Morning After

CHAPTER 3

ZYLIAH'S POV

My eyes fluttered open, a lazy yawn tearing through me, and my head throbbed like it was about to burst.

I winced, turning over on the bed. A startled gasp left my lips, but I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth. My heart was racing a thousand miles per second, and the throbbing only got worse. 

What was happening? Or what had happened? 

The outline of a tall, well-built frame on the other side of the bed left me stunned. 

Who was he? As the bedcovers slid off my body, another gasp escaped me-I was naked. What the hell?!

He moved, and my eyes widened. Praying he wouldn't wake up, I slid out of bed fast, spotted my clothes scattered across the floor, and quickly dressed while letting my gaze sweep through the suite.

"This isn't my suite," I whispered.

I grabbed my purse-still unsure how it had ended up near the door-and bolted out without slowing down.

A figure stepped out from a corner. I caught a quick glimpse, it was a woman, and I accidentally bumped into her.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

She was watching me. Another time, I might have wondered if she recognized me, but I didn't have the luxury of time to think about that, so I continued on my way out of there with my head still down.

I noticed her heading toward the suite I had just left, but I didn't think much of it. I just wanted to leave this hotel, where I had no idea how I'd ended up in a suite that wasn't mine-sleeping with a stranger.

"Stupid me," I chided myself, zooming out of there. 

It didn't take long to get home, but not before stopping at a pharmacy to buy some contraceptive pills-which I downed-only to find Sabrina seated comfortably in the living room.

"Finally, she's home." 

I ignored her and tried to go up to my room, but she blocked my path. Reeling in impatience and sadness, I exhaled. "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing," she said with a mocking smirk. "I just wanted to know how my dear, dear sister felt after seeing me with her ex-fiancé yesterday. Are you good?"

I curled my fists, reining back stupid tears and hoping they didn't embarrass me again. "Get out of my way, Sabrina. I have nothing to say to you."

"Okay, well, I have something to say to you. Why don't you just die and leave this world?"

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief. How could she say something so evil to me?!

"You're just standing in my way, so I figured that's the only way to stop you from being a pain in my neck." She shrugged as though she hadn't just uttered something so outrageously wicked. 

I wanted to punch her, but I knew I didn't have it in me, so I swallowed hard and fumed helplessly. "Move, Sabrina. You're just so evil."

She cackled. "You're pained-I knew it." Then another cackle. "I'm not evil, darling sister. I just know how to go for what I want."

"You can go for what you want without hurting anyone, but no-you just have to be like your mother," I spat, angry tears streaming down my face. 

"You bitch!" she yelled, slapping me hard and shoving me to the ground. "How dare you insult my mother?! You know what? I agree. If you say my mother's evil, at least she's alive. Where's yours? Dead, that's right. She's six feet below, where she so obviously belongs, and it is only right you go join her there!"

The way she'd casually talked of my mom's death and said my mom deserved to die had my emotions spiraling out of control. I raised myself from the ground and lunged at her with that long-awaited punch.

It was her turn to hit the floor. I hovered over her as she whimpered in pain, blood running from her nose.

"Do whatever you want to me, take Fynn and have him all to yourself. I do not care. But don't you ever talk about my mom ever again. She might be dead, but she's still better than the living bitch who birthed you!"

Feeling even more heartbroken, suddenly missing my mom, I fled up the stairs toward my room.

"You'll pay for this, you fool! I'll make you pay for hitting me!" Sabrina's angry voice trailed after me up the stairs.

But I paid her no mind, nor did I bother to reply to her anymore. Besides, my sobs would make it quite difficult for me to even say anything in retort.

Upon reaching my room, I flung my purse onto the bed and followed it with a slump. The tears wouldn't stop falling, and soon I'd made a sizable wet patch on the sheets.

There was a knock on the door. Thinking it was probably one of the maids, I sniffled. "I want to be left alone, please."

"If you don't open this door right now, Zyliah, I'll break it down."

Natasha? What was she doing here? How had she even gotten here? I wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody.

"Your time's ticking, Zyliah."

Delia was with her too?!

I let out a weak groan, lifted my weary, aching body from the bed, and sluggishly went to open the door.

They attacked me with hugs the moment they set their sights on me.

"Now tell us what happened," Natasha began.

"Or what's been happening since yesterday," Delia added.

Finding some comfort in their hugs and familiar scents, I snuggled deeper into their embraces, changing my mind about wanting to be alone. 

I needed them right this moment. 

Natasha used her leg to kick the door shut, and still in their embraces, they led me to the bed and pulled away to get a good look at me. 

"You look terrible," Delia was the first to speak. 

"I second that. Puffy eyes and a swollen face-you've been crying for a long while," Natasha chipped in.

But I had a question of my own. "How did you guys know I was home?"

"Called Fynn. He sounded uptight and quite rude, and he said, he's not your keeper or guardian angel," Natasha explained.

"He was being a jerk. A senseless one," Delia sounded miffed. She was probably still pissed about Fynn's behavior toward them. "You guys had a fight, right?"

Tears fell again, uncontrollably. "It was more than just a fight."