001

Rosalie's POV

"Yes! Fuck me harder!" 

I froze the second I stepped inside my room. That was the unmistakable voice of my bitch of a roommate, Sarah.

It came from the bathroom, muffled by the sound of running water. But I could clearly hear the sound of wet skin slapping hard against wet skin.

Did she really bring one of her fuck buddies over?

And from the looks of things, it didn't seem like her first time doing this. If it was, she wouldn't be this loud.

God! So if I hadn't come back to get my journal, I wouldn't have found out she was doing it.

Seriously? In my own bathroom?

I marched angrily to the bathroom. "Seriously Sarah. You couldn't—" 

The rest of what I wanted to say lodged in my throat as my gaze trained on the scene before me.

Sarah was right there in the shower, hands on the wall as a man delivered savage thrust into her. Except the man was none other than my boyfriend.

All the air swooshed out of my lungs.

My stomach twisted so violently I had to force myself not to gag. Something hot and sharp was tearing through my chest.

God! I had trusted him so much.

When I had lost my parents in a plane crash four years ago, he'd been the only one for me. My safe space.

"Maxwell?" My voice choked out between pained shock and disbelief. 

But they were too caught up in their shameful acts to even hear my voice. 

How in God's name could this be happening? No! I shook my head in disbelief. I had to be hallucinating because there was no way Max was even here in London in the first place.

He had definitely told me he traveled to Africa for his dad's business research for the past three months now.

My brain just couldn't process the whole thing. I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could but I couldn't move.

My chest felt too tight. Hell! I couldn't even breathe.

I crashed against the door, my knees buckling so hard as I hyperventilated.

Max jerked around at the sound, his slack shaft swinging sideways. And when his gaze met mine, all the blood drained from his face.

His eyes went as wide as a saucer as though he just saw a ghost.

"R-Rosa, I—" his voice cracked as he quickly tossed Sarah to one side.

Sarah however didn't look fazed. In fact, she looked eerily composed as she met my gaze with a malicious glee in her eyes.

She didn't even have the decency to cover up as her lips curled into a triumphant smirk like this was some sort of competition.

You see, Sarah and I had been having some minor issues since I won the "overall best academic genius of the year" prize last month.

I had no idea she wanted the prize and had slept with some professors for it but ended up losing it anyway.

So she had begged me to reject the prize and advise the student board to give it to her but I had refused. 

Since then, she's been a basic bitch to me, calling me all sorts of names. And really, I had just been overlooking her bullshit. 

But this? This was crossing the line.

"Rosa, I can explain. It's really not what you think it is." Max began as he grabbed the towel and covered himself.

A mirthless laughter escaped me.

"It's not what I think it is? " My voice rose an octave, my lips quivering with rage. "Oh, you mean this is some kind of a rehearsal for an x-rated drama?" 

At that, Sarah let out a derisive snicker. 

"Stop being dramatic, Rosa. It's just sex. Not a big deal." She sneered, venom lacing her voice like I was a kid making a meaningless tantrum.

"It's not like it's my fault you couldn't satisfy your man. I didn't even have to seduce him much." 

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. 

But the rage that exploded in my gut numbed the pain— it flickered hot, embers kicking through my bloodstream.

"You shameless slut, you really—" I caught myself.

There was no use talking to someone like her. If this was her definition of payback, then I really couldn't stoop so low to her level.

I turned to Max and he had this look of guilt that I was all too familiar with. It was the same look he had when I had caught him kissing his best friend back in Los Angeles.

At the time, his excuse had been that she was on the school's drama team and he was only helping her rehearse. 

And I had believed him, I had fallen for his lies, hook line and sinker. 

God! I was such a fool. 

"Max," I croaked, clenching my fist so hard so I wouldn't fall apart.

"I trusted you, Max. You discarded four years of us just for a minute's pleasure?" 

Max expelled an exhausted breath, dragging his fingers through his hair like he was the victim here and I was the one at fault .

"Listen, baby. Baby, look at me. You need to calm down. I didn't intend for this to happen. I would never intentionally hurt you."

He grabbed the shower coat, covered himself and started approaching me. 

"I swear to you, I came here to surprise you, that's why I didn't tell you I was coming. But you weren't around and she seduced me." 

"I don't even care about her. It was a mistake. I only fell for it because it's been so long since we had sex. I've not seen you for three full months. I was really vulnerable."

