chapter 4: The breaking point

TIANAH POV

The house felt colder now. The laughter, the warmth—it had all vanished, replaced by a suffocating silence that wrapped itself around me like a noose. I could still hear the distant murmurs of my friends as they gathered their things, whispering among themselves. They had been just as blindsided as I was. Just as betrayed. But now, they were gone, leaving me to deal with the one person who had shattered everything.

I sat frozen on the edge of the bed I shared with Oliver, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the silence. My engagement ring felt like a weight on my finger, heavier than it had ever been. Eight months. Eight months of lies, of deceit. And Oliver had the audacity to think this wedding was still happening?

Footsteps approached. My bedroom door creaked open. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Leah.

She didn't say anything at first. Just stood there, watching me.

I swallowed hard, my throat burning. "You should go." My voice was hoarse, but firm.

Leah ignored me, stepping inside. "Not happening."

I let out a shaky breath, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn't want comfort. I didn't want sympathy. I wanted to scream, to tear something apart, to make Oliver feel even a fraction of this agony.

Leah sat beside me. "Say the word, and I'll go to the guest bedroom and break his face."

That almost made me smile. Almost.

I shook my head. "I need to talk to him."

Leah exhaled sharply. "I figured." She hesitated, then added, "Do you want me to stay?"

I turned to face her. Her usual warmth was gone, replaced by something harder. Protective. Furious.

"No," I said. "This is between me and him."

Leah searched my face for a moment before nodding. "Alright. But if you change your mind…"

I squeezed her hand. "I know."

She stood, heading for the door, but before leaving, she looked back. "You deserve better than this, Tianah." Then she was gone.

I sat there for a few more seconds, my pulse hammering.

Then I stood, wiped the tears from my face, and walked out.

The guest bedroom door was only a few feet away. He was in there. Hiding. Waiting.

Coward.

I stood abruptly, my hands curling into fists. Every step toward that door felt like walking through fire, my rage burning hotter with each passing second. When I reached it, I didn't hesitate. I flung it open so hard it slammed against the wall, making Oliver jolt where he sat on the bed.

His elbows were resting on his knees, fingers tangled in his hair. He looked up instantly, his face a mess of emotions—guilt, frustration, something else I couldn't name.

"Tianah—"

"Shut up." My voice was cold, sharp. A command.

He closed his mouth, watching me carefully.

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. "Eight months," I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts. "You slept with Serena eight months ago. While we were together. While we were planning a future."

Oliver exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. "It was a mistake."

A bitter laugh tore from my throat. "A mistake?" My hands trembled at my sides. "A mistake is forgetting to buy milk. A mistake is missing an appointment. Sleeping with my best friend is not a mistake, Oliver. It's a choice."

He flinched, but I didn't stop.

"You looked me in the eyes every single day for the past eight months," I spat, my nails digging into my palms. "You let me sit next to her, laugh with her, trust her. You watched me talk about this wedding while she was standing right there. And you said nothing."

Oliver's jaw tightened. "I didn't want to lose you."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have fucked her."

"Tianah," he snapped, his voice laced with frustration. "It wasn't an affair. It was one night. I was drunk. I—"

"Oh, you were drunk?" I cut him off. "Well, that makes everything better. Maybe I should go out, get drunk, and sleep with one of your friends. Would that be okay?"

His expression darkened. "That's not the same."

"No?" I tilted my head mockingly. "Why? Because I'm a woman? Because I'm supposed to be better? More forgiving?"

"Because I love you," he said, his voice rough. "Because it was never about love. It was a mistake, and I regretted it the second it happened."

I stared at him, my heart hammering. "Did you ever plan to tell me?"

Oliver hesitated. That single pause told me everything.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You weren't. You were just going to marry me and pretend it never happened.

His silence was answer enough.

I let out a hollow laugh. "You're unbelievable.

He stood abruptly. "Do you have any idea how much I've put into this wedding? How much money I've spent to give you everything you wanted? The venue, the dress, the flowers—"

I recoiled like he'd slapped me. "Oh, so this is about money now?"

"I'm saying I've done everything for us, Tianah." His voice was rising. "I have poured everything I have into this wedding, into our life together. One mistake doesn't erase that."

I stared at him, incredulous. "One mistake?" My voice shook with fury. "You keep saying that like it's a broken plate we can just glue back together. You slept with my best friend, Oliver. You let her stand beside me, knowing what you did. You made me look like a fool."

He exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. "I was scared, okay? I didn't know how to tell you without losing you."

"You should have thought about that before you unbuttoned her dress."

His jaw clenched. "I'm not the only one who's made mistakes in this relationship."

My stomach twisted. "Excuse me?"

His eyes darkened. "Do you remember back in college? You had a thing with my friend, Marcus."

I stiffened.

He saw it. He took a step forward. "Yeah. You think I don't know? I knew about it. I knew you hooked up with him , and you know what? I still chose you. I didn't hold it over your head. I didn't end things."

Fury roared through me like a wildfire. "How dare you?" I whispered

"Tianah—"

"No," I snapped, my voice dangerously low. "Don't you dare compare that to this. You and I weren't serious then. We weren't planning a future. We weren't engaged."

He opened his mouth, but I wasn't finished.

"What you did with Serena wasn't some mistake from the past. It wasn't before us. It was in the middle of our relationship. It was while we were picking wedding invitations and talking about our honeymoon." My voice cracked. "So don't you dare stand there and act like this is the same."

He looked away, exhaling sharply. "I don't want to lose you."

"You already have."

His head snapped up, panic flashing in his eyes. "Tianah, please—"

I shook my head. "You don't get to choose when this conversation ends."

"I choose you," he blurted out. "Not Serena. Not anyone else. I choose you."

I froze

His hands balled into fists at his sides. "I love you. I want to marry you. I want us. I don't care about anyone else. I swear to you, I never wanted her. I just—" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I was drunk, and I made the worst mistake of my life. But it didn't change the fact that it's you. It's always been you."

I inhaled sharply, my chest rising and falling with the weight of his words.

For a moment, I let those words sink in.

The weight of them.

The way they used to mean everything to me.

Now, they felt empty.

I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs. "I don't know if I can do this."

His face paled. "Tianah I love you, I was just stupid."

"I need time," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "To think. To process." I swallowed hard. "But I do know one thing—this wedding isn't happening."

His whole body tensed. "You're calling off the wedding?"

I lifted my chin. "For now.

Silence.

Then he shook his head, stepping toward me, desperate now. "No. We can fix this. We've been together for years—"

"And in one night, you broke everything," I interrupted, my voice shaking.

His hands clenched at his sides. "So what? You're just going to walk away? After everything we've built?"

I didn't answer.

Because the truth was, I didn't know.

I didn't know what came next.

I didn't know if this was something I could ever forgive.

All I knew was that I couldn't go through with the wedding.

Not like this.

Not with him.

I turned toward the door, gripping the knob tightly. Before stepping out, I paused, my heart hammering.

Then I looked over my shoulder, meeting his desperate gaze.

"I'll let you know when I decide if this relationship is worth saving and don't you dare come an inch near the bedroom, I seriously can't stand the sight of you."

And then I walked out, leaving him sitting there in stunned silence.