Moonlit Mountain (Caleb and Sarah)

Finding Forever After the Betrayal Chapter 1

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The phone felt lead-heavy in my hand, my mother's voice echoing

strangely from the receiver. "Violet, you know about the marriage arrangement we made for you years ago. Now that you're almost fully recovered, would you be willing to come back to Seattle and get married?" A beat of silence followed, heavy with expectation. "If you're still not okay with it, I'll talk to your father again about calling it off."

The silence in my dimly lit room deepened. It was the silence of years of unspoken expectations, of a life I wasn't sure I wanted anymore. Just as she was about to speak again, resigned to my silence, I finally spoke, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "I'll come back and get married."

Surprise colored her tone."Y-You'll agree to it?"

"Yes," I stated calmly."But I still need some time to sort things out here in Los Angeles. I'll be back within two weeks. You and Dad can start preparing for the wedding."

A few more cursory exchanges and I hung up. The moment the call ended, the muffled thump of music from downstairs reached me, punctuated by joyous shouts of "Happy birthday!" It was Aiden and Ethan's surprise party for Hannah. A shadow fell across my doorway. I looked up to see Hannah, a vision in a delicate dress and perfectly applied makeup, holding a Black Forest cake. A 7:12:28

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smear of frosting marred her cheek, a jarring contrast to her carefully Menu

constructed facade. "Violet," she chirped, her eyes wide and innocent. "Come on down and join the party!"

I saw right through her act, my voice turning cold. "I have work to do. You all have fun."

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly."Violet, d-do you not like me? that why you're making excuses?"

I frowned. I hadn't done anything, yet she was acting as if I'd wronged her. A

sneer escaped my lips. I was done with her theatrics. "Save the performance for Aiden and Ethan. It doesn't work on me."

As I moved to shut the door, she shot out a hand, catching it in the jamb. The door slammed shut, her hand caught between.

"Ow!"

The sound of her cry brought both Aiden and Ethan rushing up the stairs.

Their faces contorted with concern as they saw Hannah nursing her hand, her

skin already turning an angry purple.

Ethan, always the hot-headed one, rounded on me, his

eyes blazing. "Just

because you don't like Hannah doesn't give you the right to be so cruel, Violet! What happened to you?"

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Aiden, usually so reserved, looked at me with a disappointment that cur deeper than any harsh word. "Violet, it's Hannah's birthday. You didn't bouwoye so mean." His voice softened as he turned to Hannah, concern replacing the disappointment."Come on, Hannah, let's get some ice for that?

As Aiden led Hannah away, Ethan trailed behind them, his voice thick with

concern."Don't be sad, Hannah. You can have my new sports car I'llike you for

a spin after the party. A nice drive always helps, right?"

Hannah, finally mollified, offered a watery smile "Thank you, hiden" then,

turning to Ethan, her eyes glistening, she said, "But Ethan, please promise me you

won't race it. It's dangerous, and I'd be worried sick."

Ethan readily agreed, his face softening "Anything for you, sweetheart

Anything at all."

I watched them descend the stairs, their laughter echoing up to me. It feh

like a cruel parody of the life I once thought I had. It wasn't so long ago that in

was me standing between Aiden and Ethan, the object of their concern

I was a sickly child, my asthma constantly flaring up in Seattle's humid weather. So, at the age of five, my parents sent me to live with my aum, a docu

in sunny Los Angeles. It was there I met Aiden and Ethan, who lived new doon. From the moment they met me, they became my protectors, my knigins an shining armor. They walked me to and from school, brought me breakfast and 12:30

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warm milk every morning intercepted and tore up any love letters I received, and chased away any boy who dared to come near me.

As we grew older, their protectiveness never wavered Aiden became a successful CEO, while Ethan became an internationally renowned race car driver. Despite their busy schedules, they bought the houses on either side of mine, knocked down the walls, and moved in, taking turns cooking me inner every night.

When

my health finally stabilized and my parents urged me to return to

Seattle, they begged me to stay. They even threatened to leave everything behind and follow me. "Wherever you go, Violet, we go," they'd vowed, their eyes filled

with a desperate kind of love.

It was because of them that I stayed in Los Angeles even after I recovered.

But everything changed when Hannah arrived.

Hannah was an intern at my company. On her first day, she refused to join

the others for lunch. It became a pattern, and my curiosity got the better of me. One day, I found her huddled in a corner, eating a meager lunch of plain bread and pickled vegetables. That was when I learned about her difficult upbringing how she'd clawed her way out of p desperately careful with every penny.

Coming from a privileged background, I was heartbroken for her. I took her under my wing, often including her in my dinners with Aiden and Ethan.

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It wasn't long before the dynamics shifted, Aiden, who normally shunned social gatherings, went out of his way to throw parties for Hannah. Pahan, who lived and breathed racing, gave it up at her behest. Every day brought a new example

of their shifting affections, each instance chipping away at my already

fragile sense of belonging

I had been foolish enough to entertain the possibility of choosing between them, of finally giving in to their affections. But now, as I stood there, the echoes of their laughter ringing in my ears, I realized that accepting my arranged marriage might not be so bad after all, With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and set a countdown. It was time to leave. It was time to stop fooling myself. They had made their choice, and I was no longer a part of their story.