Chapter 1: The Stranger in Room 804

Siena’s POV

The first thing I noticed was the headache—vicious and unforgiving, like my skull was a drum someone kept pounding from the inside. The second was the scent: crisp linen, subtle cologne, and champagne… lots of it.

The third?

I wasn’t in my bedroom.

I blinked slowly, disoriented, hoping my vision would clear the confusion from my brain. But the sight that met me only made things worse.

The ceiling was high, the crown molding elegant, with gold-tinted detailing that looked far too expensive for any hotel I could afford. Velvet curtains filtered sunlight through soft golden threads, casting gentle patterns on the white marble floor. Everything screamed luxury—way beyond the usual bachelorette suite I thought I’d booked with Kendra.

The sheets clung to my body, silky and cool. I sat up with a gasp. The movement made the fabric fall off my shoulders, exposing too much skin. My heart skipped a beat as I realized I wasn’t wearing a bra. Or underwear. Just the thin straps of a shimmery silver dress pooled around my hips.

No. No, no, no.

A cold wave of panic crashed over me.

Where was I?

What did I do?

Slowly, I turned my head to the right, fear curling in my gut.

And there he was.

A man lay sprawled on the other side of the bed, one arm slung over the pillow, the other resting across the duvet like he had no care in the world. Even asleep, his features were breathtaking—sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, thick lashes, and tousled dark hair that looked like it had been tugged more than once. His bare chest rose and fell with the slow rhythm of sleep, golden skin marked by faint red scratches and a purple bruise at his collarbone.

My eyes widened.

I had no idea who he was.

I pressed a trembling hand to my mouth to stop the scream threatening to escape. My chest tightened. My stomach turned. Everything inside me felt wrong.

This couldn’t be real.

My thoughts raced. Last night had been my bachelorette party. Kendra and I had planned it for weeks—just a fun night out. Dancing. Drinking. One last wild memory before I became Mrs. Siena Callahan.

I remembered the beginning. I remembered the club—the neon lights, the laughter, the spinning sensation after too many tequila shots. Furthermore, I remembered Kendra pulling me into the crowd to dance, the music pounding in my ears like a second heartbeat.

But after that?

Nothing. Just a black void.

No memory of coming here. No memory of this man.

My hands trembled as I touched my aching head again. Had I been drugged? No… I didn’t think so. But why couldn’t I remember anything?

I needed to get out. Now.

I moved quietly, careful not to wake him. I reached for my clutch, which had fallen on the floor beside my heels. My phone was inside, thank God. My keys were gone, but I could figure that out later. My dress clung to my clammy skin as I yanked it back over my body, tugging it into place without bothering to adjust it properly. There was no time for dignity.

The room was too quiet. His breathing continued, slow and even. He hadn’t stirred.

Good.

The suite door creaked as I opened it, and I flinched. But he didn’t move.

I slipped into the hallway, barefoot, holding my heels in one hand like a guilty teenager sneaking out after curfew. The thick carpet muffled my steps as I walked to the elevator, praying no one would see me.

I passed two housekeepers with carts. One of them looked at me and raised a perfectly plucked brow.

My cheeks burned with shame.

The elevator doors opened, and I stumbled inside. I avoided my reflection in the mirrored walls until curiosity—and self-loathing—forced me to look.

Mascara smeared beneath my eyes. Lipstick faded. Hair tangled in messy waves. A red mark peeked out from beneath my collarbone. I didn’t even want to imagine what it looked like elsewhere.

I looked like a woman who’d cheated on her fiancé.

My stomach twisted.

Zane.

The name hit me like a slap. What would he say if he saw me like this? What if someone had taken pictures? What if someone knew?

No one could know.

Not ever.

I stepped out of the hotel and into the blinding daylight, squinting against the sun as I flagged down a cab. My body ached in ways I didn’t want to think about. I felt raw, exposed, and hollow.

I climbed into the back seat, gave the driver my address, and sank into the corner. I hugged my bag to my chest and stared blankly out the window.

