Chapter 1: The Morning After

Lily’s eyes snapped open, the rapid thudding of her heart the first thing she felt, heavy and frantic. She sat up, breath catching in her throat as her surroundings came into focus. Her head felt like a jackhammer was pounding inside, her body stiff and clammy. As she scanned the room, panic gripped her. She was completely undressed.

What the hell happened?

Her pulse raced, but the last thing she could remember was Alice's 21st birthday party, crowded, loud, filled with people who were laughing, drinking, and dancing. After that? A black hole.

Her hands instinctively grabbed the nearest blanket, pulling it around her to cover the bare skin. Please don’t let this be real, she thought, eyes darting to the figure lying next to her.

A man.

A man she didn’t know.

Her breath caught in her throat, heart pounding even harder as he stirred in the bed. Slowly, he turned, the sunlight filtering through the window casting shadows across his face, and then, 

shit.

It was Ethan.

Rosy’s boyfriend. The one she was supposed to never touch, let alone find herself tangled in bed with.

The door crashed open before she could react. Her mother’s voice rang out like a banshee. "Lily, open the door! What’s going on in there?"

Lily jumped, every muscle in her body tensing. Her father’s voice followed, louder, angrier, tinged with disbelief.

"Open the damn door, Lily!"

She froze, clutching the pillow against her chest, as if it could block the coming storm.

A heartbeat later, they were all there, her mother, her father, and Rosy, eyes wide with horror, faces a mix of anger and confusion. Her father’s eyes narrowed when they landed on Lily, then flicked to Ethan.

"You shameless girl! What have you done? Who is this man?" her mother hissed, her voice filled with venom.

The sound of her mother's words felt like a slap, but nothing could prepare her for Rosy’s reaction. She opened her mouth to speak, but Rosy was already charging toward her, fury in her eyes.

"You bitch!" Rosy’s shrill voice tore through the room. Her hands were in Lily’s hair, tugging, yanking. "What the hell did you do? To me? To us?"

"Stop!" Lily screamed, struggling to keep the blanket over her body as Rosy’s fingers twisted deeper into her hair. She was barely holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. "I don’t remember anything. Please, Rosy, stop! I didn’t…."

But Rosy wasn’t listening. She just pulled harder, her sobs coming in jagged breaths as Lily’s scalp burned with pain.

The next few moments were a blur of accusations, confusion, and guilt. Her father, his face tight with disappointment, barked at Rosy to stop. Her mother was muttering curses under her breath, her eyes narrowing at Lily with disgust.

Ethan, still trying to process what was happening, blinked at Rosy, then Lily. "I don’t know what happened, Rosy," he said, voice low, almost frantic. "I swear to God, I don’t know how I got here." His voice cracked, desperation creeping in. "But this….. this wasn’t me. I’m just as confused as you are."

“Then how the hell did you end up in Lily’s bed, Ethan?” Rosy’s voice was a pitiful cry, raw with disbelief.

Ethan stood, his body stiff, his movements sharp. He glared at Lily with such intensity, it made her stomach drop.

“Did you seduce me?” he demanded, eyes dark with a mixture of anger and frustration.

What?

Lily’s throat tightened, her chest squeezing with panic. “No! God, no! I wouldn’t, never! Especially not with my sister’s boyfriend!”

"Then explain this." His voice was colder now, bitter. He stepped toward the door, grabbing his clothes from the floor. He was shaking, visibly rattled by what was unfolding.

"I don’t remember how this happened! But I’m not to blame!" Lily shouted, the blanket slipping from her shoulders as she stood up. She didn’t even care anymore. She was a mess, confused, angry, and hurting.

But Ethan wasn’t listening. He didn’t even look at her as he buttoned up his shirt.

"You’re going to ruin everything, Lily," he spat, his tone cutting through her like a knife. "If Rosy and I end because of this, you’ll be the one to blame."

With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door with a force that rattled the walls. Lily stood there, completely frozen, her hands trembling at her sides.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, each beat painfully slow as she looked around, trying to make sense of it all. But the more she tried to piece things together, the more the fragments slipped away from her grasp. She couldn’t remember a damn thing beyond the party.

A deep breath shuddered through her body. What the hell was I thinking?

She sat back on the bed, feeling every inch of the cold space between her and the world she’d just broken apart. Rosy. Ethan. Her own mother’s cold gaze. The blame, the shame, all of it.

Her mind spun. What if she did remember? What if the pieces fit together in a way she wasn’t ready for?

What happened last night?

She didn’t know. She had no answers.

But there was one thing she was sure of, her life was never going to be the same again.