The Beast Redemption

Chapter 1

I stood frozen outside the private room of La Torre Nera, my hands trembling around the Porsche keys I'd planned to surprise Garrett with. Seven years of love, of building a future together, crashed around me like shattered glass.

"How much longer are you going to string Thalia along?" A deep voice cut through the door.

My heart stopped at the sound of my name. The Porsche keys dug into my palm.

"Come on, Garrett. Lyra's been asking about you since she got back from Paris." Another voice chimed in, followed by the clink of glasses.

"To think you've been dating Theron's sister all this time." Someone laughed. "Does he even know his best friend's been sleeping with his runaway sister?"

My brother's name hit me like a punch to the gut. Theron. My brother Theron. The same brother Garrett claimed was just a friend he'd met.

"The look on his face when he finds out..." The voice continued.

"He won't." Garrett's familiar voice finally broke through. "Thalia was just... convenient. A replacement while Lyra was gone."

"Seven years is a long replacement." Someone whistled.

"She made it easy. So desperate for love after her family problems." Garrett's words dripped with cruel amusement. "All those stories about knowing her brother, about waiting to tell him until we were married. She believed every word."

The keys slipped from my hand, hitting the marble floor with a betraying clatter. The voices inside went quiet.

"Did you hear that?"

I didn't wait to hear more. I ran, leaving behind the keys to the Porsche I'd spent five years saving for. Leaving behind seven years of lies. Leaving behind the second family that had betrayed me.

…

I collapsed onto my bed, mascara-stained tears soaking into my pillow. The darkness of my room matched the void in my chest. Every memory, every kiss, every promise Garrett had made played through my mind like a cruel movie reel.

The front door clicked open. I wiped my face with my sleeve, forcing steady breaths as his footsteps approached our bedroom.

"Thalia?" Garrett's voice carried that same warmth I'd fallen for seven years ago. The bedroom light flicked on. "You won't believe what happened at dinner."

I rolled over, plastering on a smile. "How was it?"

"Great catching up with everyone." He loosened his tie. "The weirdest thing though - security found Porsche keys outside our private room. Can you imagine someone dropping those?"

My chest tightened. "That's... strange."

"Oh, and tomorrow night we've got plans." He sat on the edge of the bed. "My old school friend Lyra's back from Paris. She's hosting a get-together."

Lyra. The name burned in my throat. "The friend you mentioned before?"

"Yeah, just an old classmate." He waved it off, the lie sliding effortlessly from his lips. "You'll come, right?"

I met his eyes, searching for any trace of guilt, any flicker of the cruel words I'd heard earlier. Nothing. Just the same charming smile that had convinced