Chapter:00001

Skye’s POV

My phone buzzed the moment I reached my door.

Come to room 201

I stared at the screen, my hand hovering over the lock button. I’d been awake for nineteen hours. My head throbbed, and the thought of a shower was the only thing keeping me upright. But Serena didn't care about schedules.

I let out a breath and headed for the elevator.

The door to 201 wasn't just unlocked, it was ajar. Then the sound hit me. Low moans echoing into the hallway.

I stopped short. My stomach did a slow, sick flip. Was she serious? She’d summoned me to witness this? For someone with her level of fame, the recklessness was baffling. Anyone could walk past.

I should have turned around. But I was too exhausted for her nonsense . I pushed the door open.

And froze.

It was Serena and….

"Alex."

His name slipped from my mouth before I could stop it.

He turned sharply. His eyes widening in shock

They were both completely naked. His hands restedon her hips, her body pressed impossible close, too intimate for my mind to process all at once.

"What the hell?" he blurted

He stepped back, snatched a robe from the bed and wrapped it around himself.

"Skye" he said, moving toward me "It's not what you're thinking."

I stumbled backward, my heart slamming violently against my ribs. "Then what is going on?" I shouted, my entire body shaking.

"What you saw…is exactly what you think"

Serena said calmly, picking up a white robe from the floor and draping it over herself.

The truth hit me all at once.

This had been her plan. She wanted me to see this, to walk in on them like this. To humiliate me. To break me.

My boyfriend.

Wasn't he supposed to be in Rome for a business conference? How had he even..

"How long has this been going on?" I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady.

"Ten months," Alex said quietly, his head dropping.

Ten months.

We had only been dating for a year and for most of that time, he had been sleeping with Serena too.

My legs nearly gave out.

I stepped closer to him and gripped the front of his robe, my hands trembling as if they no longer belonged to me.

"Why?" I whispered.

Then my voice broke. "Why her, Alex? Out of all the women in the world, why did it have to be Serena?"

"What do you think?" Serena said lazily.

I turned. She was already at the minibar, pouring a glass of wine with steady hands. She looked at me over the rim of the glass, her eyes cold.

"I'm a superstar," she said mockingly "Daughter of the Vaughn family, and who are you?"

I looked back at Alex, waiting for him to defend me. Waiting for the man who told me status was bullshit to say something.

He didn't.

"She’s right, Skye," he said. He didn't even sound sorry anymore. "You're nobody."

The room went silent

Before I could find my voice, Serena was already in front of me. She peeled my hands off Alex's robe and pulled it away as if I were something filthy clinging to him.

Then, she slid her arms around his waist, staking her claim.

He didn't stop her, nor hesitate.

I stepped back slowly, my chest tightening as I lowered my head.

"Alex is a De Luca" Serena said coolly. "You're just a street child my father brought home because he felt sorry for you”

My fingers clenched, then unclenched, my nails biting into my palms as I forced myself to look up at her

"I am not a street child" I said, my voice trembling. "I am…”

"You are no one, Skye," Serena cut in sharply. Then she smiled. "You have no parents. You're completely alone."

The words sank deep.

I had always brushed off Serena's cruelty, telling myself she was spoiled and judgmental, someone who spoke without thinking. But this time, she was right.

I was alone.

I thought I had someone. I thought Alex was mine.

But he wasn't with me now. Maybe he never had been.

The tears I had been holding back finally broke free, spilling down my cheeks in hot, uncontrollable streaks. It hurt so much more than I thought pain could.

I can't cry here.

I lifted my hand to wipe them away. And Serena caught my wrist.

"Cry, honey" she said softly. "Don't wipe them off so quickly"

I looked at her and saw it…that same familiar amusement. The look she always wore whenever I broke down.

She’d been doing this since I was nine. Pushing, prodding, waiting for the moment I finally snapped.

I didn't think, i just reacted. I yanked my arm back and slapped her hard across the face.

Serena’s head jerked to the side. She stumbled back, the wine glass shattering against the floor as she crashed into Alex’s chest.

They stared at me in shock, especially Serena. And for the first time that night...

I felt something other than pain.

I felt thrilled.

“Does sleeping with a street child’s boyfriend make you special?" I spat. I didn't recognize my own voice, it was low and dangerous. "It doesn't. It just makes you cheap. Which, honestly, suits you perfectly."

Serena’s mouth fell open, her hand clutching her reddening cheek. "You…"

I didn't give her the satisfaction of a second look. I turned toward Alex, but he was already invisible to me. "You both deserve each other," I said.

I made it three steps toward the door.

When my hair was yanked back violently. I screamed as I was dragged backward and thrown hard onto the ground.

I didn't even have time to gasp before she was over me.

Her palm struck my cheek, so hard my ears rang, my vision blurred

"How dare you treat me like that?" she screamed. Her face turned into something ugly and unrecognizable. She grabbed my hair again, twisting until my scalp felt like it was tearing away from my skull.

"I am Serena Vaughn. Top actress and you? You are just my assistant. You will always be beneath me…your whole miserable life."

She shoved my head toward the floor and stood up, breathing hard.

Alex stepped up behind her, his hand settling on her waist. He didn't look at me. Only at her, checking for bruises as if I were the villain.

I pushed myself up. My joints were screaming, and my face felt hot and swollen, but I didn't say another word.

I walked out.

The second the door clicked shut,

Everything crashed in on me. I didn't wait for the elevator. I hit the stairs, my hand clamped over my mouth to stifle the sobs that were trying to tear their way out.

I needed to get away,

From that room

From that hotel

From everything