3

Chapter 3

Nora’s POV

“Mmm... Austin?”

My voice was thick with sleep, echoing through wherever room I currently laid, I reached out blindly, fingers brushing across warm sheets, soft pillows, and…

A Hard, solid and muscular chest. My heart rate spiked, that was definitely not Austin's.

I frowned, still not opening my eyes. Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe Austin had finally been hitting the gym like he swore he would every New Year. I curled closer, wrapping an arm around him, pressing my cheek to the warmth.

But something else was wrong.

Austin’s chest didn’t feel like this; his was soft, warm with a layer of gentle flesh I’d always found comforting. This… this was sculpted and firm. Quite similar to a rock.

Wait a minute… I blinked slowly.

The light streaming through unfamiliar cream-colored curtains made me squint.

This wasn’t Austin’s room. This wasn’t my room either.

My lashes fluttered open fully, and that’s when the world exploded.

I screamed, jerking back so fast I fell off the bed, dragging the sheets half with me. My heart slammed against my ribs as I stared at the man on the bed.

He was beautiful. Devastatingly beautiful. And fast asleep.

Tan skin stretched across lean muscles. Tousled dark hair splayed over a pillow. His lashes long, brows slightly pinched even in sleep. His lips slightly parted. His chest bare, heaving gently as he slept like the dead.

My gaze snapped to myself. I was naked.

“Jesus Christ!” I gasped, peeking into the sheets I clutched around me. My skin was bare. All of it. No bra. No panties, stark naked, and in some strange man’s bed.

I scrambled to my feet, the sheet clinging to my body as my breathing came in pants.

“Wake up you perverted bastard!” I cried, smacking him hard on the chest. “What the hell did you do to me?! Wake up!”

But he didn't stir. I hit him again. “Wake up, you pervert! What the hell did you…”

I halted at the faint clicks of heels approaching.

Panic seized my chest. I grabbed the rest of the sheet, yanking it higher to cover my body but it was too late. The door creaked open very fast.

“What the hell?” came a familiar voice.

Aria. Her smile froze before it could fully form as she dropped everything she was holding.

The bouquet of fresh lilies, a flask. All of it crashed to the floor, scattering petals and hot water in every direction.

My sister's eyes locked with mine for a full second, none of us moved.

“You disgusting slut!” she screamed.

I flinched, the words slicing through my already shivering body. My grip tightened on the sheet, turning my knuckles white. “I swear it's not what you think.”

Then her gaze dropped to the half-naked man on the bed. Then to the tangled sheets, and to me next

“Aria,” another voice joined hers.

Our Mother. Mrs. Alston stepped into the doorway behind Aria, beaming, until she saw me.

The smile died instantly. Her painted lips parted in horror. “Elizabeth Wells.”

“You seduced him while he was unconscious?! While he was comatose?! How dare you?” she shrieked, her voice raw with disbelief. “My fiancé, Nora! He’s in a fucking coma!”

“No…no! I didn’t!” I stumbled forward, eyes wide, body trembling. “Aria, I swear to God I didn’t…this isn’t what it looks like! I don’t even know how I got here!”

Aria’s sobs were violent. She pointed at the bed with shaking fingers. “You slept with him! You were naked in his bed!”

“No, I didn't, I swear!”

“Enough,” my mother snapped, her voice low, tight with restrained fury. She stepped forward like a storm cloud, heels clicking softly against the marble floor. “I knew it.”

“M-Mom, please,” I backed away, my chest rising and falling in uneven bursts.

The sound of her palm smacking my cheek cracked through the room. My cheek burned. I staggered, caught myself. Before I could speak, another slap landed, harder and so sharp It rang in my skull.

“You shameless girl,” my mother hissed. “I raised you better than this. You’ve always been jealous of Aria, haven’t you? Always hated to see her happy.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and bitter. “That’s not true...”

“She’s your sister!” she shouted. “And this is what you do? Strip yourself bare and crawl into bed with her fiancé like some... some desperate thing?”

I shook my head, my voice cracking. “I don’t remember anything! I wouldn’t, I couldn’t…” I grew short of words.

Aria was sobbing now, arms folded tightly across her chest like she was holding herself together. “Why, Nora? Why would you do this to me?” Her voice broke. “Do you hate me that much? You knew how much I wanted this marriage to happen, and you... you betrayed me.”

The door swung open again.

My father’s booming laughter filled the hallway as he stepped in, dressed sharp as always. “What’s all the noise about? I thought today was…” He stopped.

Everything froze for a moment. Aria took the moment to run to him.

She flung herself into his arms, her voice choking with emotion. “Daddy! Daddy, she slept with him! She was in his bed, naked! She ruined everything!”

The smile on his face dropped in an instant, fury flashing in his gaze. “What?” His voice went cold.

“She slept with Ariana’s fiancé,” my mother echoed grimly. “In his state. The poor boy is in a coma and look at her. She has no shame.”

My father’s eyes turned on me and I could feel my blood heat up.

“Have you lost your damn mind?” he bellowed.

“No, I didn’t—” I stammered, my voice cracking.

“You’ve brought disgrace upon this family,” he thundered. “You’ve betrayed your sister in the most despicable way possible. You think we’ll let this go unpunished?”

“I didn’t mean!”

“Enough!” His voice silenced the room.

“You want him so badly?” he spat. “Then you’ll marry him. You’ve already ruined your sister’s life, the least you can do is own it.”

I stood frozen. Eyes wide. Breath gone. Heart shattered. “What...?” I whispered.

“You heard me,” he said, voice flat with finality. “You’ll marry him. And you’ll disappear. Don’t ever come back to this family again.”

My legs felt weak.

Aria’s sobs were the only sound in the room now, followed by the quiet hiss of the air conditioner.

I looked around at the faces I once called family. My mother’s disgust. My sister’s heartbreak. My father’s fury.

And the strange man she called fiancé whom I'd never even heard of, still lying unconscious in the bed like a dark, beautiful ghost at the center of it all.

My world was falling apart. And I had no idea how it even began.