The Betrayed Oath

Chapter 2

"Sophia, do you really think confronting him will change anything? Men like Alex, they lie, they deny, and then they move on."

Elise's voice echoed in my mind, her smirk burned into my memory. I clenched my fists, struggling to steady my breath. The dim bedroom light couldn't dull the sharp edge of her words.

Across the room, Alex sat frozen, his face pale. He looked less like a man caught in betrayal and more like a kid who'd been caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

"Sophia, please, I didn't know, "

"You didn't know she was pregnant?" I cut him off, my voice sharp as shattered glass. "Or you didn't know how to tell me?"

He flinched. For a second, I thought he might actually break, but he stayed silent. That silence was worse than any excuse he could've given, it was a knife twisting deeper.

"Say something, Alex," I pushed, stepping closer. "Anything to convince me you're not the monster she says you are."

His jaw tensed, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach churn.

"She's lying, Sophia. I haven't seen Elise in years."

"Years?" My laugh was sharp, bitter. "So you're admitting you knew her. Were you with her before me?"

The room felt smaller, the air heavier. His hesitation was all the answer I needed.

"It was before us," he said finally, voice tight. "A mistake I left behind."

A mistake. The word tasted rotten on my tongue.

"A mistake?" I echoed, shaking my head. "She's carrying your child, Alex. That's not something you just ‘leave behind.'"

His head dropped, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach for me but didn't dare.

"I didn't know," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I swear to you, Sophia, I didn't know."

I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to. But Elise's words wrapped around my mind like chains, squeezing tighter with every second.

"Do you love her?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

His head snapped up, eyes wide, almost desperate. "No! Never. I love you, Sophia."

Love. That word felt like an echo of something that used to be real, something that had meant everything before tonight.

"Then why didn't you tell me about her?" My voice cracked, but I refused to break. "Why hide it?"

His silence was deafening.

Finally, he exhaled, shoulders slumping like the weight of his past had finally caught up to him. "Because I was ashamed." His voice was raw, stripped bare. "I didn't want my past to ruin us."

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Well, congratulations, Alex." My hands trembled as I wiped at my eyes. "Your past is here, and it's doing a damn good job of ruining us anyway."

Tears burned my vision, but I blinked them away. I hated crying in front of him. Hated giving him the satisfaction of seeing just how deeply he had gutted me.

Alex stepped forward, reaching for me.

I stepped back. The distance between us felt impossible to close.

"Don't," I whispered. "Just don't."

Then, something caught my eye. His phone, sitting on the coffee table. A single notification blinked on the screen.

A message from Elise.

My stomach twisted as I reached for it. Against my better judgment, I swiped it open.

"Alex, we need to talk. You owe me more than silence."

My breath caught. The message wasn't just a plea. It was a threat.

"What's this?" I asked, holding up his phone.

Alex paled. "Sophia, don't, "

"Don't what?" My voice rose. "Don't dig deeper? Don't find out what else you've been hiding?"

He reached for the phone, but I pulled it away, my heart pounding in my chest.

Another message popped up.

"We both know the truth, Alex. If you don't tell her, I will."

The room tilted. I felt the weight of her words pressing down on me, suffocating.

I looked at Alex, the man I thought I knew, and suddenly, he felt like a stranger.

"What truth?" My voice trembled, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. "What is she talking about?"

His lips parted, but no words came.

The phone buzzed again.

"Tick tock, Alex. The clock's running out."

A shiver crawled down my spine.

I set the phone back on the table, my fingers shaking. "You need to tell me everything." My voice was steel. "No more lies, Alex. No more half-truths."

His shoulders sagged, and for the first time, I saw something I'd never seen in his eyes before.

Fear.

"Sophia," he started, his voice breaking. "There's more, "

The front door slammed.

I jumped, my pulse spiking as both of us turned toward the noise.

Elise stood in the doorway, her expression calm. Too calm. That smirk still curled at the corner of her lips, like she'd already won.

"Well, isn't this cozy," she said, her voice dripping with amusement.

Ice slithered down my spine.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alex's voice was tight, laced with something that sounded too much like panic.

Elise took a slow step forward. "I told you," she said, eyes flicking to me. "If you won't tell her, I will."

She turned her full attention on me, her smirk deepening.

"Are you ready for the truth, Sophia?"