Game On, Pretty Boy. ♕ RUCAS

♕ Chapter ThirtyFive ♕ - A mosaic of shattered pieces

I stared at him, my heart aching with uncertainty. His pale face and the tremor in his voice made me question everything I'd heard, but the confusion and hurt inside me was still overwhelming. I needed time to sift through the tangled web of lies and truth to find out where I truly stood.

Lucas took a shaky breath, his face pale as he struggled to explain. "Riley, I–I'm sorry," he began, his voice unsteady. "Yes, there...was a bet. I made it with the guys when I was in a really bad place. I didn't care about anything back then, and I didn't think about who I might hurt."

He looked down, clearly pained as he continued. "They said I'd never be able to make someone like you—someone good, the teacher's daughter—fall for me. I was reckless and angry, and I played along without thinking about the consequences. But that was a long time ago. Things are different now."

Lucas finally met my eyes, his gaze filled with a mixture of regret and sincerity. "I never meant for it to turn into something that would hurt you. What I feel for you is real. I'm not that person anymore. Missy and Charlie are just using the past to try to mess with us. I swear, Riley, I've changed. What we have is important to me."

I listened, my heart heavy with the weight of his confession. The truth about the bet made my head spin, but the earnestness in Lucas' voice and the remorse in his eyes made me question what I thought I knew. I needed time to process everything, to figure out whether the person standing before me was the same one who had made such a hurtful wager.

Tears burned behind my eyes, threatening to spill over as I listened to Lucas' confession. Each word he spoke seemed to break my heart into smaller, sharper pieces. The weight of his past mistakes and the realization that I had been part of a cruel bet when he was in a bad place made my chest tighten painfully.

My breaths came in uneven gasps as I tried to hold back the tears, but they began to spill down my cheeks, despite my efforts to stay composed. The depth of my hurt was overwhelming, and the tears mirrored the shattering of my trust. As I stood there, the cold night around me felt like an echo of the chill inside my heart, amplifying my heartbreak.

My voice trembled as I asked, "S-so it's true?" Tears streamed down my face, each drop a testament to the depth of my hurt and betrayal. My body shook with the force of my sobs, the weight of the revelation crushing me.

Lucas' face fell, his eyes filling with regret. "Riley, please, let me explain," he said, his voice breaking. "Yes, there was a bet, but it was a long time ago. I was reckless and didn't think about who I might hurt. I was in a bad place."

He took a deep breath, his eyes pleading. "I ended the bet ages ago. When I met you, everything changed. You made me see what really matters. I've worked hard to be a better person because of you."

My face contorted with a mixture of anger and pain. "How can you expect me to believe that now?" I cried, my voice raw with emotion. "Everything we shared—it all feels like a lie. Our entire relationship was built on deception. I can't trust anything about us anymore."

Lucas looked devastated, his tears mingling with the falling snow. "Riley, please—"

"No!" I interrupted, my voice rising with fury. "I hate you! I hate you for using me like that. I hate you for making a game out of something that was real to me." I glared at him through my tears. "Go to hell, Lucas. Just go to hell."

With that, I turned and walked away, my heart shattering with every step. The cold night felt unforgiving as I moved into the snow, the world around me a blur of white and icy grief.

As I walked further away from Lucas, my steps felt heavy and my heart even heavier. The cold night air bit at my skin, but the chill was nothing compared to the emotional frost settling in my chest. With each step, my thoughts echoed with the painful realization of what had just happened.

Why did I let him in? I thought bitterly, the words almost a mantra in my mind. I should've never opened my heart to him. I should've kept my guard up.

My tears fell freely, turning to icy trails on my flushed cheeks as I trudged through the snow. The memories of their time together, once so cherished, now felt like cruel illusions, tainted by deception. The warmth I had once felt in his presence had turned into a freezing void of betrayal.

I never want to have anything to do with him again, I thought to myself, as cold and unyielding as the winter night. The thought of facing him, of ever letting myself be vulnerable again, felt unbearable. I couldn't imagine rebuilding trust, not after this.

My mind was a whirlwind of anguish and regret as I walked through the snow-covered streets, my path illuminated only by the dim, distant streetlights. The pain of Lucas's betrayal felt like a physical weight, dragging me down with every step. Each breath I took was a painful reminder of how deeply I had been hurt.

As I turned a corner and the glow of the streetlights faded, I glanced back one last time, my heart aching with a profound sense of loss. The figure of Lucas was now a distant silhouette, swallowed by the darkness. The reality of their shattered relationship was a deep, aching void in my chest.

The night was silent except for the crunch of snow under her feet, and my thoughts were consumed by the certainty that what I had with Lucas was over. The promise of love and happiness had been nothing but a fleeting dream, now lost to the harsh truth of betrayal.

My heart, once full of hope and trust, was now a mosaic of shattered pieces, each sharp and painful. I walked on, each step echoing with the finality of my decision, as the cold night swallowed me whole, leaving behind only the stark, silent remnants of a broken promise.

♕THE END ♕

And that was the end of Game On, Pretty Boy. I hope I didn't end it too bad and that you enjoyed this!

Xoxo, Bee.