CHAPTER 1: THE BETRAYAL Today was supposed to be special.

It wasn’t my birthday or graduation day, but it marked a year since I had first started dating Daniel, the man who owned the small but popular restaurant where I had been working part-time. It had been exactly one year since I agreed to be his girlfriend. I had held on to this day like a lifeline, believing it meant something important, something worth celebrating.

For weeks, I had been saving up a little from my wages, cutting corners on my meals, skipping things I wanted, just so I could afford a gift for him. It wasn’t much, but to me it meant the world. I finally decided on a pair of shoes I had noticed him admiring in a shop window weeks ago. They weren’t cheap, at least not for someone like me who had to stretch every dollar to cover rent, tuition, and my mother’s endless hospital bills.

The store was bright and full of the rich, well-dressed people I had always felt out of place among. As I carefully placed the shoes on the counter, my hands trembled. The salesgirl looked at me, her lips curling into a mocking smile as her eyes flicked over my simple clothes.

“Are you sure you can afford this?” she asked, half-joking, half-serious.

My cheeks burned. I forced myself to nod, though my heart ached with embarrassment. I paid in cash, sliding over my hard-earned savings without hesitation. When she placed the shoebox into a glossy bag, I clutched it tightly, almost protectively, as if she might take it back from me.

Stepping out of the shop, I felt both shy and excited. My humiliation at the salesgirl’s words faded as I thought of Daniel’s face when he saw the gift. I could already picture his smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he was genuinely happy. Maybe this would be the first real step toward a future together, something solid.

I caught myself daydreaming about our date tonight, imagining him holding my hand, maybe even whispering words that promised tomorrow. The thought warmed me, making me forget the exhaustion of long shifts and the weight of my mother’s medical bills. For just today, I wanted to feel like an ordinary girl celebrating love.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the air smelled of fresh bread and coffee. The familiar noise of clinking glasses and soft chatter wrapped around me. My best friend and co-worker, Celina, spotted me the moment I stepped in. She hurried over, her brown hair bouncing around her shoulders.

“Evelyn!” she called, pulling me aside. “Don’t bother looking for Daniel. He hasn’t been around all day.”

Her words made me pause. My grip on the gift bag tightened. “Not around? At all?”

Celina shook her head. “Nope. Didn’t come in this morning, and no calls either.”

A little pang of disappointment stabbed at my chest. But almost immediately, I brushed it off, forcing a smile. “Maybe he’s planning a surprise for tonight.”

Celina tilted her head, skeptical. “Maybe. Just… don’t get your hopes too high, okay?”

But I couldn’t help it. The thought of a surprise made my heart beat faster. Maybe Daniel had gone out of his way to make our anniversary special. Maybe he wanted to prove how much I meant to him. My excitement only grew as the hours passed, even though I noticed Celina watching me with quiet concern.

By the time evening rolled around, I had changed into a simple dress I had ironed the night before. I was ready, prepared for what I thought would be a night to remember.

My phone buzzed. For a moment, I thought it might be Daniel himself. But it wasn’t.

It was his friend. His voice on the other end was casual, almost amused. “Hey, Evelyn. Daniel’s here at the bar. He’s pretty drunk. Thought you should know.”

I froze. “Drunk? At the bar?” My eyes darted to the gift bag sitting on the counter. “But… tonight’s important.”

The man chuckled. “Well, he’s here if you want to pick him up.”

The call ended, leaving me trembling with frustration. My excitement drained, replaced by irritation. How could he? How could he spend our anniversary getting drunk with his friends? Still, I told myself not to make things worse. If I left him there, the night would only end in a fight.

So I went.

The bar was dim and crowded, filled with the smell of alcohol and smoke. Music thudded in my chest as I pushed through the crowd, clutching the gift bag tightly. And then I saw him.

Daniel wasn’t alone.

He was sitting in a booth, his arm wrapped around a woman with long, wavy hair I instantly recognized. His ex. Their lips were pressed together in a kiss that made my stomach twist violently.

My feet stopped moving. For a second, I couldn’t breathe.

Heat surged up my face. Before I could think, before I could stop myself, I grabbed the nearest glass from a passing waiter’s tray and stormed toward them.

The cold liquid splashed over them both, Daniel jerking back in shock while his ex gasped, wiping at her face.

“What the hell, Evelyn?!” Daniel snapped, his eyes wide.

My voice shook, not with fear, but with rage. “Do you even remember what day it is?”

He blinked, then frowned, guilt flickering in his eyes before quickly hardening into annoyance. “Oh, come on. Don’t make a scene.”

“A scene?” My voice rose. “You’re kissing her on our anniversary! After everything I’ve done for you

Daniel cut me off, his tone sharp, cruel. “You don’t get it, do you? I’ve never really wanted you. You were just… a substitute for her.”

The words hit me like a slap. My throat tightened, and I felt the room tilt around me.

“As for the rest…” he continued coldly, “you’ve never satisfied me. Not once. Not in the way I needed.”

Humiliation burned through me, my hands trembling at my sides. My heart cracked, piece by piece, as his words sank in.

His ex smirked, leaning closer, her voice dripping with mockery. “So you’re the substitute? That explains everything. I broke up with him because I went abroad, but now I’m back. Which means…” She looked me up and down with disdain. “You can piss off.”

My fury exploded. My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall. “We’re done,” I spat, my voice shaking but firm.

I didn’t wait for his response. My chest ached as I spun around and stormed out of the bar, the shoebox still clutched in my hand. The night air hit me like a slap, but it wasn’t enough to clear the storm raging inside me.

Everything I thought I had every dream I’d been holding onto shattered in that moment.

And somewhere deep inside, I knew this was only the beginning.