Abandoned By My Boyfriend In The Mudslide

When the mudslide hit, Cora Miller and I both went over the edge.

My boyfriend didn't even hesitate. He hoisted Cora onto his back and hiked away right in front of my eyes.

He left me there, buried in the debris.

Everyone was in such a rush to get Cora to the ER that nobody even noticed I was missing.

By the time someone finally hauled me to the hospital, my boyfriend hadn't checked on me once.

But now that I've finally stopped loving him, he's standing here with bloodshot eyes, begging me to believe he still loves me.

The mudslide came out of nowhere. I was standing perfectly fine until Cora Miller grabbed my arm, dragging me down into the ravine with her.

Everett Thorne didn't even glance my way. His face was a mask of pure agony as he scooped Cora up and took off.

He didn't realize that I was actually the one who took the brunt of the fall.

A fallen pine tree had caught us both, but I was the human shield. I hit the trunk first.

A jagged branch had pierced straight through my foot.

Because I had cushioned her fall, Cora walked away with nothing but a few superficial scratches.

The moment Everett reached us, my eyes blurred with tears. I tried to call his name, but he was already gone with Cora in his arms.

He never looked back. Not even once.

I held on until Lila Brooks and the park rangers found me. The moment they lifted me up, the world went black.

I spent a full month in the hospital. Every time Lila came to visit, she would end up in tears.

"I'm so sorry, Aria. It's all my fault. I just assumed Everett was going to save you, so I followed them like an idiot."

"By the time I found help, I only saw Everett putting a girl into the ambulance. I thought it was you. I didn't think twice."

"I'm so sorry. I should have paid more attention."

I patted Lila's head to comfort her. Honestly, I couldn't blame her.

I was the one who assumed Everett would save me. Even after he walked away with Cora, I still held onto the stupid hope that he'd sent someone back for me.

The branch had gone deep, but luckily, it missed the bone. With enough physical therapy, I'd eventually walk again.

On the day I was discharged, Everett showed up to pick me up. He looked like hellDexhausted and gaunt.

He was incredibly careful when he lifted me into the car, treating me like I was made of fragile glass.

But the second we walked into his place and I saw Cora Miller sitting there, my heart hit the floor.

I used to be obsessed with being near Everett. Even when I moved out of my parents' place, I bought the apartment right across from his just to be neighbors.

Everett's living room was packed with his friends.

"Aria, everyone's here to celebrate you coming home," he said softly.

Before he could finish, a high-pitched, sweet voice cut him off.

"Everett, where do you keep the spices? I can't find them anywhere!"

"I'll get them. You'll never find them on your own."

Everett immediately stood up and headed for the kitchen.

"Hey! Why do you assume I'm that helpless?"

Cora's voice sounded playful and annoyed. Everett's tone was sharp, yet it carried an intimacy that felt like a private world I wasn't invited to.

"Go ahead and try then. I bet you five bucks you can't find the paprika."

"You're on! Just watch me!"

"Gosh, you two are like an old married couple. Do you need any help in there?"

Another friend laughed and headed into the kitchen. The sound of their collective joy echoed through the house.

I looked at the few people left in the living room playing video games.

Even though the house was full, I felt completely alone. I didn't have a single person to talk to.

Something warm brushed against my leg. A beautiful white Ragdoll cat was purring and rubbing against my ankles.

Lila had given me this cat, but Everett had been the one raising it.

"A little princess who can barely take care of herself wants a cat?"

Everett had laughed and ruffled my hair when I first said I wanted to keep it.

"Well, I have you, Everett. If I don't know what to do, you'll take care of us both."

"You're impossible," he had whispered.

I sat there stroking the cat, lost in a daze, until Cora came out. She marched right over the moment she saw me holding the pet.

"Aria, you should probably go wash up. Dinner is almost ready."

She naturally scooped the cat out of my arms. The cat didn't struggle at all; instead, it snuggled into her chest like she was its favorite person.

This cat was usually terrified of strangers. It took forever for it to warm up to anyone.

