LOGINThe entire drive was silent.Daniel stayed focused on his phone and didn’t bother me. I stayed inside my head, replaying everything. Planning… Plotting.Ronan was going to regret this. I would make sure of it.The car finally stopped. Daniel turned to me again. “Are you okay?”“I’m good.” I nodded.He smiled, and that was my cue to step out.I walked straight inside and found Victor already on his feet in the living room.“How fast can we announce the engagement?” I asked immediately. I needed it fast. I needed Ronan to start regretting everything now.“Why the fuck did you leave the house?” The question hit me off guard. I noticed the deep frown on his forehead. “Do you know how worried I was? I thought he kidnapped you.”“What? Why would you think that? Ronan?”“I’m not saying don’t leave,” he said, voice calmer now. “Just let me know next time.”I had so much to say. I barely knew this man. He wasn’t my keeper. I didn’t owe him explanations.But I was living under his roof. I didn’
Fuck. It was embarrassing.On the floor. On my butt. Looking like absolute trash in front of the other woman. Even if Ronan suddenly changed his mind, he wouldn’t dare now. Not with how I looked compared to Elara. I felt like her makeup artist while she was the main character.It hurt. So much.Tears burned my eyes and I blinked fast. I wouldn’t survive this humiliation.Still, like someone completely shameless, I pushed myself to my feet and waited for him to answer when Elara asked who I was.“She’s dressed like that, she can’t be a house help.”I hated the way she looked at me. Like I was nothing. Did she even know the man she was about to marry had taken my virginity?“Baby.” Ronan reached for her hand, but she snapped it away.“Don’t touch me right now.”Her tone shocked me. Nobody spoke to Ronan like that. He had fired maids just for saying ‘sir’ the wrong way.“Who is she?” Elara asked again. She wasn’t playing.“Yes, Ronan. Who am I?”I didn’t even know why I asked. He had alr
I didn’t think Victor actually meant what he said. That he would help me get back at his friend. It didn’t make sense.I rolled out of bed and dragged myself to the bathroom, brushing my teeth like a zombie before crawling back under the sheets. My phone was in my hand before I even realized it.I was hoping. Still hoping.Maybe an apology… a message… anything from Ronan.Nothing.“Fuck you, Ronan.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth. The ache in my chest only grew heavier as I stood and reached for the bottle of alcohol I had hidden away.Thank God Victor wasn’t here to lecture me about wasting my life when it was the only thing numbing the pain right now.I took a long gulp.Then another.Scrolling through the internet was a mistake. Everywhere I looked, their engagement was trending. Headlines calling it the most romantic proposal Miami had ever seen.Romantic.The audacity of that jerk measuring my finger like that… God. That was the part that hurt the most.My phone rang just as
Maya was right. I just couldn’t take this and I needed to make a plan but before I had even thought of one, I had already drowned four bottles of alcohol and still thinking, ‘yeah, one more might fix this.’Maya had left after she had a call from her current boyfriend. She didn’t stay long enough for me to get his name. My head spun slightly. Even still drunk, I could still see that stupid video playing in my head. The way he looked at her. I took another sip. “Idiot,” I whispered. “You’re such a fucking idiot.”Then the door opened. I didn’t bother looking up but I knew it was Victor who was back from his law firm. “Lyra,” he said, voice barely audible. His eyes scanned the room, the bottles, the glass and me sitting on the floor like I had lost a fight with life. His jaw tightened. He looked at me mortified but I was honestly too tired to care. I lifted the glass slightly. Before it touched my lips, he snatched the cup from my hand. “Hey…” I tried to grab it back but he move
Ring. Ring. Ring.I groaned, dragging the pillow over my head. I waited for the phone to stop ringing but it didn’t. I blindly reached for it and then I saw the name. Maya. “What the hell?” I muttered, sitting up immediately. Maya was calling me?My chest tightened, something must be wrong, like very wrong. I picked it anyway. “Hello?”“Where are you?”I winced, pulling the phone from my ear. “Wow. Good morning to you too.”“Don’t play with me, Lyra,” Maya snapped. “What happened between you and Ronan?”I froze. She hated talking about Ronan. Did everyone know about the fact that I left his house? And even if she heard about it, Maya wouldn’t just call me because of that. “I don’t under…”“What did he do?” she asked again. “Okay I don’t understand. You hated the both of us together and now, you are calling… Why are you even asking me that?”There was a pause. “You seriously don’t know?”“Know what?” I said, my voice rising. “Maya, it’s too early for riddles. Say what you want
"She's choking!" I heard someone scream.I coughed violently, my entire body jerking as water forced its way out of my mouth. My lungs burned like someone had set them on fire. “Breathe,” a voice said. “Stay with me.”I sucked in a sharp breath, only to choke again, more water spilling out as I gasped. “Fuck…” I wheezed, clutching at the sand beneath me. I was alive. I blinked rapidly, my vision spinning. Everything started to come into focus. There were people hovering around me… too many faces. Why were there so many people?My head hurts. I covered my face. “Hey, give her some space,” the same voice snapped. A shadow moved in front of me, blocking out most of the faces. “Back up!” he screamed at them. The crowd started to scatter. Good. Because if one more person stared at me like I was some kind of roadside accident, I was going to lose my shit. I coughed again, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I finally looked up. I swallowed. He was not what I expected. Tall. B







