CHAPTER 1: SHATTERED

REVA

The ceiling spun, or perhaps it was the floor that was spinning. I couldn’t tell. But the moment I sat up, the world tipped sideways, and my head pounded as if someone was hammering it from within.

Blinking rapidly against the light spilling in from the wall corners, I attempted to orient myself, but it took some time. The soft ivory painted ceilings… the massive bed with a tufted leather headboard, the pale oak floors… this wasn’t my room, and I asked myself where I was before everything came crashing back with the next breath.

I was at the Montage Laguna Beachfront Resort, in the suite that Nikolai and I shared.

But I was alone. My hand instinctively reached for the other side of the bed, and it was cold, with the sheets only rumpled where I had been. "What time is it?" I croaked, my throat dry and raw, and glanced up at the clock on the wall.

2:47 a.m.

Just then, memories of the dinner and the party that followed flooded back, bringing with them another question. How was I in bed, waking up after passing out? I wasn't supposed to be; I hadn't drunk much.

"Just take a sip. You need to relax." I recalled my husband handing me a flute after I decided not to drink because I'd drunk heavily the night before, and had no time to enjoy anything. I had awoken in the same state... passed out in bed alone, and I couldn't remember how it had happened.

Getting out of bed, I stumbled to my suitcase and tore it open, hands shaking. I found the pain relievers and choked down two with the last of a half-empty water bottle. It didn’t help the taste of ash in my mouth, though.

I was still wearing my gala dress, which was wrinkled and clung to my skin. My heels were nowhere in sight, but I had no time to dwell on that.

Yanking on a loose wrap, I stepped out into the hallway barefoot. Even at this late hour, the resort was breathtaking with the Christmas decorations.

Every path was illuminated by red and green lights embedded in the ground, and sculpted hedges lined the walkways, while terraces cascaded toward the cliffs.

The place was massive too, with open-air lounges that glowed with lanterns. Beyond that was the endless black of the ocean, which shimmered in the moonlight. And I made a mental note that Nikolai and I had to return.

Walking faster, I hugged myself as I returned to the party, which had not subsided one bit.

Stepping into the light of the terrace, my colleagues were everywhere, slumped on cushions, twirling across the dance floor, and kissing under lanterns.

"Reva!" a voice slurred, and I turned to see a woman I recognized from PR stumbling toward me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "You disappeared! We thought you were dead. Or, perhaps, hooking up with your man somewhere!" She winked before laughing too close to my ear.

“I…” My tongue felt thick. “I need to find him. Have you seen him?”

“No. Come dance!”

“I can’t.”

I gently shook her off and moved deeper into the ballroom, scanning every face but finding none of them. They weren't at the bar, not on the beach deck, not even near the fire pits, where some couples were still drinking wine and whispering giggles.

I searched every room and corner, while my nausea returned in full force. My legs wobbled beneath me, and heat prickled up the back of my neck.

Where in the hell were they? I muttered to myself as I climbed toward the upper lounge, where the quieter guests had gone earlier in the evening. It was mostly empty now, with only abandoned bottles, jumbled cushions, and someone's silver heel kicked off beneath a daybed. There was still no Nikolai or Hunter.

My bladder twinged sharply, catching me off guard, and I winced before turning down the stone path toward the restrooms, which were tucked just beyond the mosaic pool area.

The women's side was full, so I went to the men's side, which was quieter. Everyone was drunk, dancing, or gone, so I stepped inside and shoved open the first stall, telling myself no one would notice.

Relief came quickly, but the pain in my skull persisted, bringing back the questions of how much I had drunk and why I couldn't remember.

Stepping out of the stall, I headed for the exit after quickly washing my hands. The door was slightly propped open, and the cool coastal air drifted in. I paused, letting the breeze kiss my skin as it seemed to provide some relief to the stubborn headache.

Sighing, I reflected on how foolish it was that I hadn't taken my phone. I could have called Nikolai or Hunter. But I didn't even recall seeing my phone on the nightstand. I reasoned that I needed to return to the suite to find it, so I moved, but only took one step before coming to a halt when a sound reached my ears.

Perking up, I questioned whether I really heard it, and I did. The sound came from behind the restrooms, where thick hedges led to a private path near the cliffs.

It came again, clearly a grunt this time, and I froze, my face lighting up as I felt like such a perv for listening.

"Get out of here, Reva," I muttered to myself as I walked out the door, but I only made it two steps before a strained gasp echoed, stopping me in my tracks.

I knew that voice… I’d recognize it anywhere, and my breath caught as my head whipped toward the sound before my feet moved before I could stop them.

I crept along the outer wall's curve, my back brushing against the vine-covered trellis as I took silent steps on the smooth stone. The beach lay just beyond the railing now, the tide gently rolling in under the moonlight. And the sound was louder here… closer.

My chest tightened, the pounding in my head fading and being replaced by static in my ears before my body abruptly stopped moving. My hand pressed lightly against the stone wall as my husband's voice returned, needing something solid to hold on to, my heart racing faster and faster.

“What am I doing?” I asked myself, and my inner voice shot back, saying, “What is he doing out here?"

All I had to do was take another step to find out, but instead of moving, my mind scrambled for a logical explanation. Maybe he got hurt. Maybe someone needed help. Perhaps he was...

Another moan; this time, it was louder. Then there was a gasp... a name. “Niko… fuck, you feel so good!”

My mouth turned dry. But still, I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t, so I took another step forward. My legs felt numb, like they weren’t mine. But I continued, some sick part of me still thinking no, hoping I was mistaken even as I heard him again.

“God, don’t stop!”

But what wife would believe she was about to walk in on her husband like that?

My feet slowed as I rounded the corner... and there, half hidden in shadow where the wall gave way to a more private stone arch, stood my husband, his cock buried inside someone who wasn't me.

Their bodies were flushed as they moved in unison with a rhythm that seemed to stop the world from spinning, while the dim outdoor light spilled across his bare back, catching the sheen of sweat on his skin.

The sounds they made, strained and desperate, spilled out into the open air like the waves before them, and my knees gave way slightly before I caught myself on the stone wall, fingers trembling.

“Fuck! You’re so thick… I want to feel every inch of that beautiful cock.” The other person's voice came, and it was then that Nikolai shifted, and the moonlight spilled over the other person's profile.

Blond hair, damp and messy… a familiar jaw and shoulders. Hunter, my brother.

My body became completely still, as if my heart had stopped beating... my lips numb as I whispered. “Nikolai? Hunter?”

They froze before my husband’s head snapped toward me while Hunter jerked forward like he’d been shot. “Reva-”

I didn’t wait to hear the rest.

I ran, my bare feet slapping against the smooth path as I tore away from them, the fabric of my wrap streaming behind me like smoke.

The music from the party faded into the distance. Even the crash of waves couldn’t drown the sound of my heartbeat hammering in my ears, and I didn’t stop until I reached our suite.

Shoving the door open, I stumbled inside.

My hand fumbled for the wall, and I turned, spinning, not even sure why or where I was going. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think, and the room was too bright… too big… too cold.

Everything spun as if I were drunk again, but this time there was no hazy joy or giggling warmth in my chest. I only felt nauseated, and my knees buckled.

I collapsed hard, my palms slapping the cool wooden floor, and for a moment I stayed there on all fours like something broken while my throat clenched around a sound I didn’t release… then I crawled.

I needed the bed. I didn’t even know why, as there was no comfort in it now, and my fingers clawed at the sheets as I dragged myself up with whatever strength I had left.

My heart throbbed in my ears, and I curled tighter as the soft bedding twisted in my fists. My face buried where his body had been just hours before, and I curled into the scent as sobs ripped through me.