rain that soaked through my gold dress in seconds.

"Don't come back," one of the guards said before the doors slammed shut, locking me out of the life I had known.

I lay there on the ground, the cold stones pressing against my cheek. I tried to crawl, but the pain in my stomach was sharp, like a knife twisting inside

me.

"No," I whispered, clutching my belly. "Not the baby. Please, not the baby."

The world was becoming a blur of gray and black. I could feel something warm spreading between my thighs, mixing with the freezing rainwater and metallic taste in my mouth grew stronger.

I looked up at the dark sky. The lights of the mansion were glowing behind the windows, a place of warmth that I was no longer allowed to enter.

I thought of Lucien’s eyes, the way they had looked at me with such hatred. I thought of Selene’s smile.

They had taken everything. My reputation. My family. My love. And now, I could feel the life inside me slipping away, too.

A fierce, burning heat flared up inside my chest, fighting against the cold of the rain. It wasn't hope. It was rage.

If I could have screamed, I would have torn the sky apart.

I had been kind. I had been loyal. I had loved them with everything I had, and they had crushed me like a bug on the sidewalk.

I didn't lie, I thought, my vision fading into darkness. I didn't lie, and I will make you regret every second of this.

The pain in my stomach peaked, and I felt a white-hot feeling of agony, and then there was nothing.

No sound of the rain. No cold.

Just overwhelming darkness.