Chapter 162

Ian's POV

I refused to look at the phone Serena held out. Everything seemed to mock my current state.

"She wasn't even there," I said, my voice harder than I intended. "How could she have taken these photos?"

My mind raced to Nina's face, her gentle smile, the way she'd look at me with those adoring eyes. She loved me. She'd told me countless times how much she loved me. This had to be another one of Serena's manipulations.

"Think about it, Ian." Serena's voice cut through my thoughts, maddeningly calm. "Who knew exactly where you'd be that night?"

My fingers gripped the edge of the metal table. "You're trying to confuse me. Nina wouldn't-"

"The hotel room. The timing. The exact location." She laid out each word like a precise incision. "How did everything align so perfectly?"

A bead of cold sweat rolled down my temple. The officer shifted his weight by the door, and suddenly the room felt even smaller. I could feel my breathing becoming irregular, but I fought to maintain control.

"No..." I whispered, more to myself than to her. Nina loves me. She loves me so much she'd lose herself for me. She wouldn't... she couldn't...

"The cameras were installed before you arrived," Serena continued mercilessly. "Who could have arranged that, Ian?"

My hand trembled as I finally reached for her phone. The images were crystal clear - angles that couldn't have been taken in the moment. Planned. My stomach lurched as the implications began to sink in.

"This is impossible," I muttered, but the conviction in my voice was wavering. Memories started flooding back - Nina's insistence on that particular hotel, her detailed questions about my plans, the way she'd seemed almost... eager.

"And here's something you might find interesting." Serena swiped to another screen. "The truth about that night years ago, when I was drugged."

The phone clattered from my suddenly nerveless fingers onto the table. "What are you talking about?"

"Nina knew. She knew about the drugs, Ian. She helped plan it."

"No!" The word burst from me, but it sounded hollow even to my own ears. My body had started shaking, fine tremors I couldn't control. "You're lying..."

But even as I said it, pieces were falling into place. Nina's strange smile when we'd discussed that night. Her detailed knowledge of events she shouldn't have known about. The way she'd sometimes slip and mention things that had happened when she supposedly wasn't there.

"Enough, Serena..." My voice cracked. "I don't want to hear any more..."

"She even tried to seduce Lucas," Serena delivered the final blow almost gently. "Did you know that? While you were planning your revenge against me, she was trying to work her way into his bed."

The world tilted sideways. My vision blurred, and I could feel bile rising in my throat. The perfectly constructed reality I'd built around Nina - her love, her devotion, her innocence - shattered like glass.

"No..." The word came out as a broken whisper. My body was shaking uncontrollably now, hands gripping the table edge so hard my knuckles turned white.

I remembered Nina's face when I told her about my plans for revenge. Not surprise. Not shock. Just that small, satisfied smile I'd mistaken for understanding. I'd been nothing but a puppet in her elaborate game.

"Why..." The question burned in my throat. "Why would she..."

"Because you were useful," Serena said simply. "Just like I was useful to you, once upon a time."

The truth of it hit me like a physical blow. I'd been so convinced of my own cleverness, my own control. But Nina had been playing a longer game, a deeper game. And I'd walked right into it, blind and willing.

My head fell forward, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Mr. Whitmore?" The officer's voice seemed to come from far away. "Do you need a moment?"

I couldn't respond. The room was spinning, memories of Nina playing on endless loop in my mind. Each sweet word, each loving gesture, now tainted with the poison of truth. My chest felt too tight, each breath a struggle.

"The press release goes out in an hour," Serena said, gathering her things. "Nina's official statement distancing herself from your 'unfortunate actions.' Her words, not mine."

A broken laugh escaped me, bitter and hollow. Of course she'd already prepared her escape route.

As Serena turned to leave, I managed to raise my head. "Was any of it real?" I asked, hating the desperation in my voice. "Did she ever..."

"You should ask yourself that question," Serena replied, her hand on the door.

Twenty-four hours in police custody had taught me the value of control - of keeping my emotions in check even as my world crumbled around me. I sat very still in the metal chair, my fingers absently smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from my wrinkled suit.

I wanted to rage. To scream. To throw myself across the table and... but what would that accomplish?

As she turned toward the door, panic seized me. "Serena..." My voice came out rougher than I intended. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Did you ever truly care for me?"

She paused, her hand on the door handle. For a moment, I thought she wouldn't answer. Then she turned, and the look in her eyes wasn't what I expected. Not hatred. Not triumph. Just a tired sort of sadness.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said quietly. "I wouldn't have spent countless nights working, attending endless social events, for someone I didn't care about."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Memories flooded back - Serena staying up until dawn working on proposals, networking tirelessly at events I'd insisted she attend, sacrificing her weekends to help build my dream. I'd taken it all for granted, convinced myself she'd done it for her own ambition.

"I..." The words stuck in my throat. What could I possibly say now?

"You know what the difference was?" She wasn't looking at me anymore, but somewhere past me. "I never had to pretend with you. Until you decided that wasn't enough."

My chest tightened painfully. God, she was right. She'd never played games, never manipulated. She'd just been... Serena. And I'd thrown it away for Nina's calculated affection, her careful performance of devotion.

I stared at my hands, unable to meet her gaze. "I convinced myself you were using me," I admitted, the words bitter on my tongue. "That someone like you couldn't possibly..." I trailed off, finally recognizing the truth. "I was scared. Of not being enough. Of you realizing that and leaving. So I left first."

A single tear escaped, rolling down my cheek. I didn't bother wiping it away. What was the point of pride now?

"Nina knew exactly what to say," I continued, more to myself than to Serena. "She made me feel powerful, in control. But it was all an act, wasn't it? While you..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

"Take care of yourself, Ian."