Betrayed by love, redeemed by revenge

Mia's POV

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The IV drip was cold against my arm and so was the rhythmic beeping of the monitor the only sound in the sterile hospital room. My body ached, but the sharpest pain wasn't physical. It was the ache in my chest, the hollow feeling that had been growing for months.

I stared at my phone, the screen glowing with a photo that made my stomach churn. There he was-Ethan Montgomery, my fiancé of seven years. His arms were wrapped tightly around Rachel with her smile so wide it could have splited my phone screen.

"Reunited at last. A family moment to treasure forever," the caption read.

What a family moment. My family. Or at least, the people who were supposed to be my family.

My thumb hovered over the call button and this would be the fifth time I'd tried to reach him in the last hour. And each time I try his line, I'd been met with the same mechanical voice which says "The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message."

But not giving up, I hit the button anyway, listening to the line ring. Once. Twice. Three times and then the voicemail.

My chest tightened as he had told me earlier that he was too busy to be here with me, that work was piling up and he couldn't afford to take a day off. But only to find him smiling like he didn't have a care in the world, with his hand resting far too intimately on Rachel's waist.

Then the door opened, and a nurse walked in, her shoes squeaking softly against the linoleum floor. "How are we feeling, Miss Grey?" she asked, her tone polite but distant.

I forced a weak smile. "I'm fine," I lied.

With that, she proceeded to check the IV, and adjusted a few settings on the monitor, and then gave me a nod. "You're all set to go. Just make sure to rest and stay hydrated."

Hearing this, I nodded, sliding off the bed as she left the room. My legs felt shaky, but I ignored it, grabbing my bag and heading for the exit. Then the cold evening air hit me like a slap, but it wasn't enough to clear my head.

By the time I got home, the apartment felt colder than usual, as the silence pressed in on me from all sides. Ethan wasn't back yet and he hadn't even called to check on me.

So, I dropped my bag by the door and walked into the living room only to see his suit jacket being draped over the back of the couch, carelessly tossed aside like everything else in his life. I hesitated, my gaze lingering on it.

Don't do it, Mia, a voice in my head whispered. But another voice, louder and angrier, pushed me forward.

With that, I reached into the pocket, my fingers brushing against something small and cold and out of curiosity I pulled it out and froze.

Earrings. Silver. Elegant. Definitely not mine.

My heart pounded as I reached into the other pocket. And this time, I pulled out a small box of condoms. My stomach twisted when I saw it was open.

My legs gave out, and I sank onto the couch, clutching the items in my hands. Seven years. Seven years of love, loyalty, and sacrifice-for what?

This?

Then the sound of the door opening snapped me out of my daze as I saw Ethan walked in, his tie loosened and his shirt wrinkled. And he smelled faintly of perfume, a scent that wasn't mine.

"Hey," he said casually, as if everything was normal.

I stood, my hands trembling as I placed the earrings and the condom box on the coffee table. "We need to talk," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

He glanced at the table, his expression flickering for a brief moment before settling into indifference. "If this is about Rachel-"

"This isn't about Rachel," I snapped, cutting him off. I gestured to the table. "Care to explain these?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're overreacting," he said dismissively.

"Overreacting?" My voice rose, the anger bubbling up inside me. "Seven years, Ethan. Seven years, and this is what I get?"

Then surprisingly he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall with a smirk. "Maybe if you weren't so uptight all the time, I wouldn't have to look elsewhere."

Hearing those words hit me like a slap. My vision blurred with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of him.

"I'm done," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "We're done."

And for the first time, his confidence wavered. But instead of apologizing, instead of fighting for me, he laughed with a low, bitter sound that sent a chill down my spine.

"You'll regret this, Mia," he said, his tone dripping with disdain.

Then, I stared at him, my heart breaking into pieces as I didn't know how to put back together. "No," I whispered. "You'll regret it."

On that note, he grabbed his coat and left without another word as the door slammed shut behind him. I stood there, with the silence of the apartment pressing in on me like a weight.

For the first time in seven years, I was alone. Truly alone.

But as I sat back down on the couch, staring at the evidence of his betrayal, something inside me shifted. Though the pain was still there, raw and all-consuming, but beneath it was something else.

A spark.

I didn't know how, and I didn't know when, but I was going to make sure Ethan regretted every single choice he'd made.