The kiss at the frat house.

KAIDA’S POV

Liam and I were over, so why should I avoid him?

Yes, I hadn’t gotten over him yet, but I couldn’t keep avoiding him like a petty thief who had stolen millions of dollars' worth of gold.

"Are you really sure about this, Ida?" Ember asked for the tenth time since we began getting dressed, ready to leave for the party at the college frat house.

I nodded with a bob of my head. "Yes, I’m sure. Let’s go have fun and forget about everything else."

I was feeling better than I was yesterday, and I had already stopped crying, though the guilt still remained. The guilt of forcing Liam into our relationship.

Ember did a great job of dolling me up to the extent that I almost didn’t recognize myself anymore. I was dressed in a skimpy short gown that fell just below my thigh.

Ember had chosen the dress for me after I spent about two hours searching for something to wear but couldn’t find a suitable dress.

"You look so beautiful, Ida," Ember said, mesmerized by my appearance. "If not for the fact that I’m straight, I would have claimed you right away."

Her words made me throw my head back in laughter.

……

The drive to the college frat house was a ten-minute drive from our apartment. We finally arrived in Ember’s car and got out.

As expected, it was buzzing with music, and students whom I recognized from college walked in, holding their partners or friends.

"This is really loud," I said, surprised. Not what I had imagined at all.

I had never been to a frat party before, it was my first time, and it truly exceeded my expectations.

"Let’s go in!" Ember yelled in excitement, grabbing my wrist as she led me inside. If I had come on my own, I probably would have gotten lost and never been found.

Funny.

We maneuvered our way through the crowd of people, and truth be told, people had no shame.

Students were openly kissing and having sex in public, for others to see. It was explicit and shocking.

"That's disgusting," I said, scrunching up my nose as we walked past those people.

Finally, we secured a seat at a corner in the frat party.

There, we were served alcohol, but I chose a soft drink instead. Getting drunk wasn’t my intention.

I just wanted to dance and have fun tonight.

While Ember was busy downing alcohol, I took small sips from my soft drink, my eyes scanning the room, searching for a certain person.

It wasn't Liam, but someone else. I wanted to deny it, but my eyes never stopped looking for him.

Unfortunately, my eyes landed on Liam, but he wasn't alone.

My brows creased as I tried to place the familiarity of the girl beside him.

Shockingly, she looked exactly like me.

My doppelgänger.

The only difference was that she had red hair, which was obviously dyed, while mine was black. Other than that, we were replicas of each other.

I was still in shock when Liam turned his face towards her and connected his lips to hers. They engaged in a passionate kiss, lost in their own world of love.

My heart shattered at the sight. I thought I was getting better, but the sight brought fresh wounds to my heart.

This time, I wasn't sad or heartbroken. I was filled with rage.

Rage and jealousy are two different emotions with distinct meanings.

I wasn't jealous. I was consumed by rage instead.

Liam had guilt-tripped me into thinking I forced myself on him in our relationship, when in reality, he was the cheater and the betrayer.

He cheated on me with my doppelgänger. Someone who was a replica of me.

My eyes burned with rage as the need for revenge clawed at my chest. I needed to get my revenge by kissing a stranger. I wanted to show him that I had also moved on and found someone new.

My eyes scanned the frat house for a stranger who wasn't with a lady. I wouldn't want to get slapped after kissing him. That would be embarrassing.

Fortunately, my eyes fell on Maverick, who had just walked in with his teammates.

My heart skipped a beat as his eyes met mine. It was as if he already knew I was staring.

"I'll be back," I said, rising to my feet, while Ember frowned.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice drowsy.

I didn't reply as I walked past Liam and his girl and our eyes met.

"I'm sorry, Maverick," I said inwardly, making my way towards where he sat.

Without warning, I stood before him and leaned closer, our faces just inches away.

His brows arched in confusion, and just before he could ask what I was doing, I pulled his shirt closer and pressed my lips to his.

The kiss was supposed to last only two seconds, after which I planned to break away, having confirmed through my peripheral vision that Liam was watching.

Satisfied with my accomplishment, I made a move to break the kiss, but Maverick drew me closer and deepened the kiss, his veiny hands resting on my waist, just above my ass.

Gasps and murmurs rented the air and my eyes widened in complete shock.

What the hell!