CHAPTER 2 -SHATTERED

~ Liana ~

The first thing that hit me was pain. A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed in my skull, each beat feeling heavier than the last, like drums echoing right next to my ears. My throat was dry, and every muscle in my body ached as if I had been twisted and left out in the sun to dry.

I groaned, slowly forcing my eyes open. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar—plain, cream-colored, with a faint crack running along one corner. This was definitely not my room. And it wasn’t Ethan’s either.

Panic surged in my chest.

I sat up too fast, clutching the sheets to my body. The sudden movement made my headache worse. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I almost collapsed back onto the pillow.

That’s when I noticed my skin.

Bare.

Completely bare.

I glanced down and realized I was naked beneath the sheets. My heart raced against my ribs, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

“What…?” My voice trembled as the word slipped out. “What happened…?”

Fragments of memory fluttered through my mind like torn pieces of paper. The party. The champagne. Music blaring so loudly that the bass vibrated through the floor. Faces I could barely remember. Laughter, lights, the warmth of the crowd.

But after that? Nothing.

Just emptiness.

I tried to piece it all together, but the more I tried, the more my head throbbed.

As if to ground me, my senses picked up something unusual, a faint, lingering scent in the room. Masculine. Subtle yet distinct. Not Ethan’s. Ethan had a sharp, woody cologne I had known for years. This one was different—cleaner, with a hint of spice that faintly clung to the air and the sheets around me.

My chest tightened. Someone had definitely been here.

The thought made a wave of nausea rise in my throat.

No. No, no, no.

I shook my head, clutching the duvet tighter around me. This couldn’t be what it looked like. I couldn’t have…

A sudden knock jolted me upright.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Liana.”

My heart stopped.

It was Ethan’s voice.

Relief and dread collided violently inside me.

“Open the door,” he called firmer this time.

My lips parted, but no words came out. My body froze. He was right outside that door. For a split second, I almost leaped from the bed to fling the door open, to rush into his arms and let him tell me everything was fine, that this was just a terrible nightmare.

But then reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was naked. In a stranger’s bed. With no memory of the night before.

How could I let Ethan see me like this?

“Ethan…” My voice came out small and hoarse. “Just a moment.”

I fumbled around the floor, desperate for something to cover myself. I spotted a robe hanging loosely on the back of a chair and slipped it over my shoulders, tightening the sash with shaky fingers. It was too big, not mine, and smelled faintly of that same strange cologne. My stomach twisted.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the wall. My hair was a mess, makeup smudged, lips swollen as if…

I shook my head. Don’t think. Don’t think.

Another round of knocks rattled the door.

“Liana, open the door now.” Ethan’s voice was sharper this time. Annoyed.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. Whatever had happened, I would explain. Ethan loved me. He had to believe me.

I wrapped the robe tightly around myself, seeking comfort as I approached the door. My hands trembled as I reached for the doorknob.

I opened it.

And froze in place.

Ethan was standing there—yes, but he wasn’t alone.

Vanessa stood right beside him, her painted lips twisted into a smug smirk. Behind them, flashes erupted. Cameras. At least four reporters, their hands gripping their gear like vultures ready to swoop down on a carcass.

For a moment, I felt paralyzed. My breath caught in my throat, horror coursing through my veins like wildfire.

Vanessa’s voice sliced through the silence, sweet yet laced with venom.

“I warned you, Ethan,” she said, her eyes sparkling with triumph. “Didn’t I tell you she was unfaithful? But you wouldn’t listen. You defended her.”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Ethan’s gaze locked onto mine. What I saw there shattered me.

Agony. Disbelief. Betrayal.

“How could you, Liana?” His voice was strained, raw, and broken. “How could you betray me like this?”

“No!” The word burst from me, filled with desperation and pleading. “Ethan, it’s not what it looks like! Please, just let me explain...”

The reporters surged forward, cameras flashing, shutters clicking in a rapid frenzy.

“Miss Liana, is it true that you cheated on your fiancé?”

“How long has this affair been going on?”

“Who is the man you spent the night with?”

“Did you bring him here after the party?”

