Chapter 1: A Night That Shouldn’t Have Happened
⚠️ WARNING: This chapter contains mature themes, deceit, and intense emotional conflict. Reader discretion is advised.
Jane jolted awake, her heart hammering against her ribs as a sharp noise cut through the silence of her room. Her head pounded, her throat dry, and her body... bare.
Panic surged through her veins as she clutched the blanket, yanking it up to cover herself. Her pulse roared in her ears.
What the hell happened?
The last thing she remembered was Alice’s birthday party. Laughter, drinks, music. Then... nothing. A black hole where the rest of the night should’ve been.
A slow, steady breath beside her sent an ice-cold shiver down her spine. Jane turned her head.
A man.
Her breath hitched.
A man was lying in bed next to her, sleeping peacefully like he belonged there. Her hands trembled as she pulled the blanket tighter, her stomach twisting into knots.
Then the world tilted off its axis.
The man in her bed wasn’t just any man.
It was Robert.
Alice’s boyfriend.
No. No, no, no.
Her mouth went dry, her fingers tightening around the fabric. Robert stirred, groaning softly before rubbing a hand down his face. His eyelids fluttered open, dark eyes hazy with sleep.
Then realization struck him like a bullet.
“What the—”
A loud pounding on the door made Jane jump. Her mother’s voice rang through the wood, sharp and furious.
“Jane! Open the door! What’s going on in there?”
Her blood ran cold.
Shit.
The doorknob rattled violently. A second later, the door burst open, and her worst nightmare unfolded. Her mother, father, and Alice stood frozen at the threshold.
Their eyes widened. Their faces twisted in shock.
Jane wanted to disappear.
“You shameless girl!” Her mother’s voice sliced through the air like a whip. “What have you done?”
Alice’s gaze flicked to Robert, still shirtless and sitting up in bed, looking as stunned as Jane felt. Horror dawned in her sister’s tear-filled eyes, her hands shaking at her sides.
“Robert?” Her voice cracked. “What does this mean?”
Jane opened her mouth, but no words came. I don’t know. I don’t remember.
Robert’s face was pale, jaw clenched so tight she thought it might snap. “Alice, I swear—”
Alice took a shaky step back, her breath ragged. “Did you... sleep with my sister?”
Robert’s silence was deafening.
The slap came before Jane even registered the movement. Pain exploded across her cheek as her mother’s palm struck her face with brutal force.
“You disgusting little—”
“Mom, I don’t remember! I swear, I don’t—”
“Liar!” Alice’s scream was raw, filled with betrayal. “You knew! You f*****g knew, and you still did this!”
Jane barely had time to react before Alice lunged, her fingers tangling in Jane’s hair, yanking so hard that Jane yelped in pain.
“You snake!” Alice shrieked. “How could you do this to me?”
“Alice! Let her go!” Their father’s booming voice finally broke through the chaos. He wrenched Alice away, his eyes filled with disgust and disappointment as he turned to Jane and Robert.
“Both of you,” he said coldly. “Get dressed and come downstairs. We’re settling this now.”
He shot Robert a glare sharp enough to cut steel. “I’ll be calling your parents.”
Alice choked on a sob before storming out of the room. Their mother hesitated, one last look of utter disappointment flashing in her eyes before she followed.
The door slammed shut. The silence was suffocating.
Jane’s chest heaved, her hands shaking. Robert sat on the edge of the bed, his face unreadable.
Then he turned to her, his dark eyes cold. “Did you seduce me?”
Jane flinched like he’d slapped her. “What?”
His expression twisted into something cruel. “Did you drug me? Trick me into this?”
Fury surged through her veins, replacing the panic. “Are you serious right now?”
Robert stood, grabbing his shirt and yanking it on. “You think Alice is going to forgive me for this? My entire relationship is ruined, and you don’t even have a f*****g explanation!”
Jane’s hands balled into fists. “I don’t remember anything! Do you?!”
Robert froze.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “No,” he admitted, voice tight. “But that doesn’t change the fact that Alice will never look at me the same way again.”
He turned to the door, fists clenched. “If my relationship ends because of this, you’ll pay for it. I’ll never forgive you.”
Jane’s stomach twisted. “Robert, please—”
The door slammed behind him.
She sat there, staring at the empty space he left behind, her mind a whirlwind of panic, shame, and the sinking, nauseating feeling that her life had just shattered into a million irreparable pieces.
