It was just like any other afternoon, with a pleasant atmosphere for the young Antonella. She was playing the piano in the music room cheerfully, as she was composing a song for her beloved boyfriend.

🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 the beautiful melodies she was composing could be heard throughout the room, but she was interrupted by her stepsister Zoraya, who arrived without any warning...

"What are you doing, Antonella?" she asked, while filing her nails...

"I'm composing a song," she replied with a smile.

"Don't tell me it's for your dear boyfriend Harry?" the girl inquired, rolling her eyes, something Antonella didn't notice.

"Yes, it is," she confirmed. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Mmm, no thanks. I just came to tell you that our parents have been invited to a gala tonight in honor of the great businessman Roger Athonyson, and they want us to be there. Are you going?"

"I don't know, Zoraya, you know I don't like attending those types of events," she hesitated.

"Are you sure? I heard that Harry will also be there. And I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?" her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"If you attend the party, you'll find out. Trust me, you'll like it."

"Okay. And I'll go even more if Harry will be there. I'll call him to pick me up so we can go together."

"As you wish, I'll go get ready," Zoraya concluded indifferently.

"I'll do it later."

"Fine. 'Naive Antonella, you'll be surprised tonight, trust me.'"

Antonella gathered her things from the music room and happily made her way to her bedroom. She then picked up her phone and called her boyfriend Harry to see if he could pick her up since he was also attending the gala.

📱"Hello?"

📱"Hi, love, it's me."

📱"Ah, hi, love. What do you need?"

Harry's voice sounded a bit cold and curt.

📱"Uh... Zoraya told me you'll be at the gala tonight and I wanted to know if you could pick me up so we can go together... What do you say? Also, I'm preparing a gift for your birthday."

📱"Mmm, alright, I'll pick you up. Anyway, I want to talk to you about something tonight."

Harry's voice faltered a bit, and Antonella could sense that something wasn't right with him. After a year in a relationship, she knew him well enough to detect that something was off just by his cold and indifferent tone of voice.

📱"Love, is something wrong? You sound different."

📱"Nothing's wrong, I have to go now, I need to get ready. Goodbye."

Harry hung up without saying anything else, leaving Antonella with unfinished words on her lips.

She became pensive, wanting to know what he had to tell her and why he seemed so indifferent. Something wasn't right with Harry.

*****

Antonella Spencer is a 22-year-old woman, envied by many for her beauty. She has hazel eyes and fair skin, with an angelic face that emanates purity and innocence. Her lips are rosy and as sweet as honey; she is truly stunning.

The young woman has been in a relationship with Harry Parker for a year now. He is a 26-year-old man, the son of an executive, and they have loved each other madly. They have even planned to get married in the near future.

After Antonella's mother passed away from an illness, she was left alone with her father, Federico Spencer, who looks at her with disdain because she reminds him of his late wife. According to her father's version, Antonella's mother was unfaithful to him, something Antonella doesn't believe about her deceased mother.

Her mother was always a proper woman dedicated to her home, so she suspects that he was the one who cheated, as shortly after her mother's death, he was already talking to his current wife.

Antonella's stepmother is named Rosario Smit, but now that she is married to her father, she is known as Mrs. Spencer. She has a daughter, Zoraya, Antonella's stepsister, with whom she tries to get along, although Zoraya is very arrogant and thinks she is superior to others.

It was Harry who taught Antonella to play the piano, and since then, they have shared ideas for composing songs and spent time together.

*****

Antonella selects the finest gown from her wardrobe, getting ready for Harry's arrival. She hopes he will be surprised to see how beautiful his girlfriend looks.

*Meanwhile*

"Welcome back, sir. It's a pleasure to have you here," the secretary greets him with a bow.

"Not everyone will share that sentiment, Cristián," Roger comments while adjusting his tie.

"Sir, tonight there is a gala organized in your honor to celebrate your tremendous success."

"Do I really have to attend? You know I'm not fond of these kinds of events."

"Sir, influential investors will be there to congratulate you. It wouldn't be appropriate to snub them."

Roger lets out a tired sigh and gets into his car, accompanied by two bodyguards.

Antonella picks a red mermaid-cut dress, which reveals her shoulders. She pairs it with high heels, a belt, and finally, a black clutch with a silver clasp.

She looks in the mirror and is satisfied with her elegant appearance. She is sure that Harry will like it as always.

