LOVE ON PAPER

"This can't be happening," Rania whispered to herself, her eyes fixed on the video sent by an unknown number just minutes ago.

She walked swiftly into a downtown nightclub, pushing through the crowd that was absorbed in the booming karaoke music.

Rania clutched her phone tightly, trying to brush away the worst-case scenarios running through her head, hoping that the video wasn't real.

But all her hope shattered when she spotted her fiancé making out with her best friend on a sofa.

Her world came to a halt. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, and her body grew weak as she stood there, witnessing the two people she trusted most tangled up in each other in the corner of the room, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

Rania clenched her fists tightly. She had been standing there like a fool for minutes, watching their shameful display.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears harshly, trying to hold herself together.

"Damian..." Rania's voice rose, unleashing the storm of emotions within her.

Damian froze, eyes wide in shock upon seeing Rania standing there, watching them in the middle of their lustful embrace.

Camila quickly adjusted her clothes and stood up from Damian's lap, struggling to explain the obvious-because Rania had seen everything.

"Rania, I can explain-" Camila said with a guilty look on her face.

"Shut your mouth!" Rania snapped, pointing at Camila furiously.

Camila fell silent, lowering her head in shame. She knew she was truly in the wrong-she had betrayed her best friend.

She couldn't take it anymore. She and Damian had loved each other for a long time, and they had been secretly seeing each other behind Rania's back.

Instead of apologizing, Damian chuckled coldly, mocking Rania with his eyes. He didn't care.

"You should've known, Rania. I never really loved you from the start," he said flatly.

Rania froze, stunned to hear those words directly from Damian's mouth. It hurt. Deeply. But instead of breaking down, she laughed at the both of them.

"All this time, I was just an obstacle to you two, wasn't I?" she said bitterly. "Well, starting today, we're done, Damian."

She pulled off her engagement ring and threw it at them.

"Congratulations. I hope you have a baby soon," Rania said coldly.

She turned and walked out of the room. Let another woman have him. A man like Damian wasn't husband material.

"I'll make you regret this, Damian," she whispered with vengeance.

Back inside, Camila started to chase after Rania, but Damian grabbed her hand.

"I don't want Rania to hate me, Damian. She needs to hear us out. You can't just stand there doing nothing!" Camila said in a panic.

"There's no need. She ended our engagement, which means she's ready to live without me. Let's just focus on our relationship now, Camila," Damian said.

"No one can stop us from being together anymore. You've always been too kind to her, even if it hurt you," he added firmly.

Camila was touched. She hugged Damian tightly, a sly smile playing on her lips. She had won him over from her own best friend.

"Thank you, Damian, for choosing me," she said.

***

Rania sat alone at a bus stop, her face pale, eyes swollen. She didn't care about the cold wind biting at her skin. She just sat there, numb.