Chapter 25 Glass Hearts
Becca’s POV
My feet started moving on their own accord. My brain was blank, unable to process what happened and I bet my heart had failed.
The night was cold and wet, but the rain couldn’t wash off the humiliation that clung to my skin.
The moment I stepped out of that ballroom, I knew something inside me had cracked.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think; everything felt like a blur of lights, champagne laughter, and Mark’s voice echoing in my head as his friends cheered him on.
I pushed through the hotel doors, my heels clicking against the wet pavement.
My red dress dragged on behind me, soaking up every puddle.
“Becca!”
His voice cut through the night.
At least my ears were still working.
I stopped but I didn’t turn, not at first. I wanted to, but my pride screamed louder than my heart.
“Becca, please, wait!”
I turned slowly. Mark was there, running toward me. His shirt clung to his chest, rain dripping from his hair.
He looked… desperate.
But I’d seen that look before, in men who only felt sorry once they’d been caught.
“What do you want!!”
“Please listen to me, I can explain,” he said, breathless.
“There’s nothing to explain.”
He stepped closer. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
I laughed, bitter and tired. “Then how was it supposed to be, Mark? Was I supposed to smile when they congratulated you? When your little club toasted to your victory? Should I have thanked you for proving I was easy?”
He flinched like the words hurt,I wanted them to.
Maybe that would ease some of the pain he had caused mem
“It was a mistake,” he said. “The bet was be… before I…”
“Before you what?” I cut in. “Before you realized that I was human and had feelings,”
“Before you realized that I'm not some toy!”
He didn’t answer. The rain filled the silence between us, hitting the pavement in angry drops.
“I know what it looks like,” he stuttered “But I swear to you, it stopped being a bet. I love…”
I shook my head. “Stop. You don’t get to use that word. You don’t get to stand here in the rain and say you love me like it fixes anything.”
He swallowed, his jaw tight. “I’m not saying it to fix things. I’m saying it because it’s true.”
That almost broke me.
But I remembered every time I’d trusted him…every time he’d looked me in the eyes and lied without blinking.
“You once said,” I said, voice trembling, “that you could make any woman fall for you. Congratulations, Mark. You did it.”
“Becca, please.” His voice cracked. “You don’t understand….”
“No, I understand perfectly. You always win,”
He reached for my hand, but I stepped back.
“Go home, Mark.”
He didn’t move. The rain poured harder, drenching his expensive suit. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but all that came out was a quiet, broken, “I never meant to hurt you.”
I turned away. “Intentions don’t undo the damage.”
And then I walked.
This time, he didn’t follow.
The café was half-empty when I arrived. The smell of roasted beans and baked bread filled the air, comforting in a way nothing else could be.
My dress clung to me, my hair was a mess, and I looked like someone who had lost a war.
Or probably a runaway bride.
The baker looked up as I walked in. “Rough night ugh?”
I managed a small nod. “You could say that.”
He just smiled softly and went back to cleaning the counter. I found my usual seat by the window, the same spot where Kira and I had shared coffee that one chaotic afternoon.
Honestly I felt bad, when I didn't see her at the counter. I was hoping to meet her
I missed her.
I missed how she filled the silence with her loud laugh, how she swore too much, how she made everything sound less serious than it was.
“What do you want, miss?”
“Signature Caffeine Fix,’’
The baker who took my order just smiled. It was the same order she had given me that day.
When the cup came, I wrapped both hands around it. The warmth sank into my palms, but it couldn’t reach the cold inside my chest.
Tears came without warning. Slow at first, then faster until I couldn’t stop them. I pressed my hand to my mouth to muffle the sound, but the sobs broke through anyway.
I didn’t even notice someone standing behind me until a voice snapped, sharp and familiar.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
My head shot up.
That voice. That red hair. That unapologetic stare.
“Kira?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You look like hell.”
Despite everything, a shaky laugh escaped me. Then I was out of my chair, wrapping my arms around her. She froze for a second before hugging me back, tight and warm.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Let it out.”
I did. I cried until my body ached, until my voice broke. When I finally pulled away, she guided me back into my seat, her hand resting on mine.
“Start talking,” she said.
I wiped my eyes with a napkin. “Mark… he made a bet. About me. All of it was a game.”
Her jaw tightened.
“Fuck him” she sweared.
I shook my head. “But he apologized. He swore it wasn’t like that anymore. And I believed him, Kira. God, I was so stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid,” she said. “You were in love. There’s a difference.”
The word hit me like a bruise.
Love??
I shook my head. “I’m done with all of it. I can’t go back.”
Her eyes softened. “I know you don’t want to. But for now… you have to.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
She hesitated, glancing toward the window like she was checking if someone was listening.
“Just trust me, okay? For your own safety, stay close to him. Don’t ask why,”
My stomach twisted. “Kira…”
She stood, grabbed her jacket, and squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll explain when it’s safe. Promise.”
And before I could say anything else, she was gone.
The door chimed behind her, and I was alone again, staring at the empty chair across from me.
Outside, the rain had slowed to a mist. The city lights blurred through the window, and for a second, I could almost pretend life was normal. But Kira’s words stuck like splinters in my mind.
For your safety, stay close to him.
It made no sense. None of it did.
Across town, in the shadows of a quiet alley, a woman in a black coat stood beneath a flickering streetlight.
The smoke from her cigarette curled into the night air.
“Release it,” she said.
The man beside her nodded and pressed send.
Within seconds, screens lit up everywhere.
LEAKED VIDEO: MARK SIMMONS AND OLIVIA CARTER — PRIVATE NIGHT EXPOSED
The woman smiled faintly, crushing the cigarette under her heel.
“Let’s see him survive this.”