Chapter 07 - Torn Veil

Texas, two years earlier...

The door to the apartment opened, and a sense of relief flooded over Alec Stella as he realized that the weight of the day was finally beginning to dissipate. Working at Austin Air Force Base was exhausting, and all he wanted was a hot bath and some peace. However, as he entered the living room, any hope of tranquillity evaporated.

Alexandra, his wife, was sitting on the sofa. Next to her was Elliot, his friend and flying partner. The silence in the room was suffocating, interrupted only by the low sound of the TV. When they looked up at him, guilt was evident on their faces, and Alec's heart raced. The scene before him was like a punch in the gut, confirmation of something Mykaella Collins had hinted at weeks before.

Alec froze, stunned, unable to believe his eyes. His wife and his best friend were exchanging passionate kisses on the sofa of the house he had once considered home. Time seemed to slow down as he tried to process the betrayal before him. Elliot, the man he considered a brother and with whom he had shared so many confidences and adventures over the years. And Alexandra, the woman he thought was his foundation.

— Alec, please... – said Elliot, his voice failing as he tried to find an excuse for what Alec's eyes had already witnessed. – It's not what it looks like.

A bitter laugh escaped Alec's lips, laden with contempt.

— For God's sake, Elliot! – he growled, advancing towards them. – At least be original. Don't try to fool me with these cheap clichés. I know very well what I saw!

Anger seized Alec, and in an irrational rush, he lunged at Elliot, grabbing him by the neck. With one brutal movement, he threw him against the wall and threw a hate-filled punch. Elliot fell to the floor, but Alec didn't stop; he kicked him in the ribs with all the fury he felt. Alexandra screamed in desperation, trying to cover her body with her blouse.

— Alec, stop! You're going to kill him! – she begged.

Alec grabbed Elliot by the hair, forcing him to face him.

— Get out of my life, and never appear in front of me again!

Blood dripped down Elliot's face as he groaned in pain. Staggering, Elliot left the apartment without even looking back. Alec turned to Alexandra, who was crying convulsively a few meters away from him. Her tears, however, did not arouse the slightest compassion in him.

— Alec, I can explain! – she sobbed, her voice trembling. – It was him! Elliot seduced me, I didn't want him to!

— Did he? What about Michael? Did he “seduce” you too? – Alec asked, cold as ice. Alexandra widened her eyes in surprise. – I know about you and Michael. Myka told me everything, but I didn't want to believe it... until now.

— Alec, I don't know what that big mouth Mykaella told you, but it's a lie! – she shouted, desperate. – She's hated me since high school!

Alec let out a cold laugh.

— And now I'm beginning to understand why.

She tried to move closer, seeking the comfort of a hug. But he pulled away, not wanting any more touch, any more false words. Alexandra bowed her head, unable to bear the weight of the betrayal she had committed.

Mykaella Collins had never been close to Alexandra, and when she had come to Alec to tell him that she had caught her fiancé with his wife, he had doubted it. Worse, he was cruel to her, dismissing her words and leaving her to suffer alone. Now he felt like an idiot for not listening.

— I want you to get your things and get out of my house! – he said, without emotion. – You have 24 hours. If I come back and still find you or any of your things here, I'll throw everything out on the street.

As she turned to leave, a lump formed in her throat, and the tears she was holding back began to fill her eyes. There was nothing more to say. Her world had fallen apart, and Alexandra and Elliot's betrayal was stuck in her chest like a wound that would never heal. Trust, the foundation of everything he believed in, was shattered.

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