Obsession's Edge: Alaska

"Faster, babe… ahh…"

"Shit! You always tease me, sweetheart."

Ivy's steps froze in front of her boyfriend's apartment door. That voice, that disgusting voice echoed from inside, making her entire body turn rigid. She wasn't mistaken. It was Darren. Darren Xavier Bennett, the man who was supposed to be her future husband.

Ivy's heart pounded violently. Her hands trembled as she gripped the doorknob tightly. The visions of her perfect future—her long-awaited engagement party—suddenly felt like a living nightmare.

But fear and anger overpowered everything else. With ragged breaths, Ivy shoved the door open forcefully, making it swing wide. Her gaze instantly landed on a scene that stabbed her chest like a thousand knives.

On the bed, Darren, the man she had loved for five years, was pinning a woman beneath him. Their bare skin touched, their breaths intertwined.

The woman turned her head in a panic. Her long blonde hair was a mess, and her face flushed with embarrassment and shock.

"Luna..." Ivy whispered, barely believing her own voice. Her lips trembled, her vision blurred with tears. That name felt foreign as it left her mouth, like a blade slicing through her throat.

Yes, that woman was Luna Amara Jade. Her own sister.

Luna's face turned pale as she stared at Ivy, her eyes widening like a deer caught in headlights. "K-Kak… This… this isn't what you think!" Luna's voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

Ivy let out a bitter laugh, even as tears streamed down her face. "Not what I think? You're sleeping with my fiancé, Luna!" Her voice trembled, filled with years of buried anger.

Darren finally moved. He got up from the bed, his body still half-naked, his steps hesitant. He grabbed a shirt from the floor, trying to cover himself. "Ivy… I can explain—"

"Shut up!" Ivy cut him off, pointing at him with a fiery glare. "Five years, Darren! Five years I gave you everything—my trust, my love… and this is how you repay me? With my own sister?!"

The air in the room turned into sharp daggers, stabbing at Ivy from every direction. The weight of this betrayal was too much to bear.

Luna sobbed, reaching for Ivy's arm with trembling hands. "Kak, I… I didn't mean to. I didn't want this to happen!"

Ivy slapped her hand away, her voice like venom. "Didn't mean to? You know what's most disgusting about all of this, Luna? You don't even look guilty!"

Luna collapsed onto the floor, her body shaking, her sobs filling the room like a pitiful melody. But to Ivy, it was just an act. A cheap performance that couldn't hide their sins.

What shattered Ivy the most wasn't Luna—it was Darren. The man who was supposed to stand by her, defend her, was instead running to Luna's side.

With urgency, Darren grabbed a blanket from the bed, covering Luna's exposed body, shielding her as if she were something precious.

"Ivy, enough!" Darren suddenly shouted, his voice laced with anger.

Ivy flinched, not because of the yell, but because the man who had always spoken to her with gentle words was now protecting someone else. Her own sister.

"This is your fault, Vy!" Darren continued, his voice booming over Luna's sobs. "Five years, Ivy! Five years I've been patient! But you never once let me touch you!"

Darren glared at Ivy with burning rage, as if she was the reason behind all of this. "I'm a man, Ivy. I need love, I need intimacy! But you? You always refused!"

Then, without hesitation, Darren knelt beside Luna, pulling her into his arms. With infinite tenderness, he stroked her hair. "Don't cry, Luna," he whispered. "I'll always be here for you."

Those words sliced through Ivy like a blade. Her tears fell faster, but instead of breaking apart, she laughed. A laugh that was bitter, hollow, and filled with despair.

"You really are a bastard, Ren," Ivy whispered, her voice trembling. "And you, Luna. You're nothing but trash."

Slap!

A sharp slap landed across Ivy's face, sending her stumbling back.

For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. A burning pain spread across her cheek, but it was nothing compared to the pain crushing her heart.

Darren stood before her, his face dark with fury. "Don't you dare call Luna trash!" he hissed, every word like a whip. "At least she gave me what I needed, Ivy. Something you never did."

Ivy stared at Darren, suddenly seeing a stranger in his place. Her breath hitched—not from the slap, but because something inside her had shattered completely.

She wiped her tears away roughly, then stood up, her body trembling. With a voice that was weak but filled with resolve, she met his gaze with icy eyes.

"From this moment on, you are nothing to me, Darren."

Ivy turned and walked away, leaving them both in silence.

Each step felt heavy, but deep inside, a small fire had ignited. She knew this wasn't the end. This was the beginning of a new chapter—one where she would stand alone, but stronger than ever.

---

Under the Pouring Rain

The rain poured down in thick sheets that night, as if the heavens wept for Ivy's pain.

Her steps faltered, her feet soaked in puddles, but she didn't care. Her sobs blended with the roaring storm, tears streaming without end.

Every drop of rain that hit her skin felt like a whip, but the pain was nothing compared to the gaping wound in her heart. Darren and Luna's betrayal echoed in her mind, replaying like a never-ending nightmare.

"Why?" Ivy screamed into the empty street, her voice hoarse with despair. "Why did this have to happen to me?!"

The rain swallowed her voice, but she kept hitting her own chest. "Was I not good enough?! What did I do wrong?!"

Her steps stopped at the edge of a bridge. Below, the river raged, carrying fallen leaves and broken branches in its relentless current. Ivy stared at the water with empty eyes, feeling like one of those discarded twigs—worthless, abandoned, and directionless.

"Am I not meant to be happy?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain.

Her hands gripped the cold railing, holding on tightly. In her mind, memories of Darren flashed—his smile, his promises, his lies.

She shook her head violently, trying to erase them. But the harder she tried, the deeper they cut. She sobbed, her knees buckling until she collapsed onto the wet ground.

"God..." she whispered, her voice weak, almost nonexistent. "If I'm not meant to be happy… then just take everything from me."

But in the middle of her despair, a thought crept into her mind. A tiny spark that refused to die.

"Ivy Calista Jade," she murmured, forcing herself to breathe, even as her voice wavered. "You've been weak for too long. From now on… you will rise. You don't need them. You don't need anyone."

With the last ounce of strength she had left, Ivy stood up, facing the dark night with newfound determination.

She knew this journey wouldn't be easy, but she wouldn't let their betrayal break her.

Instead, it would be the reason for her rebirth.

The rain kept pouring, but Ivy no longer cared. Under the stormy sky, she made a vow—this pain would not destroy her. It would make her unstoppable.