Beautiful Betrayal

Nakéd Truths

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"It seems to me, that love could be labeled poison, and we'd drink it anyways."

~Atticus

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V I C T O R I A
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As all eyes focused on me, I felt a flicker of amusement danced within me at their reactions.

"Who?"

Confused, I turned to him, searching his expression for clues when his question echoed in my ears again. "Who?"

"Victoria..." His voice held a tinge of anger, catching me off guard. "Who? And when?" he pressed, his tone edged with anger, but he doesn't have any reason to be angry maybe I'm imagining things.

"Who is he, sweetheart?" I heard my mother's voice reaching my ear, breaking through the tension.

"He is a doctor," I replied, meeting my mother's loving gaze as I glanced around at everyone's expressions.

They all looked happy but a little worried, I observed silently before continuing. "He's a neurosurgeon. His name is Alexander Archer."

Taking a deep breath, I revealed, "Yesterday, he asked me to be his girlfriend and... I said yes."

I informed everyone with a smile on my face, and they all looked genuinely happy for me. Finally, I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief.

It was time for me to let go of the hope that someday Dominic would be mine, because deep down, I knew he couldn't.

I couldn't help but reflect on all the years I had spent holding onto the hope, but could I curse my naive innocent self for this?

No, God No, I can't, I won't, because once upon a time, that was exactly what I desired.

I stabbed my heart again and again with the sword named love, with each stab, the pain intensified, yet I couldn't halt the relentless assault on my own heart.

I thought, hoped desperately, with fingers crossed and tears streaming down my face, that one day he would notice me. But alas, it never happened.

To him, I'm just the girl who will always go unnoticed, destined to remain invisible in his eyes.

But can I blame him for breaking my heart and burning it into ashes? Can I? No, absolutely not.

Indeed, it was never his fault; he never gave me hope. It's my foolish heart that's responsible for its own demise.

"When and how did you meet him?" he pressed.

"Why are you asking?" I countered, feeling a knot of unease forming in my stomach.

"Just tell me, Victoria," he urged, his eyes searching mine for answers.

"About 6 months ago," I replied, my confusion evident as I met his gaze. Despite my confusion, I remained calm.

"Hmm," he mused thoughtfully, taking a sip of his champagne."I want to meet him."

"But why do you want to meet him?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"I want to check if he's a good man or not," he replied casually, his words causing me to grit my teeth at his audacity. Calm down Victoria Calm down, you can't lose your Shít.

"Don't worry, Dominic. I know he's a good man," I reassured him before taking a sip of champagne.

Moments later, everyone became engrossed in their conversations around the table. Silently, I excused myself and made my way towards the balcony. I'm not interested in their business talk, I thought to myself as I stood there with a glass of champagne in my hand, gazing at the moon in the night sky.