"Think about everything. Think about everything we've been through to get here. You really want to throw all of that away? Over her?"

"What?" I gasped incredulously.

How brazen and shameless could he be right now to gaslight me? If anyone was throwing anything away he was the one.

"So, now it's my fault you cheated? Is that what you're saying?"

"No, no. I would never say that." He reached out to touch me.

Hot fury blinded me and my hand moved before I could stop myself. The back of my hand landed across his face with a loud smack.

He stumbled backwards from the impact, groaning as he grabbed his hurting red cheeks

"Don't you dare put your filthy hands on me!" I bellowed, enunciating every word. "It's over between us. I'm done listening to your crap!"

"Rosa, I —" 

I couldn't care less what gibberish he was about to utter. I just grabbed my bag and walked out the door.

My head was reeling, my heart pounded in my ribcage, but I didn't stop walking. Even as hot tears blinded my sight, I still didn't stop.

I didn't even know where I was going but I just kept going until—

"Rosa?"

I knew that voice. 

"Oh my God— Rosa."

My best friend, Emily appeared around the corner and I didn't get one word out before she had both arms locked around me and I just— broke. Completely broke.

"What happened?" She whispered softly as she patted my back.

The weight of Maxwell's betrayal suddenly crashed down on my soul all at once. Tears burned hot down my face, soaking into her jacket, and I couldn't stop shaking.

"Maxwell cheated on me with Sarah." 

Emily hugged me tighter.

"Hey. Hey, I've got you. I've got you. He didn't deserve you." 

I don't know how long I stood crying in her arms but when I finally calmed she walked me to her car where we talked.

Occasionally, she squeezed my hand as she called Maxwell every name imaginable and even called Sarah. 

"I just— God, I want to kick his kneecaps clean off his body." She said in that her finely polished British accent. 

"Such a loser, with his half inch cock." 

I burst out in laughter in spite of my tears. Honestly, Emily had a way around words.

I can't even imagine how my school life would have been without her. I met her on the first day at school and two years later, she was still the best so far.

She was my everything at this point.

I just needed to name it and she was already doing it for me, relieving me of any stress. Anything to make me happy.

My lips curled into a smile as I kissed her cheeks. " I love you so much bestie. Thanks for hearing me out."

"Anything for you, girl." Then she leaned closer. "You know what? You're not staying here tonight."

"You need to forget everything. Clear your head and I have the perfect spot for that." 

"No, Emily. I—" 

She cut off my protest. "Don't worry. It's not a club. It's one of my dad's vacation houses. He rarely ever uses it except on a few occasions, a few of his friends use it." 

She purses her lips. "So, basically, it's empty and you can use it for as long as you want. There's expensive drinks there too." 

And viola!

That was how I found myself spending the night alone in the big ass grand suit of a vacation house that looked like something out of Disneyland.

I mean, I knew Emily was a rich kid. But this rich? I didn't expect this at all. And to think it was only just one out of the other ones she said her dad owned.

Just how wealthy was her dad because this was screaming British old money? She rarely ever talks about her dad.

It had always seemed like a sore spot for her so I never asked either.

Anyway, I was about to have the best bath of my life. After Emily dropped me off, I had cried myself to sleep and now it was dark outside. 

Well, not as dark as how my heart felt, the pain was still sharp and I needed something strong enough to knock my mind out as I soak myself in the hot tub.

I sashayed to the bar in my towel, pulled the nearest bottle out without looking at the label, took a shot and downed it at a go.

It stung the back of my throat like fire, scorching all the way down, bitter and sharp, landing in my stomach like a hot coal. 

I winced hard... and took another shot anyway.

And another.

By the time I lowered the bottle, most of it was gone and I could already feel it loosening the tight screws in my body.

My limbs got heavy, my head jumbled. But I liked it.

The bottle was halfway through my lips when a sound from upstairs drifted out.

I went completely still.

It was deep, rough, almost pained. 

A groan.

Then another, louder this time followed by a ragged exhale that made a shiver race down my spine and the the hair on my neck stand.

My heart started hammering loudly in my ears.

Could it be a thief who broke in?

I gripped the bottle tighter because apparently that was the only weapon I could find. I traced the voice up the stairs. 

My vision was blurry and my steps unsteady but I found the room.

I hesitated for a second before pushing the door open only to suck in a sharp breath.

A man was standing there, in front of the mirror, naked.

Completely and utterly naked.

And he was...touching himself.