Please let this be a nightmare. Please let me wake up in my bed.

But I didn’t.

The city blurred past, people going about their lives, unaware that mine was unraveling at the seams.

The cab finally pulled up in front of our estate, and the sight that greeted me stole the last bit of air from my lungs.

Three police cars.

Flashing lights.

Reporters with cameras and microphones crowded the gate like vultures.

I froze.

“What the hell…” I whispered, heart racing.

The cab hadn’t even stopped completely before I threw money at the driver and jumped out.

I ran toward the house.

“Miss Blake! Over here!”

“Is it true your father committed fraud?”

“Is the Blake family business bankrupt?”

Their questions hit me like bullets.

“Get out of my way!” I shouted, pushing through the crowd.

An officer blocked me just before the front steps. “Ma’am, you can’t go—”

“This is my house!” I snapped, breathless. “I live here.”

He hesitated.

And then I saw her.

My mother—Margaret—stood at the doorway, eyes wide and tear-filled. She looked smaller than I remembered, like the weight of the world had settled on her shoulders overnight. Her blouse was wrinkled, her arms trembling.

“Siena…” she whispered, rushing down the steps to meet me.

She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me tight against her. I could feel her heartbeat—fast, frantic, terrified.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “What happened?”

Her lips quivered. “They… they arrested your father.”

“What? Why?”

Before she could answer, I heard the shuffle of movement.

And then I saw him.

Two officers led my father—Charles Blake—out of the house, his hands cuffed behind his back. His normally neat suit was wrinkled, his tie loose. His eyes met mine, tired and heavy.

“Dad?”

He didn’t speak. He just looked at me for one long, broken moment… and then turned away.

The officers pushed him into the back of the police car, and the reporters swarmed like insects. Flashes lit up his face. Voices screamed over one another.

My mother gripped my hand. “They’re saying fraud. Embezzlement. Bribery. I don’t understand it either, Siena. One second everything was fine… and now…”

I stared at the house—our house. The door was open, drawers pulled out, files scattered across the floor. It didn’t feel like home anymore. It felt like a stranger had moved in and destroyed everything we’d built.

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think.

Then my phone buzzed in my bag.

Zane.

I answered it quickly. “Zane! Thank God. I don’t know what’s going on—my dad—”

“I don’t care about your father,” he said, voice sharp.

My stomach dropped. “What?”

“I saw the footage.”

“What footage?”

“You. In bed. With some guy. Half-naked. At your bachelorette party, Siena. That footage.”

My blood turned to ice.

“That’s not possible—I don’t—Zane, I don’t even remember—”

“Save it. I trusted you. We were getting married in six days.”

“I didn’t mean to—I don’t even know who he is—”

“I don’t give a damn who he is. You humiliated me.”

Tears pricked the back of my eyes. “Zane, please—”

“The wedding is off. And unless you return the ring and cover the penalties for canceling everything, I’ll leak the video.”

I gasped. “You wouldn’t…”

“You’ve got twelve hours.”

“Zane—”

“You made your choice, Siena.”

And just like that, the line went dead.

My hands dropped to my sides. The phone slipped to the ground.

My mother’s voice was far away, asking me what was wrong.

But I couldn’t answer.

How could I?

In one morning, I had woken up in a strange bed beside a man I didn’t know, returned home to find my father arrested, and had my fiancé abandon me with a cruel, final sentence.

Twelve hours.

That’s all I had before he destroyed whatever was left of me.

I bent down, picked up my phone, and stared at the black screen.

I didn’t cry.

I couldn’t.

My body was too numb, my mind too hollow.

Somewhere inside me, something broke.

And deep in that crack—beneath the pain, the shame, and the fear—something else started to bloom.

Something darker.

I didn’t know who the stranger in room 804 was. I didn’t know how or why I ended up there.

But I would find out.

Because this?

This wasn’t the end.

It was the beginning.