Questions bombarded me from all sides, cruel and intrusive, drowning me in a chaotic wave of noise.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I shook my head, struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "No, no, it's not true! This is all a big misunderstanding"

Vanessa gasped dramatically, clutching Ethan’s arm as if trying to comfort him. "Oh Ethan, I’m so sorry you had to find out like this. She doesn’t even bother to deny it."

"Shut up, Vanessa!" I snapped, my voice trembling. "You don’t understand, nothing happened..."

"Nothing happened?" Vanessa’s laughter cut through the air, sharp and mocking. She tilted her chin towards me. "Then why do you look like that? Why are you in a stranger’s robe, in a stranger’s room, with the scent of another man all over you?"

My heart dropped, and I felt a chill run through me.

It hit me then just how incriminating everything looked. The robe. My messy hair. The lingering scent of cologne.

"Ethan, please," I begged, my vision blurring as tears spilled over. "You have to believe me. I don’t know what happened last night—I swear, I can’t remember. But I would never betray you."

Ethan’s jaw clenched, his eyes a mix of hurt, anger, and something that felt like a dagger twisting in my heart.

"I loved you," he said quietly, his voice trembling. "I trusted you, Liana. And this is how you repay me?"

"No!" I cried out, reaching for him. "Ethan, please.."

He stepped back, shaking his head as if just looking at me was too painful.

"I can’t do this," he whispered. Then, raising his voice for the reporters, he said, "You’ve seen enough."

He turned away, taking Vanessa with him. She shot me one last smug glance over her shoulder, a victorious smirk on her lips, before disappearing through the door.

But the reporters didn’t leave. They surged into the room, cameras flashing like crazy.

"Miss Liana, do you have any comments about your infidelity?"

"Will you and Mr. Ethan still go through with the wedding after this scandal?"

"Do you regret betraying him?"

Their voices blended into a deafening roar. I stumbled back, clutching my robe tightly, tears streaming down my face.

This couldn’t be real. This wasn’t happening.

But the flashes kept coming, each click of the shutter sealing my fate.

I was trapped.

And for the first time in years, I felt completely, utterly powerless. Liana ~

The first thing that hit me was pain. A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed in my skull, each beat feeling heavier than the last, like drums echoing right next to my ears. My throat was dry, and every muscle in my body ached as if I had been twisted and left out in the sun to dry.

I groaned, slowly forcing my eyes open. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar—plain, cream-colored, with a faint crack running along one corner. This was definitely not my room. And it wasn’t Ethan’s either.

Panic surged in my chest.

I sat up too fast, clutching the sheets to my body. The sudden movement made my headache worse. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I almost collapsed back onto the pillow.

That’s when I noticed my skin.

Bare.

Completely bare.

I glanced down and realized I was naked beneath the sheets. My heart raced against my ribs, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

“What…?” My voice trembled as the word slipped out. “What happened…?”

Fragments of memory fluttered through my mind like torn pieces of paper. The party. The champagne. Music blaring so loudly that the bass vibrated through the floor. Faces I could barely remember. Laughter, lights, the warmth of the crowd.

But after that? Nothing.

Just emptiness.

I tried to piece it all together, but the more I tried, the more my head throbbed.

As if to ground me, my senses picked up something unusual, a faint, lingering scent in the room. Masculine. Subtle yet distinct. Not Ethan’s. Ethan had a sharp, woody cologne I had known for years. This one was different—cleaner, with a hint of spice that faintly clung to the air and the sheets around me.

My chest tightened. Someone had definitely been here.

The thought made a wave of nausea rise in my throat.

No. No, no, no.

I shook my head, clutching the duvet tighter around me. This couldn’t be what it looked like. I couldn’t have…

A sudden knock jolted me upright.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Liana.”

My heart stopped.

It was Ethan’s voice.

Relief and dread collided violently inside me.

“Open the door,” he called firmer this time.

My lips parted, but no words came out. My body froze. He was right outside that door. For a split second, I almost leaped from the bed to fling the door open, to rush into his arms and let him tell me everything was fine, that this was just a terrible nightmare.

But then reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was naked. In a stranger’s bed. With no memory of the night before.

