The morning sunshine reflected on the mirrors of vehicles as a young man slowly weaved his scooter through the traffic.
He was wearing a clean white shirt and a bright red helmet. And a bundle of three pizza packets was strapped behind him, ready for delivery.
Screech!
The scooter came to a stop in front of a five-star hotel.
The young man parked the scooter to the side and walked toward the main entrance.
But just as he reached the door and was about to enter, a broad-shouldered, muscular man stepped forward and blocked his way with one hand.
"Who are you? And where do you think you're going?" he asked firmly.
He was the hotel's security guard.
The young man held out his phone while panting slightly. "My name's Ethan. I'm here to deliver food."
The screen displayed the receipt:
Pizza Blast:
Quantity: 01 (14-inch)
Customer: Lucas Wakes
Address: Crystal Nexus, Room 502
Though Crystal Nexus was one of the best five-star hotels in the city and the food served here was among the best, Pizza Blast's pizza was on a whole different level. So, it was common for pizza lovers to order pizza from Pizza Blast even after staying at Nexus.
After glancing over the order, the guard nodded and stepped aside.
"You can go in." Though he looked intimidating, his behaviour wasn't unreasonable.
After entering the lobby it didn't take for Ethan to make his way to the fifth floor.
510… 509… 508...…. 502!
He found the room as well.
He marched ahead in hurried steps as there were still two more deliveries within the next 30 minutes. "If I can make it in time, it would be my first month without a single late task. That meants a $500 bonus on top of my regular salary." Smiling at the thought, he raised his hand to press the bell.
But just then...
He froze.
The door was slightly open.
But it wasn't the open door that had stunned him.
It was the muffled moaning drifting out from inside.
And more than anything… the voice sounded familiar. Far too familiar to mistake for anyone else's.
His hand trembled, heart started to pound.
He panicked and tried to shut down the thoughts rising in his mind. Heturned around quickly, ready to leave...
But before he could take even a step, his legs stiffened. Something inside his mind told him that he had to see it through.
He turned back to face the door of Room 502 again.
And slowly, soundlessly, he pushed it open.
He silently walked inside. And what he saw inside nearly gave him a heart attack. He felt like his whole world was crumbling under his feet.
A young woman was standing bent over, gripping the window railing. She was almost completely naked. Only a thin strip of cloth hung loosely around her waist. Behind her, a muscular young man of the same age was pressed tightly against her, his pants lowered to his knees.
It was obvious what was happening.
Thump! Thump!
Each sound hit Ethan like a hammer to the heart.
"Ahh! Faster!" the female cried out.
Ethan's hands shook violently. He felt his mind going blank as if he was about to collapse.
The pizza packet slipped from his grip and hit the floor.
Flap!
The sudden noise startled the two inside.
They both turned quickly.
The girl screamed, "Ahhh!"
She yanked a bed cover nearby and quickly wrapped it around herself.
Then her eyes widened.
"Ethan?!"
She looked surprised... but not guilty, though.
The man behind her, shirtless, just smirked and calmly pulled up his pants, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Ethan's voice cracked.
"Sarah? How could you do this to me? How?!"
The girl's name was Sarah Nicholson.
She looked away for a moment, as if unsure of what to say.
Her face showed no guilt but a hint of discomfort. Like she didn't want him to find out this way.
After a pause, she finally spoke. "What did you expect, Ethan? That I'd marry you and live like some housemaid? Yes, I loved you once. But I have a life. And I won't throw it away."
Her words cut deeper than any blade. Ethan stumbled back, shaking his head. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.
"You're joking, right? Tell me you're joking. Tell me this isn't real."
Sarah sighed. Her tone grew colder. "Look at yourself. What do you even have?
No money. No position. And thousands of people awakens as hunters every year. Even that didn't happen for you. Just a good student and a pizza delivery guy. That's it."
Ethan's throat burned. His vision blurred. He wanted to scream, to deny everything, but the scene before his eyes wasn't a lie. His girlfriend, the girl he had loved, was standing half-naked beside another man.
He took a step forward and said in a trembling voice. "I gave you everything I could. I worked extra time for you. I loved you more than anything. And this is what I get? Betrayal?"
Sarah's face hardened, but beneath her coldness, a flicker of guilt appeared. For a second, her eyes wavered. But it vanished as quickly as it came. She straightened her back and spoke confidently. "Ethan… love doesn't pay the bills. Love doesn't give me a future. Lucas can. He's a B-Class hunter. His father owns the Black Panther Guild. He has power, money, everything. You… don't."
Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, but she quickly hid it with a scoff. "Do you really think you deserve me? Get real."
Lucas finally spoke, his deep voice dripping with mockery. "She's right, delivery boy. You should be grateful she even gave you her time. But now? Step aside. She belongs with me."
Ethan's jaw clenched. His nails dug into his palms. Rage and despair twisted together inside him.
He stared at Sarah. "Sarah… tell me you don't mean this. Tell me this is just a mistake. Please…" Ethan still couldn't bring himself to believe what was happening. So he was still hoping that Sarah would suddenly say all of this was just a prank.
But Sarah shook her head slowly. "It's over, Ethan. Don't make this harder than it already is. After today, we owe each other nothing."
Then she wrapped her arms around Lucas's waist and pressed her body against him, her eyes never leaving Ethan's face. It was a final, merciless stab straight to his heart. Nothing could be more cruel.
Something snapped inside Ethan. His blood boiled, vision trembling red. "You… shameless..."
He lunged forward, hand raised to slap her.
But before he could even reach her..
BAM!
A wave of invisible force smashed into his chest.
His body flew backward like a rag doll, slamming against the hallway wall.
Pain surged through his body. His bones screamed. He collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
Through the haze of agony, he saw Lucas calmly pulling up his pants, one arm lazily around Sarah. The smirk never left his face.
And Sarah… she didn't even look horrified. She only turned away, clutching the sheet tighter, as if Ethan was nothing more than a stranger.
Ethan's lips trembled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His heart hurt more than his body.
The world he knew, the love he believed in, shattered in that single moment.