Chapter 3 Betrayal

Ally's POV

After Elliot left, I went back to the window.

Nathan is clinging to his mistress. His hand rests on her lower back a touch too intimate.

"Can you believe her audacity? Not attending this party," a voice hisses.

"Shameless, but the she-wolf Nathan is holding is even more so," another replies.

A breath hitches in my throat, and just as I'm about to drown in this sea of murmured cruelties, Poppy materializes amongst the crowd.

"Enough!" Her voice slices through the chatter.

The mistress recoils, her eyes wide with shock, unused to being challenged. The crowd parts for her like the Red Sea, respect and fear mingling in their hurried steps. "How dare you stand where the Luna should be standing." Poppy shouts, she turns to Nathan, her eyes blazing "Where is she?"

Nathan hesitates then replies, "In our bed chambers."

She runs from there and I lose sight of her until she materializes behind me.

"Ally," Poppy whispers, her emerald eyes soft and kind. "You need a break from this suffocating place."

I nod, still reeling from listening to her defend me. She throws her arms around me and I sink into them, craving the comfort she offers.

"Come with me to the seaside tomorrow," she urges, her tone light but insistent. "It will do you good to feel the sand beneath your feet and the sun on your face."

My mind flits to Nathan's iron grip on my life, his rules chaining me to the shadows of our home. But then I remembered the doctor's advice- how crucial it was for the baby, for me, to find moments of peace. I have to do this for my child, no matter how Nathan will react.

"Poppy, I..." The words tremble on my lips, my fear and longing at war in my mind. "I've never seen the ocean. And I can't swim."

She smiles, "You won't need to swim. Just let the horizon embrace you, and breathe."

"Okay," I whisper, comforted by her confidence. "I'll go."

Her grin is triumphant, and for a moment, I bask in the glow of her friendship, hoping that tomorrow will bring the calm I so desperately seek. She is truly my closest friend, I'm so lucky to have her.

The cool embrace of the ocean breeze brushed across my cheeks as I stepped onto the sun-kissed sands, the rhythmic lull of waves a soothing balm to my frayed nerves. Poppy strides ahead, her laughter mingling with the cries of seagulls overhead, and I trail behind.

"Isn't it magnificent?" Poppy exclaims.

I nod mutely, my heart swelling with an emotion that feels like hope. The salty air fills my lungs, and for a moment, the nightly torments at the hands of Nathan fade into the background of my mind, overshadowed by the beauty of nature in front of me.

"Here, you're missing something important." Poppy rummages through her woven beach bag and tosses me a bottle of sunscreen. "Can't have your delicate skin burning now, can we?"

"Thank you," I murmur, fumbling with the cap. My fingers pause as the scent hits me, rich and familiar- It's the same fragrance that lingered on Nathan's skin yesterday, though he was nowhere near the sea.

"Poppy, this scent..." My voice trails off, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

She beams with pride, oblivious to the storm brewing within me. "I made it myself. Took a little cosmetics course. Isn't it divine? I even added a special ingredient to make it unique."

Unique indeed. My mind whirls, piecing together fragments of doubt, of late-night whispers, and now this scent- Poppy's creation entwined with Nathan. But my thoughts a dark and I refuse to think about it too much, not here.

"Ally, what's wrong? You've gone pale," Poppy's brow furrows in mock concern, her hand reaching out to steady me.

"Nothing, it's just... very nice," I manage to say, forcing a smile as I slather the cream onto my skin, marking myself with the scent of betrayal.

"Let's walk along the shore," Poppy suggests, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the water's edge.

I follow, allowing the simple pleasure of wet sand between my toes and the soothing sound of breaking waves to anchor me, even if just for a fleeting moment.

The scent lingers, an invisible shackle around my wrist, pulling me back to a truth I can no longer deny. My heart tightens desperately in my chest.

"Poppy," I begin, my voice brittle, "This scent... it's too familiar. Nathan had the same scent on him yesterday."

She pauses, her grip on my hand loosening as she turns to face me with a carefully crafted expression of innocence that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Ally, darling, what are you implying?" Her tone is light, but there's a sharp edge to it that wasn't there before.

"Did you see Nathan yesterday? Were you with him?" The question feels like a rock in my throat, heavy and hard.

She hesitates for a fraction of a second before her shoulders square. "Yes, I was with Nathan," she admits, and the world tilts on its axis. "It's not what you think, though. We were just- "

"Stop lying!" I snap, breaking free from her grasp. "I trusted you, Poppy. You were supposed to be my friend." My voice cracks, tears threatening to spill over.

"Friendship," she says with a scoff, "Let's face it, Ally, in our world, we do what we must to rise above. Isn't that why you married Nathan?"

I feel the sting of her words more acutely than the salt in the air. "How could you?" I gasp out, pain radiating through my chest.

"Survival, sweetheart. I'm playing the game just like everyone else. And right now, I'm winning." Her lips curl into a malicious smile.

"Even if it means destroying others?" My hands ball into fists at my sides.

"Especially then," she retorts coldly, stepping closer until I can see the reflection of my wounded gaze in her eyes.

"Poppy, please- " My plea is cut short as her hand lashes out, connecting with my chest. The force sends me staggering backwards, and my balance is lost.

I fall. The air ripped from my lungs as the cold embrace of the sea enveloped me, the shock of the water paralyzing me. Salt burns my eyes, and my mouth fills as I sink beneath the surface. Disoriented, I flail, desperate for air, for life.