How could I let Ethan see me like this?

“Ethan…” My voice came out small and hoarse. “Just a moment.”

I fumbled around the floor, desperate for something to cover myself. I spotted a robe hanging loosely on the back of a chair and slipped it over my shoulders, tightening the sash with shaky fingers. It was too big, not mine, and smelled faintly of that same strange cologne. My stomach twisted.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the wall. My hair was a mess, makeup smudged, lips swollen as if…

I shook my head. Don’t think. Don’t think.

Another round of knocks rattled the door.

“Liana, open the door now.” Ethan’s voice was sharper this time. Annoyed.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. Whatever had happened, I would explain. Ethan loved me. He had to believe me.

I wrapped the robe tightly around myself, seeking comfort as I approached the door. My hands trembled as I reached for the doorknob.

I opened it.

And froze in place.

Ethan was standing there—yes, but he wasn’t alone.

Vanessa stood right beside him, her painted lips twisted into a smug smirk. Behind them, flashes erupted. Cameras. At least four reporters, their hands gripping their gear like vultures ready to swoop down on a carcass.

For a moment, I felt paralyzed. My breath caught in my throat, horror coursing through my veins like wildfire.

Vanessa’s voice sliced through the silence, sweet yet laced with venom.

“I warned you, Ethan,” she said, her eyes sparkling with triumph. “Didn’t I tell you she was unfaithful? But you wouldn’t listen. You defended her.”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Ethan’s gaze locked onto mine. What I saw there shattered me.

Agony. Disbelief. Betrayal.

“How could you, Liana?” His voice was strained, raw, and broken. “How could you betray me like this?”

“No!” The word burst from me, filled with desperation and pleading. “Ethan, it’s not what it looks like! Please, just let me explain...”

The reporters surged forward, cameras flashing, shutters clicking in a rapid frenzy.

“Miss Liana, is it true that you cheated on your fiancé?”

“How long has this affair been going on?”

“Who is the man you spent the night with?”

“Did you bring him here after the party?”

Questions bombarded me from all sides, cruel and intrusive, drowning me in a chaotic wave of noise.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I shook my head, struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "No, no, it's not true! This is all a big misunderstanding"

Vanessa gasped dramatically, clutching Ethan’s arm as if trying to comfort him. "Oh Ethan, I’m so sorry you had to find out like this. She doesn’t even bother to deny it."

"Shut up, Vanessa!" I snapped, my voice trembling. "You don’t understand, nothing happened..."

"Nothing happened?" Vanessa’s laughter cut through the air, sharp and mocking. She tilted her chin towards me. "Then why do you look like that? Why are you in a stranger’s robe, in a stranger’s room, with the scent of another man all over you?"

My heart dropped, and I felt a chill run through me.

It hit me then just how incriminating everything looked. The robe. My messy hair. The lingering scent of cologne.

"Ethan, please," I begged, my vision blurring as tears spilled over. "You have to believe me. I don’t know what happened last night—I swear, I can’t remember. But I would never betray you."

Ethan’s jaw clenched, his eyes a mix of hurt, anger, and something that felt like a dagger twisting in my heart.

"I loved you," he said quietly, his voice trembling. "I trusted you, Liana. And this is how you repay me?"

"No!" I cried out, reaching for him. "Ethan, please.."

He stepped back, shaking his head as if just looking at me was too painful.

"I can’t do this," he whispered. Then, raising his voice for the reporters, he said, "You’ve seen enough."

He turned away, taking Vanessa with him. She shot me one last smug glance over her shoulder, a victorious smirk on her lips, before disappearing through the door.

But the reporters didn’t leave. They surged into the room, cameras flashing like crazy.

"Miss Liana, do you have any comments about your infidelity?"

"Will you and Mr. Ethan still go through with the wedding after this scandal?"

"Do you regret betraying him?"

Their voices blended into a deafening roar. I stumbled back, clutching my robe tightly, tears streaming down my face.

This couldn’t be real. This wasn’t happening.

But the flashes kept coming, each click of the shutter sealing my fate.

I was trapped.

And for the first time in years, I felt completely, utterly powerless.