Chapter 4:The Card He Left Behind

The soft morning light slipped through the curtains and fell across my face.

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a strange heaviness in my body. My head hurt, and my throat felt dry. For a moment, I didn’t even know where I was.

The ceiling above me looked unfamiliar.

The bed felt too soft.

The room was too big.

The air smelled like expensive perfume and clean sheets.

Confused, I slowly sat up.

That was when I noticed it.

I was naked.

My eyes widened in shock. I quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over my body.

“Why… why am I naked?” I whispered.

My heart began to beat faster. I looked around the room, trying to remember what had happened the night before.

The bar…

The drinks…

The stranger…

My breath caught in my throat.

Then it all came back to me.

His strong arms catching me.

The elevator.

The soft bed.

The kisses.

My face turned pale.

“I… I slept with a stranger,” I murmured.

A wave of regret washed over me. I had never imagined my first time after a heartbreak would be like this. I didn’t even know his name.

What if he was a bad person?

What if he took advantage of me?

What if I never saw him again?

I pushed those thoughts away and quickly got out of bed. My clothes were neatly folded on a chair beside the bed.

At least he wasn’t a complete monster, I thought bitterly.I knew he tried to stop me but I kept on pushing him and now I had sex with someone I didn't know and someone I have not seen in my entire life.

I dressed up quickly, my hands shaking as I buttoned my shirt. My mind was still full of confusion and regret.

Just as I finished dressing, there was a knock on the door.

My heart jumped.

“C–come in,” I said softly.

The door opened, and a middle-aged woman in a cleaner’s uniform walked in. She gave me a polite smile.

“Good morning, ma,” she said. “Someone asked me to give you this.”

She handed me a small card.

“He said you should call him,” she added. “I guess he was the one who brought you in last night.”

My fingers tightened around the card. My heart felt heavy again.

So he had left.

Without even saying goodbye.

I forced a small smile. “Thank you.”

The cleaner nodded and left the room quietly.

I looked down at the card in my hand. The paper felt thick and expensive. The letters were printed in bold, elegant font.

Mr. Harrison Grey.

I frowned.

“Who could this be?” I whispered.

The name sounded powerful. Important. Like someone with money and status.

But I didn’t know anyone with that name.

I slipped the card into my bag, still feeling uneasy. I didn’t even know if I should call him.

What would I say?

Hello, I’m the drunk girl you slept with last night?

The thought made my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the room. I didn’t want to stay there any longer. The place reminded me too much of what I had done.

As I stepped out of the hotel, the cool morning air hit my face. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

But my mind was still spinning.

I had just slept with a stranger.

A complete stranger.

What if Gabriel found out?

What if Tessa knew?

I shook my head.

“No… it doesn’t matter anymore,” I whispered. “They already broke me.”

Just then, my phone vibrated in my hand.

A message.

I opened it, and my eyes widened.

It was from Mrs. Harrison and I never hesitated to pick the call.

“Come home immediately. You need to arrange things. Tessa’s father will be visiting the house today after so many years.”She said finally

My heart skipped a beat.

Tessa’s father?

He was finally coming back?

For as long as I could remember, he had been out of the country. I had never met him before. He was just a name, a distant figure in the family and I heard he divorced Mrs Harrison after an arguement and now he has come back to see his daughter Tessa after so many years.

A strange excitement filled my chest.

Maybe… just maybe… I could finally have a father figure in my life.

Someone who would call me his daughter.

Someone who would protect me.

The thought made my eyes sting with tears.

“I want to meet him,” I whispered to myself. “I want to call him daddy… even if it’s just once.”

For a moment, I forgot about the stranger, the card, and the mistake I made last night.

All I could think about was going home.

Maybe, just maybe, something good was finally about to happen in my life.

I quickly stopped a taxi and gave the driver my address.

As the car moved, I held my bag tightly, not knowing that inside it… the card with the name Harrison Grey was about to change everything.