Chapter 4: The Ultimate Betrayal

The past few weeks had been a living nightmare. The restaurant was struggling more than ever, customers were vanishing, and my parents were more stressed than I had ever seen them. My father barely spoke anymore, his once lively energy reduced to exhausted sighs, and my mother had taken to running numbers over and over again, as if a solution would magically appear if she stared at the books long enough.

But through it all, I clung to one thing—Emily. My girlfriend, my rock. She had always been by my side, and I needed her now more than ever.

Or so I thought.

It started with the whispers.

I overheard a few customers talking one evening, just before closing.

"Did you hear about the owner's son's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I saw her at that fancy place across town—looked real cozy with the Sterling boy."

My grip tightened on the tray I was holding. No. That wasn't possible.

Still, the seed of doubt had been planted. I needed to hear it from her myself.

That night, Emily came by as usual. She had been distant lately, but I told myself it was just the stress.

"Hey," I greeted her, trying to keep my voice steady.

She smiled at me, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Hey. You okay?"

I wanted to ask her immediately. To demand the truth. But I couldn't. Not yet.

"Things are bad," I admitted instead. "The restaurant... my parents... I don't know how much longer we can last."

Emily shifted on her feet. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I know this has been hard on you."

I studied her face. "Then tell me the truth."

Her brows furrowed. "What?"

"I heard people talking," I pressed. "They said they saw you with Lucas Sterling."

She went very still. "So?"

My stomach twisted. "So? Emily, tell me it's not true."

She sighed and rubbed her temples, as if I was the one causing her a headache. "Ethan... why are you making this so difficult?"

"Making what difficult?"

She finally looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw it—something cold in her eyes. Something I had refused to see before.

"I was with Lucas."

The words hit me like a hammer to the chest. "You... what?"

"Ethan, think about it. Your family's restaurant is collapsing. You're broke. What kind of future do we even have together?"

"So you—" My voice cracked. "You're leaving me? For him?"

She didn't even flinch. "Lucas is offering me a future. A real future."

My fists clenched at my sides. "After everything we've been through? You're just going to walk away?"

She scoffed. "Don't act so shocked. Did you really think this was going to last? That we'd somehow make it through all of this? Look at you, Ethan. You're drowning, and I refuse to sink with you."

I took a step forward, heart hammering in my chest. "Did you ever love me? Or was it all just... a game to you?"

She hesitated. And that hesitation told me everything.

Finally, she spoke. "I cared about you. But love?" She shook her head, a mocking smile on her lips. "Don't be naive."

I felt like I was going to be sick.

She stepped past me toward the door, pausing just long enough to deliver the final blow. "You were nothing more than a stepping stone. Thanks for the memories, Ethan. But it's time for me to move on."

And then she was gone.

I stood there, staring at the empty space where she had just been, my entire world crumbling around me.

I barely noticed when I got home that night. My mother was at the kitchen table, flipping through unpaid bills with shaking hands. My father sat silently beside her, his face lined with exhaustion.

"We got denied another loan today," he murmured. "The banks won't lend to us anymore."

My mother sniffled, wiping her eyes. "We... we don't have enough to keep going."

I swallowed hard. "Dad, maybe we can—"

"It's over, Ethan." His voice was barely above a whisper. "We lost."

That night, I lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind replayed everything—Lucas's threats, the bad reviews, the health inspectors, the lost customers, Emily's betrayal.

How had it come to this?

Then, I heard it. A sound coming from my parents' room. A quiet, muffled sob.

My stomach twisted. My mother never cried.

I sat up, but before I could move, I noticed something on my desk.

A letter.

I picked it up with trembling hands and unfolded the paper. The moment I started reading, my breath caught in my throat.

Ethan,

We are so sorry.

We wanted to build something for you. A future, a legacy. But we failed.

We took out loans, but it wasn't enough. We tried everything, but Sterling Enterprises has crushed us. There's nothing left.

We can't bear to see everything we worked for be taken away. We can't bear to see you suffer because of our failures.

Please, my son, don't blame yourself. Live. Find happiness, somewhere far away from all of this.

We love you. Always.

Mom and Dad

I bolted up and ran toward their room, but deep down, I already knew.

The door was locked.

"Mom! Dad!" I pounded on it. "Open the door! Please!"

No response.

I threw my entire weight against the door, once, twice—on the third try, it burst open.

The sight inside made my legs go weak.

They were lying together on the bed, hands clasped. Empty pill bottles on the nightstand. Their faces were peaceful, as if they had simply fallen asleep.

"No... no, no, no..."

I staggered forward, shaking my father's shoulder. "Dad! Wake up!" I turned to my mother, grasping her hand. It was ice-cold. "Mom, please..."

But they were gone.

Something inside me shattered.

Tears blurred my vision as I let out a scream of pure anguish, of grief so deep it felt like it would tear me apart.

This was Lucas Sterling's fault.

This was Emily's fault.

They had taken everything from me.

And I would make them pay.

But first, there was one thing left to do.

I walked to the safe, opened it with shaking hands, and pulled out my father's old gun.

"You took everything from me," I whispered. "Now, I'll take everything from you."

And with that, I stepped out into the night, ready to end it all.

But fate had something else in store for me...

End of Chapter 4