Rise of Victor Kane: The Betrayed Heir

Chapter 3: The Confrontation

The sun had barely risen, but Julian was already standing at the doorstep of his apartment, his fists clenched by his sides. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions—hurt, betrayal, and a deep, burning anger that he couldn’t suppress. Every part of him screamed to walk away, to leave the destruction of his life behind, but there was one thing he needed more than anything: answers. He had to hear it from their lips. He needed to confront them, face to face, and hear the truth.

He had already made his decision. There would be no more running. No more silence. He had been broken, yes, but he would be damned if he let them destroy him without facing them head-on.

Julian pushed open the door with a force that echoed through the quiet apartment. Inside, the space was still, and the sunlight that filtered in through the large windows cast an almost haunting glow over everything. It should have been peaceful, but it felt suffocating. Eva was sitting on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee, her expression serene. She didn’t see him as he entered.

But Ethan was there too, leaning against the kitchen counter, casually flipping through a stack of legal papers. It was then that Julian saw it—their familiarity with each other, the ease in their movements, the intimacy in the way they interacted.

A flicker of realization hit him. They weren’t just cheating on him. They had been living a double life, and he had been blind to it all.

"Julian," Eva said, looking up at him with a smile that would have been warm if it hadn't been laced with guilt. "You're up early."

Her words stung him like a slap to the face. She was trying to act normal, as if nothing had changed.

Ethan looked up too, his eyes momentarily widening when he saw Julian standing there. For a split second, there was something in Ethan's gaze—a hint of panic—before he masked it with a smile, the same smile Julian had once considered a sign of their friendship.

"What’s going on, man?" Ethan asked, feigning casualness. "Everything okay?"

Everything was not okay. Julian could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him, the suffocating realization that everything he had built, everything he had trusted, had been reduced to nothing. His mouth felt dry as his eyes flicked between the two people who had betrayed him, the two people he had loved, and in the case of Ethan, trusted with his life.

“No, everything’s not okay,” Julian replied, his voice cold, controlled, though his insides were burning. “I know.”

Eva’s smile faltered, and she set the coffee cup down carefully on the table, her eyes shifting to Ethan, who was now standing straighter, his posture tense.

Julian took a step forward, every movement deliberate, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "I know everything, Eva. I know about you and Ethan."

The silence in the room was deafening. Eva’s face drained of color, and for the first time, Julian saw the cracks in her facade. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out.

Ethan cleared his throat, his eyes flickering toward the door, as if he were calculating his next move. But Julian wasn’t going to give him the chance to run. He wouldn’t let them escape.

“You’ve been lying to me, both of you," Julian continued, his voice growing sharper. "Behind my back, in my own home, behind the law firm—behind everything! You think I didn’t know? You think I wouldn’t find out?"

Eva stood up slowly, her eyes locked on Julian, the tension in the air thick and suffocating. “Julian, please,” she said, her voice trembling. “This isn’t what you think.”

“You don’t get to explain yourself!” Julian snapped. “You don’t get to make excuses after everything you’ve done. You and Ethan—” He pointed toward Ethan, whose face was now a mixture of guilt and defensiveness. “You think I didn’t see it? The way you two look at each other? The way you’ve been sneaking around behind my back, lying to me, making plans with him behind my back? This wasn’t just an affair, Eva. You were planning something bigger, something I was a part of but didn’t even know it. What was it? You thought you’d take the firm from me, take my life from me, didn’t you?”

Eva’s eyes welled with tears, but her voice was firm, steady. “Julian, I never meant to hurt you. I... I thought we were building something together, but I—I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Julian repeated, incredulous. “That’s it? You’re sorry? After everything?”

His gaze turned to Ethan, who was now standing rigid, his jaw clenched. “And you. You were supposed to be my best friend, Ethan. My brother. But you were plotting behind my back, trying to take everything I’ve worked for. You used me.”

Ethan swallowed hard, but Julian could see the flicker of shame in his eyes before he quickly masked it with a cold, indifferent expression. "Look, man. It wasn’t like that. We—"

“We?” Julian’s voice cracked with disbelief. “You think this is just some petty argument, Ethan? You slept with my fiancée. You betrayed me. You betrayed everything we had, everything we built.”

Ethan opened his mouth, but Julian didn’t want to hear the lies anymore. He turned his back to them both, the weight of it all pressing down on his chest.

“Get out. Both of you,” Julian said, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and heartbreak.

Eva looked like she might protest, but she didn’t. She and Ethan exchanged a quick, knowing look before she grabbed her things. She didn’t even look back at Julian as she left, leaving him alone with Ethan.

Ethan, standing by the door now, hesitated for a long moment. Then, finally, he muttered, “I didn’t want this to happen, Julian. But you have to understand—”

“I don’t have to understand anything,” Julian cut him off. “Just leave.”

And just like that, his best friend was gone.

The door slammed shut behind them, and Julian collapsed onto the couch, his body shaking. His chest ached with the weight of betrayal, the crushing realization that the people he had loved and trusted had destroyed him in the most intimate way possible.

In that moment, Julian was alone. Truly alone. The life he had fought for, the love he had believed in, all of it had been ripped away in a single, heart-shattering instant. He was empty, hollow, his heart broken in ways he didn’t know how to fix.

The silence in the apartment was deafening. The life he had built was gone. And in its place was a deep, aching void that nothing could fill.

Julian closed his eyes, allowing the tears to fall, even as he promised himself that he would rise from this. He would rise, and he would make them pay. He didn’t know how yet, but he would.