11

The morning light filtered through the half-drawn hotel curtains as Kendra stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped tightly in the hotel robe.

The long shower had washed away the sweat and stickiness of their night, but it did nothing to clear the pounding in her head or the growing knot of regret in her chest.

She has never slept with a stranger before, never hooked up with a guy, and last night she did, she felt like a whore, the whore Richard called her.

But the regret was nothing, after all she's no longer married, she's not in any situationships, just back in her single era.

Knox was sitting on the edge of the bed, shirt on but unbuttoned, watching her with that same steady gaze from last night.

He smiled softly. “Come back to bed for a bit. We can order breakfast—”

“Excuse me? As what? Your girlfriend? Your maid or who?” Kendra said harshly, she's been ignoring his gaze but his words can't be ignored.

She gathered her black dress, bra and panties and looked at him coldly.

“Maybe you don't know, last night was just a fling. I was drunk, Mr Knox and I’m not drunk anymore, and I regret sleeping with a complete stranger.”

Knox’s jaw clenched, her words made his chest tighten painfully.

He stood up slowly, brow furrowing. “A fling? That’s how you want to frame it? After everything we shared?...we both introduced ourselves...”

“And then I fucked a stranger because I was hurting and stupid,” she cut him off, yanking the dress over her head. “I don’t do this. I don’t throw myself at men in hotel bars and let them fuck me against doors and windows and in showers. It was the alcohol.”

He said nothing to that.

"Don't sound ridiculous, it was just a fling." she added.

Knox stepped closer, voice calm but insistent. “Kendra, talk to me. What happened to you? Why were you at that bar drinking like you wanted to forget the whole world?”

It's his calm voice that irritated her, why does he care? Shouldn't he just mind his business?

She zipped up her dress, refusing to meet his eyes. “It shouldn’t matter to you. We had sex. Great sex, and it's fine. But it’s over. I don’t need you asking questions or pretending this meant something.”

“It did mean something to me,” he pressed, gently but firmly. “You were in pain last night. I saw it. What happened? Who hurt you that badly?”

Kendra spun around, arms folded tight across her chest. “Why do you care? You got what you wanted. Just drop it.”

“I’m not dropping it because I’m not an asshole,” Knox replied, voice rising slightly in frustration. “You cried out my name like I was the only thing keeping you together. You came apart in my arms multiple times, and I could see the pain in your eyes even while fucking you.”

She laughed bitterly, “You badly want to know? Fine. My husband cheated on me. With my best friend and I caught them. That’s what happened. Happy now? I walked in on them. So last night I got drunk and used you to forget. It was just a mere fling. A stupid, reckless mistake and I regret it.”

Knox’s expression shifted. He pulled out his phone, scrolling quickly as if searching for something. His thumb stopped.

A trending video played on low volume — the sharp crack of a slap, Kendra’s voice ringing out clearly as she exposed Richard in front of his entire executive floor.

He looked up at her, eyes wide with recognition. “Kendra… that was you?" he asked.

She nodded, not surprised she's on the Internet, she has seen it before.

She snatched her purse from the chair, face hardening. “Yes. It was me. And now it’s done. I don’t need your pity or your questions. Stay out of my life, Knox.”

Kendra didn’t wait for a reply. She walked straight to the door, heels clicking sharply, and left without looking back.

The heavy door clicked shut behind her, leaving Knox standing alone in the suite, phone still glowing with the viral clip of the woman who had just walked out on him.

***

Kendra’s car glided through the wrought-iron gates of her mother's mansion.

She's supposed to come straight the moment she leaves Richard’s house. But she decided to stay at a suite for a while before coming.

Her mother’s house is elegant, timeless, perched on a quiet hillside overlooking the city like a sentinel that had never belonged to Richard Thompson.

The fountain in the circular driveway bubbled softly, and the staff had already assembled on the wide stone steps: Mrs. Harlan the housekeeper, old Mr. Ruiz the gardener, two security personnel, and Chef Amara, who still remembered Kendra’s favorite childhood meals anytime she visits her mother.

“Miss Ree,” Mrs. Harlan began warmly, stepping forward with a small smile.

“We’re so glad you’re home. We prepared the blue suit and your favorite lemon cake...”

“Not now,” Kendra said, her voice gentle but firm. She adjusted the strap of her purse, feeling the weight of the night still clinging to her skin, she felt sore in between her thighs, and the only thing she needed was a warm bath.

“Give me an hour. I need some time alone. Please.”

The staff exchanged quick glances but nodded without protest.

They had known her all that happened, enough to recognize when she needed space.

Kendra climbed the sweeping staircase, her heels clicking against the marble, and didn’t stop until she reached the master suite on the second floor.

She locked the door behind her, stepped inside fully,dropped her purse on the bed and exhaled slowly.

Kendra looked around the room, her room looks so different, the big painting on the wall has been changed, the arrangements everything matches her taste.

She still remembered when she would visit her mother, then her parents were divorced but her mother never stopped loving her or treating her like the best thing that has ever happened.

Now she's back in her mother’s house as a divorcee, hope her story won't be like her mother's story?

With a sigh escaping her lips, she walked to the bathroom and began taking off the black dress from the night before.

"Kendra, you fucked a stranger, wow." she said to herself. Steam soon filled the marble bathroom and she stepped under the hot spray of the shower, letting the water pound against her shoulders.

The soreness between her thighs flared with every movement, it was like a satisfying ache that refused to be ignored.

Memories of how Knox touched her , his mouth, the way he had gripped her hips and driven into her against the hotel window while the city glittered below came running back to her.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, water streaming down her face.

For three years of sleeping beside a man who treated her like furniture, he never touched her, even the kiss wasn't satisfying, he must have poured all his passion into Freya instead. She almost forgot about her desires, to be touched, to be loved with passion, fucked in ever style possible. And last night reminded her of everything.

She turned off the shower and filled the large marble bathtub, sinking into the warm water with a sigh, leaning back against the smooth edge, Kendra let her mind drift to memories of last night, fully.

Her hand moved almost without thinking, cupping one breast. The nipple tightened immediately under her fingers, still tender from Knox’s attention. She wants more of him, she wants him buried inside of her all day.

"Will I be satisfied with just a day?" She thought. She just finished her menstrual period five days ago and had never felt horny the way she felt now.

Kendra remembered how he had sucked on breast—slow at first, then harder, her teeth grazing just enough to make her arch and moan his name.

“Knox…” The whisper slipped out in the empty bathroom.