Chapter 1

~Camelia POV~

A sharp pain ran through my head as I groaned softly, shoving my hand through my hair as if to will away the ache.

The scent of lavender mixed with a manly cologne coming from the room made it even worse, especially with my sensitive sense of smell, which had turned out not to be my favorite advantage of having a nose.

I turned on the bed in an attempt to bury my face in my pillow to stop myself from perceiving it, but I froze in shock when I felt a warm body next to me.

My eyes snapped open, and the first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in my room as I had thought. I wasn't lying on my bed, and worst of all, the man on the bed next to me wasn't my fiancé, Peter.

I jolted out of the bed, my heart pounding hard in my chest. “Shit… oh my goodness…” the words left my mouth when I realized I was naked, and worst of all, the guy on the bed was too. “How did this happen?”

The moment I muttered the question, fragments of memories flashed through my mind.

I remembered agreeing to attend a club party with my sister, Anya. She had pleaded with me to come along because her friends who were supposed to go with her had ditched her.

The rest of what happened was a blur—me taking the drink she gave me and toasting to her finding a man that night.

The man stirred on the bed, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I looked around the room hastily for my clothes. I saw them scattered on the floor and quickly grabbed them, wearing them as fast as I could before leaving the room.

As I walked down the hallway, I started to sweat. “How could I do this to Peter…?” I whispered, my voice shaking. “It’s just three days to our wedding… and I cheated on him.”

My chest tightened painfully, and I pressed my lips together to stop them from trembling.

I had never felt this guilty and horrible before. I should have known that going to a party with Anya would end up like this, but I didn’t want her to feel bad. She was my only sister, and after our parents’ death, we had promised each other that we would always look out for ourselves.

I packed my hair into a ponytail as I stepped into the elevator. The man I had a one-night stand with must be wealthy, judging from the standard of the hotel, but that was the least of my problems right now.

As long as I never saw him again, I would be fine.

Now I needed to figure out what to do.

How was I going to explain to Peter that I had given my virginity to another man before our wedding night?

A sudden sense of concern came to my mind. If I had ended up in a stranger’s bed, then what had happened to Anya? How had she allowed this to happen?

I quickly fished for my phone from my bag and dialed Anya’s number, but she didn’t pick up. After trying several times, panic started to settle in.

“Anya… pick up…” I muttered under my breath, gripping my phone tightly.

Could it be that something had happened to her?

First, I needed to get home and then find a way to reach her. I took a cab and impatiently waited until it stopped in front of the duplex apartment Peter had given me as a gift after our engagement party. Anya had moved in three days later.

I got out of the cab and rushed to the door. The fact that it wasn’t locked gave me the hint that Anya was inside—maybe passed out on the couch.

But the moment I got into the living room, Peter’s cold voice sliced through the air, making my heart thud hard in my chest.

“Where were you last night, Camelia?” he demanded.

“I… I’m so sorry,” I said, forcing a smile even though my gut twisted with guilt. “I should’ve told you. I went to a club party with Anya.”

He stared at me like I had lost my mind. “How could you lie to me, Camelia? You should’ve told me you didn’t want to marry me instead of cheating on me and lying to my face.”

My hand trembled at my side, and I clenched it quickly to hide it.

Could it be that Peter knew about the one-night stand?

The thought echoed in my head, but I shook it off.

There was no way he could have known. The only person in the room when I woke up was the stranger and me.

“Peter, please let me explain,” I said, trying to step closer to him, but he raised his hand sharply.

“Don’t you dare come close to me,” he snapped, glaring at me with anger. “I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

His words hit harder than I expected, and I stopped immediately.

“Please,” I said, trying to pull myself together instead of breaking down. “It’s not how you think it is. I would never cheat on you or lie to you.”

Peter scoffed, his eyes filled with disbelief. “You have no shame, Camelia. And you think I’m going to believe anything you say?”

My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard.

“Please, you have to hear me out before you make any decision,” I cried, tears filling my eyes. “I only followed Anya to that club party because she begged me to. She didn’t want to go alone. I love you, Peter, and I would never cheat on you. It was a—”

“Now you’re using Anya to lie?” Peter shouted angrily.

I blinked, confused, but he didn’t stop.

“Anya has been home since last night,” he continued. “Why would you lie on your own sister just to cover up what you did?”

I stared at him in shock, trying to process his words.

“I’m telling you the truth, Peter,” I said weakly. “When have I ever lied to you? Anya was the one I went to the party with. You know I don’t like going to places like that. I only agreed to go for Anya’s sake.”

“Enough with your lies, Camelia. Enough!” Peter shouted.

I flinched.

“When I came home last night to look for you, Anya was the one I met. She was here… all alone by herself,” he said, his voice cold and hard. “Why do you keep lying to me, Camelia?”

My eyes widened in shock, my breath catching in my throat.

“Anya… was home?”