Chapter 1

Ivy

“Have you put it in?” My voice cracked, embarrassingly shaky, as I stared up at the most handsome guy on campus—Jaxon. His trousers were tugged halfway down, his lean body hovering close, and me… I was lying there, completely naked except for the pair of glasses I always hid behind.

The boy I had crushed on for years. The hockey captain. The one every girl whispered about in the hallways.

He was drunk, his breath heavy with the smell of alcohol. I knew it wasn’t right. I knew it wasn’t fair. But still, this was the only chance I thought I had. The only way I could lose my virginity to someone like him. Because sober Jaxon would never even glance at me, not when I was just the nerd no one cared to notice.

“I… I can’t,” he muttered, fumbling with his pants, his eyes squinting as though reality was slowly crawling back into focus.

Panic shot through me. I grabbed his wrist, my fingers trembling. “Let’s do this,” I whispered, desperate, begging him with my eyes.

But then he really looked at me. His drunken haze cleared in an instant, and what flashed in his eyes wasn’t lust—it was shock. Disgust. Fear.

“How the hell did you get in here?!” he yelled, shoving me back, his voice sharp enough to slice through the pounding in my chest.

My stomach dropped. Heat rose to my cheeks as shame burned into me.

I scrambled up, clutching at anything to cover myself, but nothing was there. He was already yanking his pants back up, swearing under his breath. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The sound of my own heartbeat drowned out everything else.

I bolted. My bare feet slapped against the cold floor as I tore out of the room. My lungs ached, and my face stung like I’d been slapped.

What the hell did I just do?

I was crazy. Insane. Stupid. The words echoed in my skull, each one heavier than the last.

The truth was, none of this was just about Jaxon. None of it was just about sex. I was dying. The doctors had told me I had only a month left. A month before the sickness that had already taken over my skin, my body, would finally claim me.

The glasses, the dull patches on my skin, the tired look I could never hide, they weren’t flaws I could fix with makeup or good lighting. They were symptoms. And there was no cure.

I had accepted it. Or maybe I hadn’t. Maybe that’s why I did what I did tonight, because I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving this world untouched. A virgin.

Rosa, my best friend, was the one who had pushed me into this plan. She knew Jaxon would be at that room, the so-called “sex room,” where girls lined up for him like he was some kind of god. He never slept with anyone twice. Everyone knew that. But I didn’t care about “twice.” I just wanted once. Just wanted the experience before my time ran out.

And instead? I got humiliation.

“Boo!”

“Jesus Christ!” I spun, clutching my chest as my heart nearly leapt out of me.

Rosa stood there, grinning, clearly enjoying the way I looked like I was about to collapse.

“Do you want to kill me?” I snapped, my voice too shaky to sound serious.

Her grin only widened. She crossed her arms, eyes glittering with mischief. “So? Did you? Did you finally break it?”

I couldn’t even answer. My throat tightened. Without a word, I brushed past her and kept walking, heading straight for her house where I had been staying.

My parents had left town weeks ago, business trips, meetings, deals. They never told me the details, just packed their bags and left me behind like always. By then my body was too weak for me to be alone, so Rosa insisted I stay at her house until college started again. She was the only one who knew the truth about my sickness, the only one who knew how little time I had left.

Her laughter followed me, sharp and teasing. Rosa never let anything slide.

She was gorgeous, curves in all the right places, glowing skin, the kind of girl everyone stared at when she walked by. She had already lost hers a long time ago, with her boyfriend who had been waiting patiently for her. She never let me forget that.

Me? I was the ugly one. The sick one. The virgin. The one with time running out.

When I finally collapsed onto her bed that night, I stared at the ceiling, tears burning the corners of my eyes. Sleep didn’t come. My body wouldn’t let me rest. So I slipped out of bed and wandered down the hall, needing the bathroom.

That’s when I heard it.

“Papi… keep going…”

The voice was soft, breathless, almost moaning. My steps faltered. My curiosity spiked even though my heart screamed at me to walk away.

I edged closer to Rosa’s father’s room. The door wasn’t shut all the way. My fingers trembled as I nudged it slightly.

And then I froze.

My eyes went wide as I saw him—Mr. Dante, Rosa’s father, pressing into Mrs. Tessa. The housekeeper. Mr, Dante isn't married. I heard Rosa's mom left him with her while they were dating so he's never been married.

Mrs Tessa legs were spread wide, his hands gripping her hips hard as his body moved against hers, thrust after thrust.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, choking back a sound. My heart hammered so fast it hurt.

I should have left. God, I should have turned around and walked away.

But I didn’t.

My body stayed glued to the spot as Mrs. Tessa cried out, her voice breaking into a scream. “I’m cuming!”

The sound made my knees weak. My face burned hot, and still I couldn’t look away.

Mr. Dante groaned, his movements rougher, faster. He didn’t stop even as she climaxed. He drove into her harder, deeper, until finally he pulled out, and that’s when I saw him.

His cock.

Veined, long, glistening with her wetness. My lips parted, and I swear I actually drooled. My throat went dry as I swallowed hard.

My pulse raced like it was trying to escape my body.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Why was I reacting like this—like I wanted it?

Mrs. Tessa bent over, bracing herself, and he slid back inside her. The sounds filled the room,

“Clap, clap, clap.

Skin against skin, her gasps, his grunts. It was raw, it was filthy, and it was real.

So real that I felt it. My thighs pressed together, heat pooling low in my belly. My mind betrayed me with images, his cock inside me, his hands on me. I hated myself for thinking it.

That was Rosa’s dad. My best friend’s father.

And yet… my body betrayed me.

When he fisted her hair and shoved himself into her mouth, thrusting deep, I lost it. My breath came shallow, my chest rising and falling too fast. My body shuddered as release hit me, without a single touch.

Oh God.

I had actually cum just from watching him. The urine I had held all poured to the floor. 

I leaned against the wall, dizzy, terrified, overwhelmed.

And then his head turned. His eyes narrowed. He looked toward the door, like he knew someone was there.

“I think someone’s outside,” he growled, pulling himself from her mouth, his body shifting closer.

My blood ran cold.

My legs felt like stone as his shadow moved nearer, closer, until I heard him spit the words—

“Who’s there?”