Watching Cora expertly feed the cat, my heartDwhich I thought was already numbDbegan to ache with a dull, throbbing pain.

"I'm not hungry. I'm leaving."

I walked out of Everett's apartment without another word. I hadn't been back in my own place for ten minutes before my doorbell started ringing like crazy.

"Aria, stop being so damn dramatic," Everett snapped the moment I opened the door.

"We spent all day in that kitchen just to celebrate your recovery."

"And you just walk out without saying a word? Do you have any idea how rude that is?"

"Can't you just be mature for once in your life?"

I didn't say anything. I just stared at the door until his footsteps faded away. It was only then that I realized my face was soaking wet.

The next morning, after Everett left for work, I let myself into his place and took the cat.

I have a friend who is a total cat fanatic. Sending Marshmallow to live with her was the best choice for the cat.

Once the cat was safe, I packed my bags and moved back to my parents' estate.

The Sterling mansion was as grand as ever, every corner dripping with elegance.

The Thornes lived right next door. Everett and I had been inseparable since we were in diapers.

Everyone who knew us knew I was the girl he spoiled rotten.

Everett was the only person I ever wanted to be around.

My mom used to joke that during my first birthday party, I ignored all the toys and crawled straight to Everett, refusing to let go of his leg.

Everett, who was only four at the time, sat there frozen, looking like he was facing a national crisis.

People still tell that story at parties.

My first word wasn't 'Mama' or 'Dada.' It was 'Everett.'

My parents were jealous for months.

Coming back to this house made every memory of him rush back.

My parents were surprised to see me, but mostly they were just happy to have me home.

After dinner, I followed my father into his study.

"Alright, out with it. You've looked miserable since you walked in. Did someone hurt you?"

Without a word, I slid a few photos of Everett and Cora across his desk. They looked far too close to be just friends.

My father, who usually had a smile for me, turned stone-cold the moment he saw them.

He knew exactly what kind of man Everett was supposed to be.

Everett was treating Cora as if she were special.

That 'special' treatment used to belong only to me.

I've always been someone who couldn't stand people touching my things, whether it was a toy or a dress.

If someone else can take it, I don't want it anymore. Showing my dad those photos meant one thing: I was done with Everett.

My father was silent for a long time. Finally, he looked up.

"What do you want to do, Aria?"

"I want to call off the engagement."

Everett and I started dating the day after high school graduation.

That very same day, he brought his parents over to our house to formalize our commitment.

My dad had spent years acting grumpy about it, even though he liked Everett.

"In a few days, when Mr. Thorne gets back from his trip, we'll go over there and end it," my father said quietly.

"Okay," I whispered.

I kept my head down, trying to sound calm, but hot tears were hitting the back of my hands.

When my father gently pried my hands open, he realized my nails had dug so deep into my palms that they were bleeding.

That night, Everett called me. He sounded frantic.

"Aria, Marshmallow is gone!"

"I just got back from the office and he's nowhere to be found. Did you see him?"

"I gave him away," I said, cutting him off.

A second later, Cora's angry voice blasted through the phone.

"Aria, that is beyond cruel! How could you just give him away like that? Do you have any sense of responsibility?"

"Do you even care about him after having him for so long?"

"How could you just treat a living thing like trash?"

I couldn't tell if I was more hurt by Cora using Everett's phone to scream at me while he stood there and did nothing, or by the fact that she was still with him at this hour.

I didn't want to hear another word. I hung up and ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Once I caught my breath, I blocked Everett on everything.

Lila knew I was in a dark place, so she dragged me out of the house for some retail therapy.

I wasn't really feeling it, even though the weather was gorgeous.

Lila loves jewelry. She dragged me into a high-end boutique to look at some new pieces.

Usually, I wouldn't care. Being an only child in the Sterling family meant I grew up surrounded by luxury.

Everett used to buy me jewelry all the time tooDpieces worth millions of dollars.

My mom said that even as a little boy, Everett was obsessed with buying me gifts.

The stuff he's bought me over the years could probably fill three walk-in closets.

We were finishing up our shopping when someone blocked my path.