Her father and stepmother were already ready to leave. Antonella descends the stairs and sees them departing without saying anything to her, ignoring her presence.

She pays no attention to her father's indifference, goes to Zoraya's room to see if she is ready, but when she enters, she doesn't find her. Apparently, she had already left as well.

Everyone left her alone as always, but she still had Harry.

Antonella simply goes down the stairs and sits on a couch, waiting for Harry who should have already arrived. However, it was getting late, and he still hadn't shown up. She made several calls to him, none of which were answered.

She decides to take the invitation envelope on the table, leaves the mansion, and takes a taxi since her car was being repaired.

She feels a little bewildered by Harry, as he is also cold towards her. He stood her up and didn't come to pick her up as they had agreed.

After a few minutes on the road, the taxi arrives at her destination. She gets out and pays the driver.

Everything outside the gala venue looks beautiful. There are many people entering, but she truly doesn't know who Roger Athonyson is. However, she attends out of courtesy, as it seems he is quite important based on the presence of influential people from society entering the hall.

She hands the invitation envelope to the person at the door and is allowed to enter.

Inside, everything is beautiful: luxury, delicacies, and pleasant music. However, Antonella doesn't pay the slightest attention to such things; she simply wants to find Harry and talk to him about his strange behavior. Maybe it wasn't the right time, but something was going on with her boyfriend, and she had to find out.

Her father is talking to some executives, and her stepmother is by his side. She doesn't say a word to them and passes by as if she hadn't seen them. If they don't give her the slightest importance, she won't care to ignore them either.

Antonella scans the crowd to see if she can spot Harry or maybe Zoraya, to ask if they have seen him at the party. But she can't find either of them.

After searching for her boyfriend for a while, Antonella decides to go to the restroom.

At that moment, the special guest, Roger Athonyson, enters, and everyone's attention shifts towards him.

"Welcome, Mr. Athonyson."

"Congratulations, Mr. Roger, on your great success with the project."

"Congratulations, Mr. Roger."

Everyone congratulates Roger on his great success in a project that was of great importance to small businesses that benefited from his hard work.

The gala is in his honor. Roger is a very important businessman who manages both small and large companies. He is impeccable in everything related to his work. He has a charming demeanor, is truly handsome, and, above all, he is a millionaire.

Roger expresses his gratitude, and the party continues. Many women try to approach him, but they cannot due to fear of rejection. Roger doesn't pay attention to just anyone, and he has a reputation for being cold, never having had stable relationships, and not taking his adventures with hot girls too seriously.

To him, women who throw themselves at him are worthless, and many have approached him not only because he is good-looking but also because of his money and prestige.

Meanwhile, Antonella is in the bathroom, adjusting her dress and touching up her face slightly with powder and her favorite lipstick, which is not too strong, as she is not fond of heavy makeup.

She is a little worried because she can't find Harry, feeling that something is wrong with him due to his frivolous behavior.

After looking at herself in the mirror, she exits once again, walking through the hallways to reach the gala room.

But she stops in one of the corridors when she hears familiar voices coming from the back.

She approached to find out who they were. When she peeked and managed to see those who were there, speaking secretly and holding hands, she froze completely.

She stops and listens to their conversation.

"Now you won't back out, love, we've already reached this point. Don't you love me? She'll be fine, there's no need to hide it anymore."

"I do love you, babe... didn't I prove it to you last night?" the boy responds, grabbing the chin of the girl.

"Then don't feel sorry for her and tell her about us. You already left her waiting tonight for me, I don't want to wait any longer."

"It's just that I don't want her to hate you for this. And I don't want to hurt her like this either."

"I love you and you love me, it doesn't matter if she gets upset or not."

Antonella listens to her beloved boyfriend Harry and stepsister Zoraya speak in such an indifferent and selfish manner. She couldn't believe what her ears heard and her eyes saw.

Zoraya realizes that Antonella is peeking and watching that disastrous scene between them. She decides to wrap her arms around Harry's neck.

"Harry, you love me, right?" she asks him while looking at Antonella.

"Of course, I already told you, didn't I? Why are you asking?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just wanted to know if you love me more than Antonella. Am I better than her?"

"Of course, you're much better, my beautiful angel," he answers, gripping her by the waist and pulling her closer to him.

"Mmm, that's what I wanted to hear, sweetheart."

