Chapter Two: One Reckless Night
1016 Words
Charlotte had never been kissed like that before.
The moment Damien Ashford’s lips crashed against hers inside the private elevator, every broken piece of her shattered even further.
But this time…
She wanted to break.
His hand gripped her waist possessively, pulling her flush against his hard body while his mouth devoured hers with dangerous hunger. The taste of whiskey and sin lingered between them, intoxicating her far more than the alcohol ever could.
Charlotte moaned softly as Damien pushed her gently against the mirrored wall.
“Still want to forget him?” he murmured against her lips.
Her breathing came out shaky.
“Yes.”
The single word changed everything.
His dark eyes burned into hers for one heated second before he kissed her again — deeper this time, slower, more deliberate. Like a man savoring temptation before losing control completely.
Charlotte’s fingers tangled into his shirt as desire curled low in her stomach. She barely knew this man, yet every touch felt devastatingly intimate.
Dangerous.
The elevator doors opened into a luxurious penthouse suite, but Charlotte hardly noticed the marble floors or city lights.
All she could focus on was him.
Damien loosened his tie slowly while watching her with an intensity that made her pulse race.
“You can still walk away,” he said quietly.
Charlotte stared at him.
At the sharp jawline. The dark sinful eyes. The mouth that had already ruined her ability to think.
Then she stepped closer.
And kissed him first.
Something snapped inside Damien instantly.
He grabbed her waist roughly, lifting her effortlessly onto the edge of the grand piano near the window. Charlotte gasped as his hands slid slowly along her thighs, pushing her dress higher inch by inch.
Heat flooded her entire body.
For the first time since discovering Ethan and Vanessa together…
She felt wanted.
Desired.
Beautiful.
Damien’s mouth trailed down her neck, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin beneath her ear while his fingers explored her body like he intended to memorize every inch of her.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured.
Charlotte let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe because this is insane.”
His gaze lifted to hers slowly.
“Do you want me to stop?”
She should have said yes.
Instead, she whispered—
“No.”
That word became the beginning of her destruction.
The night blurred into heated kisses, tangled sheets, soft moans, and desperate touches that erased reality itself. Damien handled her like something precious and dangerous at the same time, making Charlotte feel things she had never experienced before.
Not with Ethan.
Never with Ethan.
By the time dawn painted the sky gold, Charlotte lay breathless against Damien’s chest, exhaustion and shame mixing painfully inside her.
What had she done?
She barely knew this man.
And yet, wrapped in his arms, listening to his heartbeat beneath her cheek, Charlotte felt safer than she had in years.
Damien brushed his fingers gently through her hair.
“Stay,” he murmured sleepily.
Charlotte closed her eyes briefly.
If she stayed, this would become real.
And Charlotte couldn’t survive another heartbreak.
Carefully, she slipped out of bed before sunrise.
She dressed quietly, grabbed her heels, and glanced back one last time.
Damien was still asleep, his dark hair messy against the pillow, his face devastatingly handsome even in sleep.
For one dangerous second…
Charlotte almost stayed.
Instead, she fled.
—
The moment Charlotte stepped into her family home later that morning, tension slammed into her instantly.
Her mother sat stiffly in the living room. Her father stood near the fireplace. Ethan was there.
And so was Vanessa.
Charlotte froze.
Vanessa immediately burst into fake tears.
“Charlotte, thank God you’re back—”
“Don’t talk to me,” Charlotte snapped coldly.
Her mother sighed heavily. “Enough of this drama.”
Charlotte stared at her in disbelief.
Drama?
“You caught your boyfriend sleeping with your sister,” her father said firmly. “Mistakes happen.”
Charlotte felt physically sick.
“Mistakes?” she whispered.
Ethan stepped forward quickly. “Baby, listen—”
“Stop calling me that!”
Vanessa crossed her arms defensively. “I already apologized.”
Charlotte laughed bitterly. “You think saying sorry changes anything?”
Her mother’s expression hardened instantly.
“What exactly do you want us to do?” she demanded. “Destroy this family over one stupid mistake?”
Charlotte blinked slowly.
Destroy the family?
Her chest tightened painfully.
“You’re taking their side?”
“Watch your tone,” her father warned.
Charlotte looked around the room helplessly, waiting for someone — anyone — to defend her.
Nobody did.
Her mother walked closer.
“Ethan loves you,” she said firmly. “Men make mistakes. You will forgive him and move on.”
Charlotte stared at her mother like she didn’t recognize her anymore.
“You want me to continue dating him after he slept with Vanessa?”
Vanessa looked away guiltily while Ethan rubbed his face in frustration.
“It didn’t mean anything,” Ethan muttered.
Something inside Charlotte finally broke completely.
“You all disgust me.”
Her mother’s face darkened instantly.
“Charlotte—”
“No.” Tears filled Charlotte’s eyes again. “I spent my whole life loving this family, and none of you even care that they destroyed me.”
“Enough!” her father thundered. “You are embarrassing this family with your behavior.”
Charlotte laughed painfully.
Embarrassing?
Not the cheating. Not the betrayal.
Her reaction.
That was the embarrassment.
Her mother folded her arms coldly. “You will calm down, apologize for causing this scene, and continue your relationship with Ethan.”
Silence filled the room.
Charlotte couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Then suddenly—
Her stomach twisted violently.
A wave of nausea hit her so hard she nearly stumbled.
Everyone looked at her instantly.
Charlotte pressed a trembling hand against her mouth.
And for the first time since leaving Damien’s penthouse…
Fear crawled down her spine.
Because deep down…
She suddenly knew something was terribly wrong.
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