Our Entwined-Fate

Aria's POV The sight before me hits like a punch to the gut. My heart stops, my breath catches in my throat.  It's a scene I never could have imagined, even in my darkest nightmares. There, tangled in the sheets on my bed, are two bodies I know all too well. Ethane, my boyfriend, and jasmine , my best friend since childhood.  Their naked flesh glistens in the dim light, moving together in a lewd dance that makes my stomach churn. I stand frozen in the doorway, unable to look away from the shocking display.Ethane's face is twisted in pleasure, his eyes closed as he thrusts into Jasmin's willing body.  She arches beneath him, her nails raking down his back, her cries of ecstasy filling the room. "Oh my god, Ethane! What the fuck?!" The words burst from my mouth, shocked and betrayed. My voice is high-pitched, almost unrecognizable to my own ears. Jasmine's head whips around at the sound of my voice, her eyes wide with guilt and surprise. "Aria?! Oh shit..." Ethane jumps up from the bed, scrambling for the sheet to cover his nakedness. "Baby, wait, this isn't what it looks like!" he stammers, his face pale and ashen. But I can't tear my eyes away from his manhood, still semi-erect from Jasmin’s ministrations.  Bile rises in my throat as I realize that he has been inside her, that he has touched and caressed my friend in ways he had always promised to reserve only for me. Aria, I'm so sorry," Jasmin blubbers, her eyes brimming with crocodile tears. "It was a mistake, I swear! We didn't mean for this to happen!" Her words hit me like a slap. A mistake? They didn't mean for this to happen? How can she say that? How can they both claim innocence after the most intimate betrayal imaginable? I lunge at Jasmin, grabbing a fistful of her hair and dragging her out of the bed. "You bitch!" I snarl, punctuating each word with a sharp shake. "You fucking whore! How could you do this to me? I trusted you with everything!" She screams and cries, begging for forgiveness. But I am beyond reason, beyond tears. I had been betrayed by the two people I loved most, the two people I thought would never hurt me. And in that moment, something inside me shattered irreparably. As Ethane tries to intervene, pleading for mercy and forgiveness, I turn on him with all the force of my rage. "Get out!" I scream, my voice raw with anguish. "Both of you, get the fuck out of my sight! I never want to see either of you again!" Tears stream down my face as I watch them scramble to gather their clothes, their pleas for forgiveness falling on deaf ears.  They flee down the stairs and out of my life forever, the sounds of their desperate apologies echoing behind them. I cried my eyes out, but that wasn’t helping, ‘I need a drink’, I can’t be like this. “Aria!” I turned just as Ethane grabbed my arm, what is he still doing here?. “Let go,” I said, my voice shaking. “Baby, listen to me.” His grip tightened. “This isn’t what it looks like.” I laughed. A sharp, broken sound. “You were naked inside my best friend in my bed. What else is there to see?” “You’ve been distant,” he snapped, frustration replacing guilt far too easily. “You’re always tired. Always working. You never have time for me anymore.” I was shocked, ‘so I’m to be blamed?’ “So you cheated?” I whispered. “I made a mistake,” he said quickly. “And if you hadn’t pushed me away” I ripped my arm free. “Don’t you dare,” I said, tears spilling freely now. “Don’t you dare turn this into my fault.” He scoffed. “You’re overreacting.” That word ended it. ‘Overreacting?’ I slapped him hard in the face. He stood there shocked. I stepped back, my chest heaving. “You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to explain. And you definitely don’t get to gaslight me into staying.” I turned and walked away before he could say another word. I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I couldn’t stay sober. The hotel loomed like it was going to dry up my pain. Tall. Gold-lit. I stumbled into the bar like a ghost, my eyes scanning for the strongest thing they had. The bartender raised an eyebrow but said nothing when I ordered a double. Then another. And another. That’s when I felt it. Someone has been staring at me, I might be drunk but my mind is still with me. I looked up. He was sitting at the far end of the bar, dressed in black like the shadows had tailored the suit themselves. Broad shoulders. Calm posture. The kind of man who didn’t need to look around to know the room already belonged to him. His eyes met mine. Dark. Assessing. Amused. My stomach twisted. I took another sip, heat flooding my veins, courage rising recklessly. “Has anyone ever told you,” I slurred slightly, “that you look like the kind of man women regret loving?” One corner of his mouth lifted. “Only the smart ones,” he replied. His voice was low. Controlled. Dangerous in a quiet way. I laughed, turning fully toward him now. “You’re handsome. Like… unfairly handsome.” “I’ll take that as a compliment.” “It is.” I squinted at him. “You own this place, don’t you?” His eyebrow lifted. “What makes you think that?” “The way everyone avoids you,” I said bluntly. “And the way you’re watching me like you already know how this ends.” Something unreadable flickered across his face. “I’m Luca kings,” he said. “Aria.” I raised my glass. “Recently unemployed girlfriend.” “Recently?” ‘ yea, about an hour ago.” He studied me for a long moment, then signaled the bartender. “Put it on my tab.” I blinked. “Thank you, but I didn’t ask” “You didn’t have to.” The alcohol hit harder then. My body swayed, and I felt stupidly aware of how close he was now, how warm. Safe in a way that terrified me. “You’re trouble,” I murmured. “Yes,” he agreed calmly. “And you’re drunk.” “I can still make decisions.” “Can you?” I looked at him. Really close enough. “I want to forget,” I said softly. His gaze darkened, “Be careful what you ask for, Aria.” The room tilted. The last thing I remember was his hand hovering near my back, ready to catch me if I fell. And the way his voice cut through the noise as he spoke to someone behind me. “Take her upstairs,” he said. “Carefully.” Then everything went black.