The Cheating Friend

Ariana Cole stepped out of her car, her body aching from exhaustion. The dull throb in her abdomen reminded her of the pain she had been enduring all day, a sharp contrast to the warmth and comfort she had hoped to find in Liam's arms. She had called him earlier, her voice weak as she told him about her worsening condition. He had sounded rushed, dismissive even, as he claimed he was in a "business meeting" that couldn't be interrupted.

Now, standing in front of his penthouse door, something felt... off.

She reached for the handle, the key in her grip slick with sweat. She hesitated. The air was eerily silent, except for the faint hum of the city beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Then-

A muffled giggle.

Ariana's heart clenched. She knew that sound. Knew it intimately. It was a laugh she had heard a thousand times over late-night cocktails, whispered secrets, and inside jokes.

Sienna.

Ariana's breathing shallowed. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to turn the key. The lock clicked open, the sound slicing through the silence like a warning shot.

She stepped inside.

The penthouse smelled of lavender and musk-a scent she didn't recognize. The living room was dim, only the glow from the city lights illuminating the sleek furniture. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she took slow, deliberate steps toward the bedroom.

A quiet moan. A breathless whisper. Sheets rustling.

Her vision blurred at the edges, her stomach churning. Still, she moved forward, the pull of truth stronger than her dread.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Through the narrow gap, she saw movement-bare skin against silk sheets, limbs entwined. A low, intimate chuckle. Liam's chuckle.

The room tilted. Ariana gripped the doorframe, her fingers digging into the wood. Her breath came in uneven gasps, a storm raging inside her, but she refused to crumble. Not yet. Not before she saw.

With a final surge of determination, she pushed the door open.

Time slowed.

There, tangled in the bed she had once considered her sanctuary, were Liam and Sienna.

Sienna's head was thrown back, her golden hair fanned out on the pillows like a mockery of innocence. Liam hovered over her, his bare back shifting as he pressed kisses along her collarbone. The sheets were a mess of tangled limbs, silk against sweat-slicked skin.

For a split second, neither of them noticed her. And for that split second, Ariana's world crumbled.

The man she had loved for years. The best friend she had trusted with everything. Together. Like this.

Then Sienna's eyes fluttered open.

Ariana saw it-the moment realization struck, the split-second widening of her pupils, the flicker of horror before she scrambled away, clutching the sheets to her chest.

"Liam!" Sienna gasped, shoving at his shoulder.

Liam turned, confusion morphing into panic when he saw Ariana standing there. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again, as if scrambling for an explanation.

"Ariana-"

She laughed. A sharp, humorless sound that burned in her throat.

"Wow," she whispered, stepping further into the room. "This is... unbelievable."

Liam shot out of bed, yanking the sheet around his waist. "Baby, this-this isn't what it looks like."

Ariana arched a brow, arms crossing over her chest to keep from shaking. "Oh? Because it looks like my boyfriend is screwing my best friend while I was out dealing with excruciating pain and thought I could count on him."

Sienna flinched. "Ari, please-"

"Shut up," Ariana snapped, her voice shaking. "Just... shut up."

She turned to Liam. "What do you want to explain? How you lied about your 'business meeting' while you were busy with her? Or how, when I called you earlier, barely able to stand from pain, you barely pretended to care?" Her voice cracked, but she refused to cry.

Liam raked a hand through his hair, his movements frantic. "I-I made a mistake."

Ariana laughed again, but this time, there was venom laced in every syllable. "A mistake?"