003

Selene

  The first thing I noticed was the silence.

  No honking cars. No voices. Just the soft rustle of linen against my skin and the faint hum of the air conditioning.

  The second thing was the headache. A sharp, pulsing pain at my temples, the kind that screamed of too much alcohol and too many regrets.

  I groaned, forcing my heavy eyelids open. The room was bright, the morning light spilling through sheer curtains that fluttered slightly from the central air.

  Then, realization slammed into me like a freight train.

  This wasn’t my bedroom.

  My breath caught in my throat. I shot up, clutching the silk sheets to my chest. The room was stunning modern, sleek, and insanely expensive. A penthouse suite.

  I turned my head and found the other side of the bed empty.

  For a moment, I sat there, heart pounding, trying to put the pieces together.

  Last night. At the bar. The whiskey. The man with the intense eyes and the quiet confidence.

  Oh, God.

  I had slept with a stranger.

  My heart twisted as I bit my lips. What the hell was I thinking?

  I had been reeling from Adrian’s betrayal, desperate to forget, to feel something other than the soul-crushing pain. But this? This wasn’t me.

  I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling shakily.

  Then, my gaze landed on the note propped against the bedside lamp.

  My fingers trembled as I reached for it. The handwriting was bold, precise.

  'You looked like you needed an escape. No regrets;–R.

  No regrets.

  I swallowed hard, my throat tight.

  If only it were that easy. I stood up, rushing my dressing as I rushed out and hailed down a ride.

  The Uber ride home was almost exhausting.

  I barely registered the driver’s attempts at small talk, my mind too tangled with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  Adrian’s affair. The betrayal. The six months of lies.

  The way he had looked at me as if I were an inconvenience rather than the woman he had vowed to love forever.

  A bitter taste filled my mouth.

  By the time I reached the house, his house now, I supposed, I was barely holding myself together.

  I stepped inside, my heels clicking against the marble floor. Everything was too quiet.

  For years, this house had been filled with laughter, with love, with us.

  Now, it felt like a graveyard.

  I swallowed back the emotion clawing at my throat and headed for the bedroom.

  But the moment I pushed the door open, I froze.

  Lina’s clothes were hanging in my closet.

  My perfumes, my jewelry—gone. Replaced.

  As if I had never been here at all.

  My breath ceased from my lungs.

  A voice—his voice—cut through my haze.

  “You’re back.”

  I turned slowly.

  Adrian stood in the doorway, looking annoyed rather than guilty. He was dressed immaculately, as always, but there was an ease to him now—a lightness that made my stomach churn.

  “Adrian,” I said, my voice low. “What the hell is this?”

  He glanced around the room, as if only now noticing the problem. “Lina moved in.”

  I laughed. A short, sharp sound. “She moved in what? While we’re still married?”

  He sighed, rubbing his temple. “Let’s not be dramatic, Selene.”

  Dramatic?

  I took a step forward, rage coiling in my chest.

  “I walked in on you cheating on me with my best friend less than twenty-four hours ago,” I spat. “And now she’s living here?”

  His expression didn't falter. “What did you expect? We’re getting married.”

  My breath caught. The world tilted in my head.

  “You’re what?” I whispered.

  He exhaled, as if this conversation exhausted him. “We’re engaged Selene. Even before you walked in on us yesterday”

  I stared at him, my ears ringing. “You can’t be serious.”

  "I am." He said, pausing for a brief moment before he continued. "I've been planning on how to end this anyways"

  I could see it in his eyes—the complete and utter lack of remorse.

  “We’ve been over for a long time, Selene,” he said, voice void of emotion. “It’s time to move on.” He completed, dipping his hands into his side pocket and brought out an A4 paper.

  'DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE' boldly written on top. "My lawyer will put you through the compensation before the week runs out, you have nothing to loose" He said the words so easily, like I didn't have a choice, didn't have the right to contend it.

  I could have screamed. I could have thrown something, hit him, let the raw, aching pain inside me consume everything in its path.

  But instead, I straightened my spine.

  “ You really think this is the best decision for yourself? Fine,” I said, my voice even. “I’ll pack my things.”

  A flicker of relief crossed his face.

  And then he said the words that broke something inside me forever.

  “Actually, there’s no need. Lina and I already went through your stuff.”

  I went still. “How dare you?”

  He shrugged. “We packed up what we thought you’d want. Everything else we donated.”

  He had erased me.

  Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

  Instead, I stepped closer, looking him dead in the eye.

  “You know what? Congratulations on your marriage Adrian. Enjoy her,” I said quietly.

  Then, I turned on my heel and walked up the stairs to pack my suitcase. 

  Within minutes, I was done, the cool breeze hit my skin as I stepped outside, my suitcase rolling behind me.

  I had nowhere to go. No home. No husband. No best friend.

  I was starting over from nothing. The thought terrified me.

  But as I looked back at the house—the place that had once been my sanctuary—the fear was drowned out by something else.

  Rage.

  Adrian had taken everything from me.

  And he thought he could just move on, live his perfect little life with her, while I faded into the background?

  Not a chance.

  I wouldn’t break. I wouldn’t crumble.

  I would rise. And I would make them pay.

  I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

  This wasn’t the end of my story. It was just the beginning.

  I walked down the street, my phone buzzed.

  It was an unknown number.

  I hesitated before answering. “Hello?”

  A deep, familiar voice came through the line.

  “Selene.”

  My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the voice.

  Him. The stranger from last night.

  “I have a proposition for you,” he said, his voice smooth and unwavering.

  I gripped the phone tighter. “Who are you?”

  "Come at the Elite Charity Gala Tonight in town, You'll find out"