"Aria Sterling? What the hell are you doing here?"

It was Caleb Miller, Cora's brother. I frowned, having zero interest in talking to him.

When I ignored him, Caleb actually tried to grab my wrist.

Lila was faster. She slapped his hand away and glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Lila looked ready to throw hands. Caleb froze, then yanked his hand back with a sneer.

"Aria, does being a rich princess mean you don't have to acknowledge people? I said hello."

I looked at Caleb, my eyes cold as ice.

"Who the hell are you that I should care about your greetings?"

A couple of the shop assistants nearby couldn't help but snicker.

This boutique was owned by my family. I came here all the time, so the staff knew exactly who I was.

Seeing how much I detested Caleb, the manager immediately stepped in to escort him out.

Caleb was humiliated. He tried to lung at me again, but my security detail stepped out from the shadows and blocked him.

"Aria, you think you can just insult people like this?"

"No wonder Everett says you're a nightmare to deal with. You're just a spoiled brat with a princess complex. You're nothing without your name."

Lila shot me a worried look. I just patted her hand to show I was fine.

"Caleb, if it wasn't for Everett Thorne, someone like you wouldn't even be allowed to stand in my shadow."

Caleb was Cora's brother, so I had the misfortune of meeting him a few times.

He always acted like he was superior to me, constantly judging me for being 'high-maintenance.'

He basically acted like I was worthless because I happened to be born a Sterling.

He even had the nerve to criticize me for carrying designer bags, saying I was wasting money.

I honestly wondered what went on in his head.

I was born into the Sterling family. I was born with a silver spoon, and I was raised to be pampered.

I could buy a new bag every day and throw it in the trash if I wanted to. I had the capital to do it.

Where did he get the idea that he had the right to comment on my life?

"Get him out of here," I told the guards, ignoring his shouting.

"And make sure he's blacklisted from every property we own."

The guards dragged Caleb away as he screamed profanities. I didn't care.

When I got home, I received a text from an unknown number.

It was a video. I clicked play.

The setting looked like a dimly lit VIP lounge at a club. The angle was hiddenDprobably a secret recording.

But Everett was unmistakable.

"Everett, is that Aria calling you again? Why aren't you picking up?"

Cora was sitting so close to Everett they were practically touching.

"I don't want to deal with her," Everett's voice was cold and distant. "She's being immature again."

"I wish she was even half as sensible as you are, Cora."

His voice was just as beautiful as I remembered. I used to suffer from insomnia, and Everett would call me every single night, no matter how busy he was.

He would talk to me until I fell asleep before going back to his work.

Even when he first took over the Thorne Group and was drowning in meetings, he never missed a night.

The voice that used to be my lullaby now felt like a poisoned blade.

It carved through my chest, one slow stroke at a time.

I don't remember how I got to my room. I just know I started smashing everything Everett had ever given me.

I went into a frenzy until my mother burst in and held me, crying. Only then did I realize I was covered in cuts and bleeding.

I hugged her back, but my throat was so tight I couldn't make a sound.

When we were kids, my parents were always working, so I was basically raised by Everett.

He knew every single thing I liked and hated.

I was a picky eater, but if Everett told me to eat my greens, I'd choke them down just to please him.

He was the one who taught me how to write. He was the one who helped me with my homework.

The man who had loved me for twenty years was the same man who had just broken me beyond repair.

Mr. and Mrs. Thorne returned home quickly. My parents took me over to their estate that evening.

To my surprise, Everett was there too.

And he had brought Cora Miller with him.

Everett looked shocked to see us. His composure crumbled instantly, and he looked panicked.

"Aria... Mr. and Mrs. Sterling..."

"Please don't misunderstand, Aria," Cora spoke up, her voice sugary sweet. "I'm just here to help Everett with some files."

Nobody in the room even looked at her.

Everett rushed over and tried to grab my hand, but I flinched away.

He immediately dropped to his knees beside my chair, looking up at me with desperate eyes.

I ignored him and looked directly at his parents.

"Mr. Thorne, like we discussed, I want to officially call off the engagement with Everett."