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Chapter 4 - Heart Shattered

Belle's POV

"Run!"

My legs moved before my brain could catch up. I turned and bolted down the hallway, away from the bedroom, away from the sight that would be burned into my mind forever.

Noah. My Noah. In bed with Talia. My best friend.

The flowers scattered behind me as I ran. The gift I'd bought with my last twenty dollars lay forgotten on the floor. None of it mattered now. Nothing mattered now.

"Belle, wait!" Noah's voice echoed behind me, but I didn't stop.

I couldn't stop.

My hands shook as I fumbled for my phone. The screen was blurry through my tears, but I managed to find the number I hadn't called in four years.

Dad.

The phone rang once. Twice. Please answer, I thought desperately. Please.

"Belle?" His voice was shocked. "Sweetheart, is that you?"

I broke down completely. Four years of acting to be strong, four years of working myself to death, four years of believing in love that was all a lie. It all came crashing down at once.

"Daddy," I cried into the phone. "I want to come home."

There was silence on the other end. Then, quietly: "I'll send the plane."

I hung up and slumped against the wall in the hallway. Other people walked past me, but I didn't care. Let them stare. Let them see Belle Whitmore crying her eyes out in a dirty apartment building.

Wait. Belle Whitmore.

For four years, I'd been just Belle. Plain Belle who did three jobs and lived in a tiny apartment with her writer boyfriend. Belle who took the bus and bought day-old flowers and counted every penny.

But I wasn't just Belle. I was Belle Whitmore. Daughter of Robert Whitmore, CEO of Whitmore Industries. Heiress to a fortune worth billions.

And I'd given it all up for Noah.

Noah, who was cheating on me with my best friend.

My phone buzzed with texts. Lots of them.

"Belle, please come back. Let me explain." - Noah

"It's not what it looks like." - Noah

"I love you. This was a mistake." - Noah

I almost laughed. Almost. If I started laughing now, I might never stop.

Then I saw the text from Talia.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But you deserved to know the truth."

The truth? What truth? That my boyfriend was a cheater and my best friend was a liar?

Or was there more?

I thought back to all the times Talia had asked me about my family. About why I never talked about them. About whether I missed my "old life."

I'd always thought she was being a good friend, trying to understand me. But now...

Now I wondered if she'd known all along.

Another text popped up. This one from a number I didn't recognize.

"Miss Whitmore, your father has arranged for a car to pick you up. It will be there in ten minutes. Please be ready."

Miss Whitmore. When was the last time anyone had called me that?

I stood up and wiped my eyes. I couldn't fall apart totally. Not yet. I had to get home first.

But as I walked toward the building exit, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Belle! Belle, stop!"

I turned around. Noah was running toward me, still putting on his shirt. He looked desperate and scared.

Good.

"Don't," I said when he got close. "Don't say a word."

"Please, just let me explain—"

"Explain what?" My voice came out stronger than I felt. "Explain how you've been sleeping with my best friend? Explain how everything you've ever said to me was a lie?"

Noah's face crumpled. "It wasn't all a lie. I do care about you, Belle. I just... I got confused."

"Confused?" I laughed, but it sounded bitter. "About what? About whether stealing was wrong?"

"You don't understand. You work all the time. We never have money for anything. I felt trapped—"

"So you decided to trap someone else's heart instead?"

He reached for me, but I stepped back. "Belle, please. We can work this out. I'll end things with Talia. We can start over."

"Start over?" I stared at him like he was crazy. "Noah, you destroyed everything. There's nothing left to start over with."

A black car pulled up to the curb. Expensive. The kind of car I used to ride in every day before I met Noah.

Noah saw it and frowned. "Whose car is that?"

I didn't answer. I just walked toward it.

"Belle? Belle, whose car is that? How can you afford—" Noah's voice cut off as understanding hit him.

The driver got out and opened the door for me. He was wearing an outfit I recognized. Whitmore Industries.

"Miss Whitmore," he said with a small bow. "Welcome home."

I saw Noah's face go white. "Miss Whitmore? Belle, what is he talking about?"

I got into the car without looking back. But just before the driver closed the door, I heard Noah shout something that made my blood freeze.

"How long have you known? Talia, how long have you known she was rich?"

And Talia's words, clear as day: "Long enough."

The car door slammed shut, but I could still hear Noah screaming outside.

"You used me! You knew she had money and you used me to get to her!"

"Of course I did, you idiot!"

My hands started shaking again. It wasn't just about Noah cheating. It wasn't just about Talia breaking our friendship.

This was bigger. Much bigger.

"Miss, are you all right?" the driver asked, looking at me in the mirror.

"Drive," I whispered. "Just drive."

As we pulled away, I saw Noah standing in the street, looking after the car with his mouth hanging open. He was finally realizing who I really was.

But more importantly, I was finally remembering who I really was.

Belle Whitmore. Not just some girl who could be used and thrown away.

I was going home. And when I got there, I was going to find out exactly what Talia meant by "long enough."

My phone rang. Dad again.

"Belle? Are you in the car?"

"Yes," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Good. We need to talk when you get home. There are some things about your... situation... that you need to know."

"What kind of things?"

There was a pause. "The kind that explain why someone has been watching you for the past two years."

My heart stopped. "What did you say?"

"Belle, the company has been getting reports about your actions. Someone paid a private investigator to follow you. We've been trying to figure out who and why."

The world started spinning. Reports about my actions. Someone watching me.

"Daddy," I whispered, "I think I know who."

"Who, sweetheart?"

I closed my eyes and saw Talia's face. Her smile when she said "Long enough."

"My best friend," I said. "The one who just destroyed my life."

"Belle..." My father's voice was deadly serious. "That's not all she ruined. We need to get you somewhere safe. Now."

"Safe? From what?"

"From whoever hired her to get close to you. Because Belle, this wasn't just about breaking up your relationship. This was about getting you to come home."

The phone went dead in my hands.

Outside the car window, the city flew past in a blur. But all I could think about was Talia's last text.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But you deserved to know the truth."

What truth was she talking about?

And why did I suddenly feel like I was going into a trap?

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