Zoraya decides to passionately kiss him, knowing that Antonella is present at that moment. She practically devours his lips with kisses just to show the young girl that Harry belonged to her.

Antonella watches that scene between her boyfriend and stepsister, trying to hold back her tears, but her eyes become glassy, feeling a tight squeeze in her chest that prevents her from breathing.

That was the bitter surprise that the wicked Zoraya had in store for her. She always tried to get along with her stepsister, even helping her with the company projects, but that's not what hurts the most. It's who it comes from - her boyfriend, who always claimed to love her.

She could expect that from Zoraya, but not from her boyfriend. She still remained incredulous in the face of the situation because she believed in the love that Harry swore to her.

Wasn't she enough for him? What does Zoraya have that she doesn't? These were the questions that ran through the mind of poor Antonella, trying to assimilate the sight her eyes beheld.

Antonella remained in the same place, watching as her boyfriend embraced Zoraya with so much love. She just wanted the earth to open up at that moment and swallow her. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, choking her and a lump in her throat.

She decides to take a few steps back while still visualizing the moment, then turns her back to leave. She wanted to go to where they were and confront them, but it would be a waste of time. The only one who would be harmed is her, and her pain would only increase if Harry told her to her face that he no longer loves her, although she knows that is the reality.

She tried not to cry as she walked down the hallway, but a single tear rolled down her cheek. That tear couldn't resist coming out, it only sprang forth because she couldn't contain the pain in Antonella's heart. She felt it slowly tearing apart, screaming for freedom. Not even it wanted to be in her chest because it couldn't bear that increasing pain.

What happened to Harry's love? What happened to their wedding plans?

How it hurts that one day you're important to someone and the next day you're worth nothing. That's how Antonella felt, that she no longer had value for anyone, not even for her own father, who only cares about his wife and stepsister.

What hurts her the most is that she always tried to be a good girlfriend, a good daughter, a good stepsister, and a good stepdaughter. Always giving love to others, even if all she received was contempt. She always put others ahead of herself only to later receive betrayal in return.

But what's the point of giving love if no one values it? Why do good things if only the mistakes are noticed?

Many things crossed Antonella's mind as she walked through the hallways with one hand on her chest and the other leaning against the wall. She walked with slow steps, that path became dark for her, there was only her and her solitude.

Antonella was heading to the gala room when suddenly the figure of a woman appeared in front of her. It was Rosario, her stepmother, who looked at her with satisfaction at her pitiful state.

"Have you finally realized that my daughter is worth it for him, right?"

"You already knew, didn't you?"

Antonella looked at the face of that woman, and all she could see was hatred and satisfaction at seeing her shattered.

"That's right, how could I not know? Even your own father knew about their relationship."

"My father? Did he know all this time?"

"We all knew, dear. The only naive and foolish one here was you, always trying to be perfect when in reality, you're worthless to everyone. It's time you understand that this is not your place, you're not worthy of bearing the Spencer name, especially after what your mother did to your own father. He must be turning in his grave knowing he was married to an adulterous woman."

"I won't allow you to speak of my mother like that! You have no right! Are you a saint perhaps? Aren't you only married to my father for his money? Tell me, who were you and your daughter before marrying my father? You were nobody! I'm sure my mother was never as low as you!"

"You insolent girl!" She slaps her across the face. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

Antonella received a slap from that frivolous woman; it hurt her so much that they spoke ill of her deceased mother. She lost control over her tongue.

But she was only stating the truth; that woman was nobody before marrying her father. The Spencer fortune didn't belong to either of them, but to Antonella's late mother, Mrs. Victoria Grimaldi.

"If you're satisfied, leave me alone!" she exclaims, hurt, while holding her red cheek with one hand.

"Well, this isn't over," Rosario mutters, arms crossed.

"What more do you want from me, Rosario?"

"The pianist couldn't make it to the gala, so your father suggested that you could be his replacement."

"I can't do it, I don't want to. Can't you see how I look?"

"I couldn't care less about that, just do as you're ordered. Don't embarrass us in front of all those people."

Rosario walks away with a smile on her face; they had already planned everything. Antonella was deeply wounded and that's exactly how they wanted her to play the piano for the guests, without an ounce of consideration.

Her own father knew about Harry's infidelity with Zoraya and yet he said nothing. She didn't have the support or backing of anyone within the Spencer family.