Chapter 2

***Luna's POV Cont***

I blinked several times, trying to clear the haze clouding my vision as I stared at the man standing in the doorway.

The suite was dimly lit, and the hallway outside was not much brighter. Shadows covered most of his face, making it difficult to see him clearly.

“Carol?” I called again.

No answer came.

A strange feeling settled deep inside my stomach.

Something felt wrong.

The man standing before me seemed much taller than Carol. His broad frame nearly filled the doorway, and his breathing sounded uneven, almost strained.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus properly, but the alcohol running through my system made everything blurry.

Before I could think further, he suddenly stumbled forward.

Instinctively, I reached out to steady him.

“Carol, are you okay?” I asked softly.

The question sounded ridiculous the moment it left my mouth because I was not exactly in a better condition myself.

A low groan escaped him, and the unfamiliar sound made me pause.

That voice did not belong to Carol.

My heart skipped nervously.

Before I could pull away, his hand wrapped around my wrist. In one swift movement, he guided me backward until my back touched the wall.

The cool surface sent a shiver through my body.

I still could not see his face clearly, but I could feel the intensity of his gaze resting on me.

For some reason, the air between us suddenly felt heavy.

“Help me,” he whispered roughly.

I stared at him in confusion.

“What?” I asked.

“I need your help.”

His voice sounded strained and weak, barely above a whisper.

Everything around me felt strange.

The music.

The alcohol.

The disappointment that had been building inside me all evening.

It all blended together into one confusing haze.

I opened my mouth to ask who he was, but the question never came out.

My thoughts were scattered. Part of me knew something was not right. Part of me knew this was not Carol.

But the alcohol buried my common sense beneath layers of heartbreak, loneliness, and frustration.

The night that was supposed to be special had already become a disaster.

My emotions were completely out of control, and the stranger’s presence only added to the confusion.

Before I could think any further, he pressed his lips against mine.

The kiss started slowly, almost hesitant at first, but it quickly deepened into something intense and overwhelming.

The rest of the night passed like fragments of a dream.

Blurred memories.

Broken images.

The faint glow of candlelight.

Soft music playing in the background.

Warm hands against my skin.

The overwhelming heat that made it impossible to think clearly.

Everything melted together until I could no longer separate reality from the haze created by alcohol and heartbreak.

Then darkness swallowed everything.

***The Next Morning***

The first thing I noticed was warmth.

The second thing I noticed was weight.

Something heavy rested against me.

My eyes slowly opened as I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me.

A pounding headache greeted me instantly.

I groaned softly and pressed a hand against my forehead while trying to organize the events of the previous night.

Nothing made sense.

Everything felt disconnected.

Then suddenly, I felt movement beside me.

My entire body froze.

Slowly, I turned my head.

A man was sleeping beside me.

My breath caught instantly.

Dark hair.

Broad shoulders.

A masculine frame partially covered by the sheets.

My heart nearly stopped.

I sat upright so quickly that pain exploded behind my eyes.

“What the hell?” I whispered.

Panic flooded through me as I looked around frantically.

This was the anniversary suite.

The room I had prepared for Carol and me.

The room where I planned to give him my first time.

The room where I waited for hours.

The room where I drank myself senseless.

The room where...

Fragments of memory suddenly returned one after another.

The knock.

The stranger.

The confusion.

The kiss.

My stomach dropped violently.

I turned toward the sleeping man again.

His back faced me, making it impossible to see his face clearly, but one thing became immediately obvious.

He was not Carol.

Carol had sandy blond hair.

The man sleeping beside me had black hair.

The color drained completely from my face.

“Oh my God,” I whispered weakly.

My heart pounded so violently that it hurt.

Had I really spent the night with another man?

The answer came before I could finish the question.

Yes.

The realization crashed into me like a wave.

I stumbled out of bed and covered my mouth with trembling fingers.

Guilt hit me instantly.

I felt sick.

Completely sick.

What had I done?

How could I have allowed this to happen?

The memories remained blurry, but I remembered enough to know the truth.

Nobody forced me.

I had been hurt.

I had been drunk.

I had been angry.

But none of those things changed what happened.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

Carol would never forgive me.

Never.

My gaze drifted toward the empty champagne bottles scattered around the suite, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

I should have known better than to drink that much.

My alcohol tolerance had always been terrible.

Yet I emptied bottle after bottle while drowning in disappointment.

Now I was paying the price for it.

Before I could spiral further into panic, my phone suddenly rang.

The sharp sound startled me.

I hurried toward the couch and grabbed it quickly.

Amelia’s name flashed across the screen.

I answered immediately.

“Hey,” I whispered softly, trying not to wake the sleeping stranger.

My voice sounded weak and strained.

“Luna!” Amelia nearly shouted. “Please tell me Carol is with you.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

“No,” I answered quietly. “He never showed up. Why?”

There was a brief silence before Amelia spoke again.

“Luna, Carol is here.”

I frowned immediately.

“What?”

“He’s in the hotel,” she replied.

The room suddenly felt unsteady beneath me.

“What do you mean he’s here?” I asked slowly.

“He’s here with another woman,” Amelia said. “He’s with Sandy.”

Silence filled my ears.

For several seconds, I could not process her words.

Carol was here the entire time?

Not stuck in traffic.

Not delayed.

Not busy.

He had been here all night.

At the same hotel.

With Sandy.

Of all people, Sandy was the last person I expected.

She had been my rival since high school, always competing with me, always trying to outshine me in everything.

My grip tightened painfully around the phone.

“Are you sure?” I asked weakly.

“I’m looking at their room right now,” Amelia replied firmly. “Room 207. You need to come here.”

The call ended.

I stood frozen in place.

Only moments ago, I had been drowning in guilt.

Now confusion, anger, humiliation, and disbelief fought violently inside my chest.

Maybe there was an explanation.

Maybe Amelia misunderstood.

Maybe...

No.

I needed to see it myself.

The stranger sleeping in the bed no longer mattered.

I quickly searched for my dress, only to discover it was ruined beyond repair.

The sight irritated me, but I did not have time to think about it.

Instead, I grabbed the spare clothes I had packed and changed quickly.

A few minutes later, I left the suite wearing jeans and a loose T-shirt.

My heart hammered violently against my ribs during the elevator ride.

Every second felt unbearable.

When the elevator doors finally opened on the second floor, I found Amelia waiting outside Room 207.

The moment she saw me, her expression darkened.

“He’s inside,” she said quietly.

My stomach tightened painfully.

I slowly approached the door.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

My palms became damp with sweat.

Finally, I raised my trembling hand and knocked.

The silence that followed felt endless.

Then the door opened.

A beautiful woman with striking ginger hair stood before me.

Sandy.

For one brief moment, relief flooded through me.

Maybe Amelia was mistaken.

Maybe Sandy was alone.

Maybe this was all some misunderstanding.

“Can I help you?” Sandy asked with a smug smile.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say a word, a familiar voice drifted from somewhere inside the room.

A voice I knew better than my own.

A voice that shattered every remaining piece of hope inside me.

“Babe, who is it?”

to be continued.....